SARS receives more than 88,000 job applications

17 April 2021

SARS says it is overwhelmed at the number of applications it has received.

In a statement issued this week, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) said it was overwhelmed by the response to its call for applications for various vacancies.

SARS advertised 370 new positions as part of a plan to improve the compliance of wealthy taxpayers, as well as to boost the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities.

The vacancies included information technology specialists, data management specialists, audit and risk specialists, investigations specialists and auditors with a specific focus on tax evasion and related matters and many other areas.

Of the 88,009 applications received, 15,092 were internal applications. “The state of unemployment in our country amply demonstrates the challenges we face as a country,” SARS said in a statement.

On average, there were 468 applications (internal and external) per job category. Of the total number of applications, there were 7,946 applications from external graduates, while there were 755 applications from chartered accountants.

There was also a substantial pool of applicants at master’s and PhD level, the statement revealed.

SARS said regrettably they would absorb only 500 of these applicants. The closing date for applications was 11 April 2021, and SARS will take the recruitment process forward by engaging with shortlisted candidates.

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