A scarce skill is a qualification or job for which there are too few available people in South Africa to do the job. This description refers to suitably skilled people who are not available in the labour market and may include new or emerging occupation, lack of suitably qualified people or insufficient numbers of people enrolled in programmes to meet the new demands.  A list containing the top 100 occupations in South Africa that are in short supply was been released by the Department of Higher Education and Training in 2014. This list will be updated every two years. The purpose of the top 100 list is to inform:

• Human resource planning and development;
• Resource allocation and prioritisation;
• The development of relevant qualifications, programmes and curriculam; and
• International recruitment  strategies.

Studying for a scarce skill, providing it is suited to you, would not only mean helping your country, but also helping yourself! Not only will you be able to find a job more easily, but you will most likely be paid better and progress to the top of your career path more easily, because employers require these skills. Also, some qualifications are universally scarce, which means that international opportunities will be available. In addition, foreigners who have these skills will be able to easily obtain a critical skills visa to live and work in South Africa.

Top 10 scarce skills list in South Africa

• Electrical Engineer
• Civil Engineer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Quantity Surveyor
• Programme or Project Manager
• Finance Manager
• Physical and Engineering   Science Technicians
• Industrial and Production   Engineers
• Electrician
• Chemical Engineer

Well-trained artisans in all fields are also in demand and are commanding higher salaries than before, thanks to their highly sought-after skills.

Critical skills in addition
Critical skills refers to skills and abilities within occupations such as general management, communication and customer handling, teamwork, or communication technology. Key or generic skills include:

• Cognitive Skills (problem   solving, learning to learn),
• Language and Literacy Skills,
• Mathematical Skills,
• ICT skills and
• Working in teams.

Many companies find it difficult to recruit people who have these skills. No matter what your occupation, these skills may be key to your future employment as well as contribute to success in whatever endeavour you choose to follow.