South Africa’s graduate unemployment rate fell to 10.4% in Q3 2025, down from 12.2% in Q2. Despite this improvement, the rate remains higher than the 8.7% recorded at the end of Q4 2024, underscoring a persistent disconnect between what graduates study and what the labour market actually requires.
“Employers are responding by rethinking what they look for in new hires,” says Tebogo Chaka, Design Thinking Programme Lead at the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at the University of Cape Town.
A Global Shift in What Work Demands
The World Economic Forum’s latest Future of Jobs Report highlights a global transition in talent requirements. Creative and analytical thinking now top the list of in-demand skills, followed by resilience, flexibility, curiosity, and lifelong learning. With almost 40% of job-related skills expected to change by 2030, employers are placing less emphasis on degrees and more on how individuals approach complex, ambiguous problems.
“We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how organisations define talent,” says Chaka. “It’s no longer enough to state what you’ve learned. Employers want to understand how you think when solving problems that don’t yet have established answers.”
As a result, companies are increasingly investing in potential rather than pedigree, and seeking candidates who demonstrate curiosity, adaptability, and problem-solving capability, even if their technical knowledge is still developing.
Five Ways to Demonstrate Soft Skills on Your CV
While these competencies are essential, Chaka notes that they are not typically cultivated through traditional curricula. “They develop through practice, by engaging with real-world, ambiguous challenges through project-based learning, internships, volunteering, or collaborative assignments.”
She offers five ways graduates can highlight these skills more effectively on their CVs:
- Reframe projects through a problem-solving lens: Rather than “Created a marketing campaign for X,” try: “Identified declining engagement through user interviews and developed a targeted campaign that increased attendance by 30%.”
- Highlight cross-functional collaboration: If you worked with people from different disciplines, be explicit. “Collaborated with engineering, design, and business students to deliver an integrated solution” signals comfort with diverse perspectives.
- Show evidence of iteration and learning: Phrases like “refined the approach based on user feedback” or “pivoted strategy after initial testing revealed…” demonstrates resilience and a growth mindset.
- Focus on the ‘how’, not just the ‘what’: Numbers matter, but so does the process behind them. “Reduced customer complaint response time by 40% by implementing a triage system after analysing pain points” tells a fuller, more compelling story.
- Include non-academic experiences strategically: Frame leadership, community involvement, or freelance work to show initiative and adaptability. “Launched a community tutoring programme after identifying a need among local high school learners” demonstrates empathy and proactive engagement.
“A degree tells employers what you know,” Chaka adds. “But in a market where roles evolve constantly, what gets you hired and keeps you employable is demonstrating how you think, how you learn, and how you grow.”
