Jobs in Western Cape

With a provincial gross domestic product (GDP) of R656.27 billion, or 14.2 percent of South Africa’s total GDP, the Western Cape’s biggest economic sector spans across financial, business services, and real estate initiatives (33.5 percent of gross value), followed immediately by manufacturing (14.26 percent), and wholesale, the retail trade, hotels, and restaurants at 13.67 percent.

Notably, industries that have a particularly high technological component to them, i.e. international call centres, fashion design initiatives, and advertising, film and TV production, are steadily gaining a name for themselves. While South Africa is only the seventh largest wine producing region in the world, 95 percent of this wine is produced in the Western Cape.

Salaries in big Western Cape cities (such as Cape Town) typically vary between R30 000 and R55 000 per month – versus the average salary in a province such as Limpopo, which is generally as low as R20k per month, and the average salary across the entire expanse of South Africa (excluding Gauteng), which averages out at R26k per month.

The Western Cape government has identified five economic sectors with great growth and job-creation potential, i.e. tourism, oil and gas, agri-processing, energy security, and information and communications technology (ICT).

Young people in the province are being encouraged to pursue careers or apprenticeships in these sectors, because doing so will increase their chances of employment or small business ownership in the future; together with boosting the entire province’s economic prowess.

Examples of two career paths in each category can be seen below:

• agri-processing: electrician, food technologist;
• renewable energy: architect, civil engineering technician;
• ICT: software developer, ICT sales professional;
• oil and gas: air conditioner and/or refrigeration mechanic, automotive motor mechanic;
• tourism: concierge, ranger.

For the full list of in-demand professions related to the Western Cape’s future economic development, click here.

Gone are the days when people used to print out volumes of their CV and post or drop these off at prospective employers. Today, the best way to search for and apply to a desirable employer, is to load your CV onto a reputable jobs portal – such as Executive Placements.

Those keen on jobs in Cape Town, may like to pursue:

• a finance job, such as a project finance analyst, or a finance administrator;
• a food and beverage job, such as a restaurant manager, or guest house deputy manager;
• an IT job, such as an IT business analyst, or senior IT technician;
• an engineering job, such as a lead electrical design engineer, or a structural engineer.

On the other hand, for a slightly less pressurised pace, a job in George could involve:

• a sales and marketing role, such as an external sales representative (industrial products);
• a finance job, such as a financial manager for an accounting firm;
• a food and beverage job, such as restaurant general manager;
• an IT job, such as an ASP programmer;
• a medical job, such as a youth counsellor with a psychology degree;
• a farming job, such as a harvest manager on a berry farm, or a sales representative for the farming and agricultural industry.

Remember to refine your search is you have specialist skills pertinent to the area, such as wine knowledge. In a case like this, add “wine” into the job-title search box, and “Western Cape” into the area search box, which should elicit all the wine-related positions across the region – e.g. a business development manager (wine) in Cape Town, a wine production administrator, in Franschhoek, or a wine-tasting food and beverage supervisor in Stellenbosch. Alternatively, simply search under wine jobs.

Cape Estates describes the Western Cape as a “dream come true” from a lifestyle perspective. Their main reasons to make the move, include:

• the province’s diverse and awe-inspiring landscapes, the iconic Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town to the verdant Winelands of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek;
• its numerous pristine beaches, from the famous Clifton Fourth to a range of secluded gems along the Garden Route, i.e. Noetzie, with its romantic castles;
• potentially the best educational facilities in the country, including junior and secondary schools, and globally rated tertiary institutions (i.e. University of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape, University of Stellenbosch, and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology);
• a buzzing cosmopolitan entertainment scene, including a delightful gastronomic experience for the foodies, and a plethora of sport/fitness facilities and outdoor adventuring opportunities for the adrenaline junkies.

It is important to remember that the Western Cape is not synonymous with Cape Town, and any lifestyle category – such as retail therapy – needs to be looked at from a province-wide perspective. Holidify therefore ranks the province’s top 10 shopping malls as Canal Walk shopping Centre, in Century City; Victoria Wharf shopping Centre, at the V&A Waterfront; Cape Quarter Lifestyle Village, in Green Point; Blue Route Mall in Tokai; the Golden Acre on the Foreshore; Cavendish Square in Claremont; Tyger Valley Shopping Centre in Belville Park; Bayside Mall in Table View; Willowbridge Shopping Centre in Tyger Valley; and Vangate Mall in Athlone. See their full list of 15 malls, all with a slightly different vibe, here. You’ll be spoilt for choice!

For new residents and tourists alike, the below list gives you a fantastic variety of inner-city activities:

• tea, scones, and a wander at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (R100 per adult);
• meet the penguins at Boulders Beach, just beyond Simon’s Town (no charge);
• take the ferry across to Robben Island (R1 400 per adult), to learn more about Western Cape’s struggle history;
• the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum (R60 per adult), with exhibits that highlight the lifestyle and cultural contributions of the Western Cape’s 19^th century Muslims;
• the Two Oceans Aquarium (R250 per adult), that provides a fascinating and up-close glimpse below the surface of the oceans that surround the South African coastline;
• the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (R430 return per adult before 1pm; R370 per adult return after 1pm), which offers a smooth yet exciting ride in a cable car with stunning 360-degree views;
• the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (R250 per adult), currently the world’s largest museum dedicated to art from the African continent and its diaspora.

Don’t forget, however, that there is plenty more to explore in the Western Cape’s winelands region, so sign up for one of these wine tours and tastings in the likes of Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, and beyond. Once you’re au fait with your driving directions, simply hire a car, book into a luxurious winelands guest house, and spend a pleasant weekend exploring the area to your heart’s content.

• Cape Town has been nicknamed the “Mother City” because it was the first European settlement on the African continent. Another nickname it received from sailors who made it through the waves to shore, is the Cape of Storms.
• Table Mountain is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, and was named for its flat-topped shape (like a table, right?) and the clouds that settle across it like a table cloth.
• The Castle of Good Hope, located on the corner of Darling and Buitenkant Streets, was built by the Dutch East India Company between 1666 and 1679 – making it the oldest colonial-era building in the country; while the Company’s Garden off Queen Victoria Street, which kicked off as a humble vegetable patch in around 1652 and is today a gorgeous green oasis nestled in the heart of the city centre, is easily South Africa’s oldest garden.
• Signal Hill is home to the booming Noon Gun, a historic midday time symbol that has been in place since around 1806 (excluding Sundays and public holidays). On a windless day, the iconic noise can be heard as far away as Bloubergstrand, 34km across Table Bay. For hikers keen to set out on the trails and routes in and around Table Mountain itself, you may need to time things right (earlier or later) to avoid jumping right out of your respective skins!