Gauteng
Johannesburg, Pretoria, Ekurhuleni
58%
Sectors: Finance, ICT, Mining HQs, Government, Manufacturing, Consulting
Primary destination for all graduates
Q1 2026·Verified data
VUKA.
Section 9 · Geographic Intelligence
Where the jobs actually are
Physical location significantly impacts graduate employment probability — independent of qualification level. Gauteng dominates, but Western Cape leads on outcomes.
Provincial job share
Western Cape
Cape Town
15%
Sectors: Technology (+10–20% salary premium), Tourism, Agriculture, Financial Services
Growing tech hub; lowest unemployment (21.4%)
KwaZulu-Natal
Durban, Pietermaritzburg
10%
Sectors: Logistics, Manufacturing, Tourism, Agriculture, Retail
Regional hub for KZN graduates
Limpopo / Mpumalanga / North West
7%
Sectors: Mining, Agriculture
Resource-sector dependent
Eastern Cape
Gqeberha, East London
5%
Sectors: Automotive, Manufacturing
Highest provincial unemployment (42.4%)
Free State / Northern Cape
5%
Sectors: Agriculture, Mining
Limited graduate employment base
Source: CareerJunction Q2:2025 · Stats SA QLFS Q1:2024 provincial
"Of UCT Class of 2023 graduates who remained in South Africa, almost two-thirds are based in the Western Cape — significant geographic concentration of graduate employment.