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The Complete Guide to Johannesburg Jobs
Even so Johannesburg (JHB) sits inland at an altitude of 1753 meters has no spectacular beaches or mountain ranges like other parts of the country it has its own special charm and beauty. Johannesburg can claim to be the largest manmade urban forest in the world with more than 10 million trees. Even so Pretoria is known as Jacaranda City as it has 70,000 of these trees that bloom purple it is not well known that Johannesburg has even more of these trees than Pretoria.
It is well known that Gauteng is South Africa’s powerhouse accounting for 34% of GDP much more than any other province.
In this guide we are going to explore Johannesburg jobs and what living in this city is like.
What are the main job opportunities in Johannesburg
Mining was originally what the Witwatersrand economy was built and based on but its importance is declining. Most mining companies are still headquartered in Johannesburg. Most of the major South African companies and banks also have their head offices in Johannesburg. Manufacturing is an especially large industry including heavy manufacturing such as steel and cement. Other industries such as services, Banking, IT, real estate, transport, broadcast, private health care, security and consumer retail are all thriving industries in Johannesburg. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Africa’s largest stock exchange is also located in Johannesburg.
Johannesburg has more than one Central Business District (CBD) and like Sandton and Rosebank. Some of the smaller ones would be Benoni and Germiston.
Some of the largest companies in Johannesburg are Anglo American, Sasol, MTN ABSA Group, Standard Bank Group, Bidvest, Old Mutual, Nedbank, First Rand, Vodacom, Mondi, MMI Holdings, Investec and Telkom.
The South African Start-up Ecosystem Report 2022 that is compiled by Disrupt Africa found that Cape Town is not as far ahead as Johannesburg in Start-ups and concluded that there were 225 start-up in CT compared with 204 in JHB. However it also concluded that in terms of Fintech start-ups JHB was ahead.
So for people who love the idea of either starting a new business or working for a start-up and are excellent developers or software engineers the opportunity to find work may be just as good in JHB as it is in CT.
However as Gauteng accounts for most of the countries GDP unless one is specifically looking at working for a technology company or a tech start-up ones chances are probably substantially higher of finding work in Johannesburg compared to Cape Town. Obviously in niche industries such as tourism or wine the opportunities will be greater in Cape Town.
Other Useful Career Guides:
What activities are there to do in Johannesburg after work
Johannesburg is home to some of the largest and most exclusive shopping centres in the world and some of the larger ones are Sandton City, Eastgate, Westgate and Cresta. Melrose Arch and Hydepark are known to be quite exclusive however in Sandton there is a section called the Diamond Walk which also houses many of the top international brands. There are no shortage of shopping centres in this city and a few more of the well known of ones are Rosebank, Southgate and Clearwater Mall.
All of these shopping malls offer restaurants, coffee shops, movie houses and a variety of shops to browse through and are excellent places to spend a few hours relaxing and meeting up with friends.
There are many parks to visit in Johannesburg such as the Zoo Lake, The Wilds Nature Reserve, The Moderfontein Reserve, James & Ethel Gray Park to name just a few. There are also no shortage of golf courses in South Africa and as one drives through various neighborhoods every 10 or 15 minutes you will probably drive past one. If you are a golf fan this is not a bad place to be.
There are many museums and heritage sights to visit to learn about the history of South Africa such as Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill Human Rights Precinct, Mandela’s House and ABSA Money Museum to name but a few.
If you enjoy the outdoors there are a number of walks and hikes to go on but in this category it is hard to compete with a city like Cape Town. Some of the more popular destinations would be to drive to Magaliesburg about 45 minutes out of JHB for a selection of awesome trails and hikes. There is also Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve and hidden gems like Cradle Moon. The amazing thing is that Drakensburg mountain range is only 4 hours away. The mountain ranges and scenery here are so spectacular that they will even give Cape Town a run for the money on where the best hiking in the country is however to get the most out of the trip would mean spending at least 2 nights away.
