Healthcare and social welfare employ nearly 1.3 million South Africans, the paradox remains, nursing graduates cannot find placements, even while hospitals face staff shortages.

Top in-demand qualifications include nursing, midwifery, medical technology, pharmacy, and community health. Specialised fields such as radiography, laboratory sciences, and occupational therapy are also undersupplied.

Digital health is opening new opportunities in telemedicine, health informatics, and mobile diagnostics. SMEs and social enterprises are increasingly part of this ecosystem, offering jobs for youth, however, retention remains a problem, skilled professionals often migrate to higher-paying countries.

Retrenchments in private healthcare due to rising costs present an opportunity to redirect staff into public and community services. Incentives for rural placements are vital, as is scaling bursaries for health-related studies.

A healthy workforce is the foundation of a strong economy. South Africa’s health sector must urgently align training and placements to match real-world needs, or the country risks a deepening health crisis.