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AI and budget pressure are rewriting the rules of tech leadership. Here’s what more than 280 South African tech leaders are saying — and what it means for your team.
AI, leaner teams, and rising expectations are reshaping what it means to grow in tech.
Here's what 2,200+ South African software and data professionals are seeing in
practice across pay, perks, and the career moves that matter most.
The rules around pay, progression, and performance are changing. AI is raising the bar. Teams are hiring more selectively. Developers are trying to understand where they stand.
We surveyed 2,200+ South African developers, data professionals, and tech leaders to understand how pay, progression and hiring are evolving in an AI-driven world, where teams are leaner, expectations are higher, and the gap between tools and capability is starting to show.
Get the full insights from 2,200+ developers in South Africa.
Download the reportSalaries in tech have stabilised and only senior developers are seeing the strongest growth. While AI skills are beginning to influence earnings for some, the overall impact on salary trends is still emerging.
“Salary conversations are difficult because they sit at the intersection of money, power, and self-worth."Benchmark salaries
Retention is becoming a bigger priority as teams stay lean and expectations rise. Understanding which benefits developers value most, and where current offerings fall short, is key to keeping teams engaged and supported.
“I think people would appreciate bonuses more the large end of year functions”
Engineering teams are evolving in an AI-driven world. Companies are keeping teams lean, hiring more intentionally, and focusing on retention: prioritising keeping the right people over sheer headcount.
“The job market feels smaller at the moment, as businesses believe they need fewer developers because of AI.”Make smarter hires with market data
Developers are evolving faster than the frameworks designed to support them. With repetitive tasks automated, more time is shifting toward high-value work — creating both new opportunities and new gaps in how progression is defined.
“AI, product thinking, and system design are becoming core — coding is just one part of the job now.”
A practical snapshot of how pay, progression, and benefits are shifting in South African tech — based on 2,270 real responses from software and data professionals, so you can benchmark with confidence and make informed career or hiring decisions.
Get actionable insights on:
Where salaries actually sit across roles, seniority, and tech stacks
What developers value in benefits — and where packages fall short
How AI is impacting earning potential and career progression
What competitive hiring and retention looks like in today’s market
The report gives you a snapshot of market salaries, but numbers alone aren’t enough. Whether you’re a leader planning your team’s growth or a developer thinking about your next move, this data is most powerful when it sparks informed, confident conversations. We’ll help you navigate those discussions and turn insights into action.
OfferZen is South Africa's largest tech talent marketplace that connects job-seeking software, product, and data professionals with exciting opportunities at over 2000 companies.
Their role level
Their gender
Their experience in leadership roles
Their company size
OfferZen surveyed South African tech leaders to understand what’s really happening on their teams, and what support tech leaders need most. A total of 331 tech leaders took the online survey between 25 August and 15 September 2025. Of these responses, 292 were counted as valid.
Data was anonymised in accordance with GDPR guidelines and is housed separately from any and all of OfferZen’s platform data. Percentages may not always add to 100% due to rounding.
Responses to the following questions were used in the Engineering Leadership Report 2025.
Section 1: The reality of leadership
Leadership doesn’t come with a manual. But it does come with pressure. We’re curious about what it actually feels like to lead in tech right now. The messy, the meaningful, and the bits that never make it into the all-hands.
For rating-based questions, respondents were asked to select 1 if they strongly disagreed with the statement, 3 if they were neutral, and 5 for strongly agreed.
I feel isolated in my role as a tech leader.
My role requires me to juggle delivery, people management, and culture.
Managing people and strategy is a bigger challenge for me than technical complexity.
Retaining top talent is a big ongoing concern for me.
My role is misunderstood or undervalued in the company.
I feel more pressure to prove my team’s value than to lead them.
In your experience, what’s the hardest part of your role?
Section 2: Leadership skills and support
Leadership doesn’t come with a manual. But it does come with pressure. We’re curious about what it actually feels like to lead in tech right now. The messy, the meaningful, and the bits that never make it into the all-hands.
For rating-based questions, respondents were asked to select 1 if they strongly disagreed with the statement, 3 if they were neutral, and 5 for strongly agreed.
I feel well supported in my role.
I learn a lot from formal resources or training.
I learn a lot from other tech leaders.
My leadership growth has been mostly reactive and unstructured.
I was promoted into leadership primarily for my technical skills.
Tech leaders today need to stay hands-on with technology.
Tech leaders today need to stay hands-on with people.
My performance is primarily judged on measurable output.
My performance is primarily judged on people skills.
Rank the following based on what actually matters in your leadership role, from most to least important:
What’s one leadership skill or challenge you wish you had more support with?
What are your go-to sources, communities or people for learning?
Section 3: AI and hiring
Hiring has never been easy. But now it’s noisier, more expensive, and AI’s not necessarily helping. We’re trying to unpack what hiring really looks like when you’re in the thick of it, and what’s shifted in how leaders approach it.
For rating-based questions, respondents were asked to select 1 if they strongly disagreed with the statement, 3 if they were neutral, and 5 for strongly agreed.
The evolution of AI has changed how I think about hiring.
AI has made it harder to define what makes a “great developer”.
I’m hesitant to hire right now because I’m unsure how AI should change my team’s structure.
I’m hiring fewer juniors because of AI.
I need to prove a new hire provides more value than an AI solution before getting budget approval.
It has become harder to get headcount approval.
I value problem-solving skills more than pure technical skills in candidates due to AI.
When hiring candidates, I value their ability to leverage AI.
AI has improved the speed of our code delivery.
AI has improved the quality of our code delivery.
Which part of the hiring process frustrates you the most?
How has AI impacted how you think about team composition or team design if at all?
Beyond technical ability, what new skills are you prioritising for your team in an AI-first world?
Looking 5 years ahead, what’s the biggest change you expect in how software will be built, and what’s one thing you’re doing today to prepare?
Section 4: AI adoption and practical use
AI is everywhere: In headlines, in strategy decks, and maybe in your team’s code. But what does it actually mean for how you lead? We’re curious about the real impact (and chaos) behind the buzz.
For rating-based questions, respondents were asked to select 1 if they strongly disagreed with the statement, 3 if they were neutral, and 5 for strongly agreed.
My team is using AI at work.
Where is your team using AI the most?
Which AI tools is your team currently using?
I’m expected to measure AI’s impact before we’ve had time to experiment with it.
My team has adopted AI without resistance.
We’re using AI tools informally, without support from the business.
We’re using AI tools informally, without clear policies.
AI has increased the expectations on my team’s speed and output.
AI’s current capabilities are overhyped.
I feel pressure to adopt AI in my team.
We don’t have the time or clarity to adopt AI properly.
Engineers who resist using AI are starting to be seen as underperformers.
Security, legal, or compliance risks are blocking AI adoption in my team.
What do you wish more people understood about AI adoption in tech teams?
