Japanese multinational IT services provider and consultancy, NTT Data South Africa, is stepping up recruitment as demand for artificial intelligence, cyber security, and cloud expertise accelerates in South Africa.
The company is also investing in several long-term initiatives to help address South Africa’s persistent digital skills shortage.
Amantha Naidoo, managing executive of NTT Data South Africa, said the company is recruiting across several technology disciplines, as it positions to capture a larger share of South Africa’s IT services market.
The hiring drive comes as organisations increasingly seek specialised tech expertise amid the local skills dearth, while also expecting technology providers to deliver projects faster and with greater business impact, notes Naidoo.
NTT Data is always recruiting because the ICT sector remains extremely competitive and the demand for expertise continues to grow.
Our ability to retain talent has to be matched by our ability to attract it, and they’re actively recruiting for core skills, as well as emerging technology areas where they want to grow ahead of the curve.
Talent acquisition has to align with where they see future growth, Naidoo said.
Recruitment is only one part of the equation, according to Naidoo.
Ensuring employees continue developing new capabilities as technology evolves at an unprecedented pace is equally important.
Technology is changing so quickly that learning can’t stop once someone joins the organisation.
They have to continuously invest in upskilling and reskilling their people so they remain relevant and are equipped to support clients as new technologies emerge.
AI specialists remain in high demand, but Naidoo believes South Africa’s technology skills challenge extends far beyond data scientists and AI architects.
Organisations still require highly-skilled software developers, infrastructure engineers, and network specialists – skills which ensure employees are capable of helping customers modernise complex technology environments.
NTT Data continues investing heavily in training and certification to ensure employees remain current across rapidly-evolving technologies.
As they handle this challenge, it’s clear that the skills gap is not just about finding people with the right technical skills, but also about creating a culture that supports continuous learning and adaptation.
This requires a deep understanding of technological developments and the ability to make informed decisions about where to invest in talent and technology.
AI has also exposed another skills gap that receives far less attention, according to Naidoo.
Organisations invest in AI architects and data scientists, and employees are being trained to use generative AI tools.
Firms haven’t invested enough in helping entire workforces become more adaptive.
Marketing teams, finance professionals, contact centre agents, and many other roles need new behavioural and digital skills if organisations want AI adoption to succeed.
Naidoo believes many organisations remain too focused on technology deployment, while overlooking workforce readiness.
There is still fear around AI because many employees believe adopting it means replacing themselves.
Organisations need to invest just as much in preparing people for change as they do in deploying the technology itself.
One of NTT Data’s flagship initiatives is its Saturday School programme, which has been running for three decades and focuses on improving mathematics, science, and technology education for high school learners.
Naidoo said they are equally focused on creating opportunities for South African professionals after they enter the workforce.
Rather than relying heavily on imported expertise, NTT Data wants to position South Africa as one of the group’s global delivery hubs.
South African software developers, cloud specialists, cyber security professionals, and engineers are increasingly supporting international customers, while remaining based locally, as they develop data growth solutions.
They want South Africa to become a destination of choice for delivering technology services across the global NTT Data organisation.
That means creating jobs locally, while enabling South African professionals to support customers in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
It’s about exporting South African skills rather than exporting South African people.
Naidoo explained that although access to global expertise remains an advantage of belonging to a multinational organisation, local hiring remains central to their strategy.
Being part of a global organisation gives them access to specialist skills wherever they need them.
At the same time, they’re committed to remaining a responsible corporate citizen by creating jobs locally and maintaining strong client intimacy in South Africa.
They believe the right balance is building local capability, while drawing on global expertise where it adds value, similar to how Meta has upgraded its Muse Spark model.
Fourteen months into her tenure as managing executive, Naidoo said one of her biggest priorities has been guiding the South African business through organisational transformation following Dimension Data’s rebranding as NTT Data in February 2024.
This came after NTT Data’s acquisition of local IT services firm Dimension Data in 2010, which has helped them improve their AI security capabilities.
She described the transition as a “rollercoaster”, but pointed out that success depended less on technology than on communication, transparency, and bringing employees along on the journey.
Transformation succeeds or fails based on how effectively they take people with them.
That means communicating why decisions are being made, creating clarity around change, and making sure employees understand the direction of the business.
