Fintech is SA’s preferred employer, according to a talent survey

Fintech companies have become preferred employers in SA, as local talent fights for positions in the growing sector.

This is according to a report from 2022 on the South African talent landscape, the Universum Talent survey, which states that the banking and fintech sector proved to have strong growth areas within the talent population.

The survey collects global data on employment trends, preferred employers and developing talent needs in the current economic climate.

In SA, this year more than 28,000 professionals from over 56 disciplines and 56,967 students from 27 universities participated in the survey. This year’s total number of respondents increased from last year to 84,358.

The key findings from the exercise include fintech, which emerges as a preferred sector within the surveyed talent population.

“There has not been much movement in the highly competitive auditing and accounting, banking and e-commerce organizations for business talent. In the fintech sectors, interest has increased,” the survey said.

The Fintech area has become one of the leading drivers for innovation and job creation across the country.

Fintech presents “the most productive and high-performing opportunity to influence our GDP”, according to Alison Collier, MD at Endeavor South Africa.

Pabi Mogosetsi, Country Manager for Universum Global SA, explains how talent needs develop in 2022: “Ethical standards and professional training and development are still highly regarded by both students and professionals. While secure employment is important for professionals, leadership opportunities have become important for students.

“This shows that talent is largely more focused on job characteristics, so employer brands need to ensure that their employer’s value proposition and employer brand image are properly communicated in job descriptions. This helps them ensure that candidates’ experiences match what is promised.”

In the engineering / technology category, the report states that technology or STEM talent is still important and continues to rise to levels before COVID-19.

Mogosetsi comments: “We have noticed that this industry and the technology, finance, banking and auditing industries have grown in interest, and have noticed that different organizations are following up to make sure they get a” piece of the pie ” “By opening various technology hubs in South Africa, it set out to become a focal point for African technology.

“While these industries are enjoying significant growth in interest, the FMCG industry is bleeding talent interest, and growth is extremely limited, with the top 10 companies in the FMCG industries losing rankings to banks, and especially international banks.

“The preferred industries within this target audience have evolved to include rapid growth in energy, IT, data and network security, computer software and technology, and IT engineering consulting.”

Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Huawei, Samsung and Tesla took the lead in attractiveness with the IT-focused target group, while Sasol, Transnet and Eskom came out in the top tier within the engineering category.

Regarding what professionals in the engineering / technology target group prefer, Mogosetsi says: “Employer reputation and image, job characteristics, and people and culture are important to this group. They are interested in innovation and embracing new technologies, and most of all professional training and development.

«For the entire target group, an encouraging balance between work and private life, flexible conditions and a competitive basic salary have increased in importance.

“Challenging work is seen as one of the least important qualities, as are leadership opportunities. We believe this is linked to the importance of work-life balance and flexibility. “