Rising applications and AI-powered recruitment tools reduce reliance on proactive CV searches. (Image source: iStock)
South African recruiters are searching online CV databases significantly less than a year ago, despite signs of a modest recovery in hiring activity.
This suggests the way employers source talent is changing as jobseekers increasingly apply directly for vacancies.
This is according to CareerJunction’s Employment Insights Report for the second quarter of 2026, which reveals recruiter searches of its CV database declined 18.1% year-on-year.
This indicates recruiters remain active, but are relying less on proactively searching for candidates than they did a year ago.
Key factors influencing this shift include a surge in direct applications, while artificial intelligence (AI)-powered applicant tracking systems, matching tools and automationare making it easier to screen and identify suitable candidates from large volumes of applications.
The change in the way employers source talent comes as the broader online labour market shows a mixed recovery. Overall advertised vacancy volumes increased 2.6% year-on-year, while hiring activity over the past two years slipped 1.7%. On a seasonally adjusted basis, recruitment activity declined 1% between the first and second quarters of 2026.
“The combination of fewer proactive CV searches and substantially more applications points to a change in the sourcing equation: recruiters have access to larger pools of candidates through advertised vacancies, while technology is making it easier to identify suitable applicants without conducting broad database searches,” notes the report.
“Recruiters are also increasingly combining direct applications, internal talent pools, LinkedIn, referrals, recruitment agencies and targeted outreach.”
While CV databases − such as Pnet, CareerJunction, JobVine and Indeed − remain important for scarce and specialist skills, they are becoming one channel within a broader sourcing ecosystem rather than the default starting point.
At the same time, jobseeker engagement online has risen sharply. The average number of applications per advertised position increased 70% year-on-year, although it fell 5% quarter-on-quarter and is 32% higher than two years ago, notes the report. ‘
Changing sourcing equation
The trend is reflected on other recruitment platforms. Pnet says it has observed a similar decline in CV database searches, although its data also points to improving vacancy advertising and hiring activity.
Anja Bates, head of data at Pnet, says the online jobs portal’s July jobs report showed vacancy advertising increased 9% month-on-month and 10% year-on-year.
“Candidate database searches increased 10% month-on-month, but were still down 25% year-on-year, while hiring activity grew 10% month-on-month in June and was nearly flat year-on-year at -1%. Increased applications certainly make the life of the recruiter easier, but CV database searches are still a favoured tool when recruiters need instant results, or are searching for a more specialised candidate profile.”
Bates adds that Pnet’s data does not allow it to draw definitive conclusions about why database searches are falling, but identifies several possible factors. These include recruiters receiving more relevant direct applications, increased use of applicant tracking systems and AI, and employers making greater use of talent pipelines built from previous applicants and searches.
The CareerJunction report similarly points to the growing pool of applicants as a factor that could allow employers and recruiters to spend less time proactively sourcing candidates.
Momentum Group tells ITWeb it does not rely on a single job board or CV database during the recruitment process. Its recruitment ecosystem includes direct applications, LinkedIn, internal talent pools, referrals, recruitment agencies and careers platforms.
Njabulo Nyawo, chief people executive at Momentum Group, says the insurance company received almost 150 000 applications across advertised roles in its latest reporting period. This compares with more than 160 000 in the previous period, giving recruiters access to a substantial internal candidate pool before they need to search externally.
Nyawo argues that the decline in traditional database searches should therefore not necessarily be interpreted as recruiters sourcing less talent.
“It is less about recruiters sourcing less and more about recruiters sourcing differently. Where applicant volumes are high, recruiters can often fill roles through direct applicants and existing candidate pools. However, for scarce and specialist skills, particularly technology-related positions, proactive and targeted sourcing, sometimes partnering with renowned executive search firms, remains critical.”
Momentum has also invested in LinkedIn as part of its talent attraction strategy, particularly for employer branding, engaging passive candidates and targeting scarce skills, he adds.
The changing behaviour reflects a broader diversification of recruitment channels.
Bates similarly says AI-powered applicant tracking systems help recruiters identify suitable candidates from applications, but do not replace CV databases.
“Technologies such as AI-powered applicant tracking systems help recruiters identify suitable candidates from the applications they received, but they are not a replacement for searching CV databases on platforms like Pnet.
“These databases offer access to millions of South African jobseekers across a range of experience levels, desired roles and skillsets, along with smart matching tools to identify suitable candidates,” she explains.
Nyawo states the role of technology is ultimately to augment recruiters rather than remove the human element from hiring. Decisions around cultural fit, potential, leadership capability, motivation and overall suitability still require human judgement.
Despite the decline in CV database searches, neither Pnet nor Momentum expect traditional candidate databases to disappear.
Anja Bates, head of data at Pnet.
CareerJunction reports IT hiring activity declined 5% year-on-year and remained unchanged compared with the previous quarter. Recruitment activity for IT roles has been declining since the beginning of 2026, after experiencing growth during the second half of 2025.
At the same time, competition for technology jobs has intensified amid the huge tech skills shortage in SA. Jobseeker engagement for IT positions increased 23% quarter-on-quarter, surged 86% year-on-year and is 48% higher than it was two years ago.
Pnet has also seen a downturn in IT hiring, according to Bates, who says the increase in software developer vacancies towards the end of last year was temporary.
She says the rise in IT jobseeker engagement has been building since demand for technology professionals began normalising after the hiring boom of 2020 to early 2022.
“During and before the COVID years, high in-demand IT professionals were headhunted without a job search. This has changed after several years dominated by global and local announcements of large-scale layoffs across IT and technology companies.”
However, Momentum Group’s experience suggests the IT market is not necessarily in a broad-based downward spiral.
Nyawo notes applications across a broad grouping of technology roles remained relatively stable, declining by about 3% year-on-year.
The picture changes significantly when individual roles are examined, he adds.
“Applications increased for data analysts, business analysts, test analysts, IT managers, data engineers and IT engineers, while applications declined for developers, data scientists and business systems analysts.
“This suggests not a downward spiral, but rather a shift in demand and skills requirements within technology talent markets,” Nyawo explains.
The distinction is important as employers adjust to changing technology skills requirements. Rather than simply seeing fewer technology jobs, the data points to shifts in which skills are attracting demand and where candidates are competing most intensely, he adds.
Business and management recruitment declined marginally by 1% year-on-year and remained flat quarter-on-quarter.
Njabulo Nyawo, chief people executive at Momentum Group.
