Depending on who you speak to, the South African ICT industry faces a critical shortfall of skills, or it doesn’t have enough jobs for all of its experienced professionals. The contradictory picture points to a mismatch between the skills on offer and those in demand in a market that is going through some wrenching changes.

The industry, like many other sectors of the South African economy, has shed jobs as a result of the global economic downturn. Integrators like Gijima, end-user organisations like Absa and telecom operators such as Cell C have all taken a knife to their headcount in recent months.