PwC's most recent Economic Outlook Report (July 2023) advocates that businesses can achieve greater success with skills focused strategic workforce planning. Skilled jobs account for at least a quarter of all employment in our economy, and it was this sector that recovered most quickly from Covid. The report goes on to say that "feedback from local business leaders taking part in World Economic Forum (WEF) surveys ranked South Africa in the bottom 25% of 141 countries assessed for the skills set of graduates. What this tells us is that, while the country's education system produces hundreds of thousands of high school, college and university graduates each year, their skill sets they bring to the economy are not considered competitive in a global context."

As SAGEA we are keen to start the conversation around a potential future study to unpack what we should be thinking about in terms of future skills for South Africa across all industries, and how we can start to solve for and build these requirements.

Join Cathy Sims and a panel to explore how we, as SAGEA, can contribute to the national debate with our partner Universities. Be part of this vital conversation!