Skilled trades have become the most difficult positions for companies to fill in 2014, overtaking engineering positions, according to the Manpower Group South Africa 2014 Talent Shortage Survey.

Engineering positions had been found to be the most difficult to fill in 2013, while skilled trades had held the fifth position.

"While engineers are no longer holding the top spot, they come in this year as the second most difficult job to fill. In 2013, we saw management and executives coming in at number two, however, this year, this position has dropped off the top ten list.

“This does not necessarily mean that the positions have been filled, just that different sectors of the economy may be experiencing better growth or decline this year," Manpower MD Lyndy van den Barselaar explained.

Making up the rest of the top ten most difficult positions to fill were secretaries, personal assistants, receptionists, administrative assistants and office support staff, accounting and finance staff, teachers, drivers, production or machine operators, restaurant and hotel staff, sales representatives and buying and procurement staff.

"With unemployment in the country hovering around the 25% mark, it is surprising that we are still suffering job shortages. The lack of technical competencies paired with the rampant skills shortages remains a problem for local employers, across various industries,” Van den Barselaar said.  

She noted that a skills shortage was widely regarded as a key obstacle to economic growth and business expansion.

“This is evident in the fact that skilled trades and engineers are topping the list as the most difficult jobs to fill, as they require a high level of skill," she said.

Meanwhile, the survey also indicated that only 8% of South African employers had difficulty filling jobs, placing South Africa in fourth place from the bottom when compared with the 41 other countries surveyed by Manpower.

The global average for 2014 was 36%, with the most acute talent shortages having been reported in Japan, Peru, India, Brazil, Turkey and Argentina.

In the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, 19% of employers who were facing talent shortages indicated that these had a high impact on their ability to meet client needs, while 31% reported a medium impact.

When asked why they were having difficulty filling these positions, the lack of available applicants was the most common factor underlying the talent shortages reported in the region, mentioned by 37% of employers, up from 33% in 2013, while 35% reported a lack of technical competencies as a key reason, and 25% found that candidates lacked the necessary experience.

"To tackle the skills shortage in South Africa, it is imperative that provincial government continues to support employment through skills training, as well as support for small, medium-sized and microenterprises. Policies such as the Skills Development Levy and the Skills Development Act support job creation and economic growth, which should reflect positively on the job market and the amount of skilled workers in future," Van den Barselaar concluded.

The Talent Shortage Survey is conducted on a yearly basis with a sample of 750 businesses in South Africa.