No one could ever stay in JHB without a visit to some game reserves to see the big 5. Besides for the Kruger National Park one could visit Pilanesberg National Park, Welgevonden Game Reserve, Marakele National Park to name just a few. There are many job opportunities for people who would like to work in nature reserves or become tour guides. So to sum up Johannesburg is a city with enough things to keep one busy and happy.
Where to live in Johannesburg
Johannesburg is not a small city so choosing the best place to live is important. The two biggest commercial centres is the inner city or original CBD which is still the hub for mining, some commerce and government however the second or new CBD is Sandton.
Sandton is in fact Africa’s Richest Square Mile. Most of the continents biggest business and banks will in fact have their head offices in Sandton.
Even in this most exclusive area property prices sell for anything from R12,000 per square meter all the way up to 50,000 per meter square depending on the type of the property, location and finishes. For people with professional jobs or scarce skills the ratio of house prices to salaries is the lowest in the world in Johannesburg.
Bryantson which is close to Sandton will be cheaper than staying in Sandton and has plenty of freestanding homes and has a more suburban feel. Many of the huge houses on huge stands are also now being converted to cluster houses. This makes them more affordable, secure and convenient.
Sunninghill, Lonehill and Fourways have many security estates which make these areas quite popular. They also have their own schools, shopping, entertainment and healthcare facilities.
However if you work in Sandton which most people do you will be driving in the direction of the traffic in the morning and evening which will add much time onto your work commute travelling.
Illovo, Rosebank and Parkhurst These areas are some of the best to live in Johannesburg. There are a number of different properties in these areas to choose from large houses and properties, to large hoses on relatively smaller properties in Park Town. There are also a number of cluster houses and flats. Rosebank and Illovo is extremely close to the M1 which makes it very convenient to get onto one of the major highways. You also have Rosebank Mall, Melrose Arch and the famous restaurant in Park Town on 4th Avenue.
Randburg and Craighall These areas are much more affordable than Sandton, Illovo, Rosebank etc. Randburg city centre also has an assortment of shops many of them are more industrial. You are also close to Cresta Shopping Centre one of the largest shopping centres in JHB. The homes and gardens are good sizes and you are also close to Johannesburg Botanical Gardens and Emmarantia Dam. This is a good affordable place to locate a family as it is still relatively close to Sandton and Rosebank.
Northcliff and Melville These are both beautiful neighborhoods but once again moving further out from Sandton City Centre. Northcliff has some winding roads with some stunning houses and views as it is on a mountain. Melville has more of a down to earth feel student feel. Both places are close to the two large universities Wits and UJ. There is also Melville Koppies Nature reserve close by.
Linden, Parkhurst and Greenside These areas offer well sized family homes in a beautiful green area. Parkhurst also has a hot spot with restaurants, coffee shops and some bakeries which offer a lively street of entertainment.
How to find a job in Johannesburg
Executive Placements job portal operates nationally however as Johannesburg has the most GDP the largest number of jobs are in Johannesburg. Also the largest number of recruitment agents that search for candidates are also in Johannesburg so we would definitely recommend uploading a CV to the Executive Placements job portal.
There are a number of speciality recruitment agents also based in Johannesburg. If one has a specific set of skills that a recruitment agent focusses on a call and introduction to the agency may also help. Please see the Executive Placements Recruiters Listing of recruitment agents operating in Johannesburg.
Frequently asked questions
How can I get a job in Johannesburg
One of the best ways to get a job in Johannesburg is to register your CV on the Executive Placements job portal. This Portal is used by 100s of recruiters in Johannesburg to source candidates.
Are Johannesburg Salaries good compared to the rest of the country
According to the analysis that we have done on the Executive Placements database salaries are the highest in the country in Johannesburg. The exact difference is dependent upon the job and the industry that one works in.
What are the most in demand skills in Johannesburg
Banking and Software development are large industries in Johannesburg so financial and programming skills are in demand. All the mining companies head offices are also based in Johannesburg.
