Jobs in Newcastle

According to the Graham Leslie McCallum creative blog, Sutherland was “a man of industry and vision (but possibly not of romance)”, because he spent the honeymoon of his second marriage, to Rebecca Leask, surveying and setting-out the streets and squares of Newcastle – while waiting for the water of the Icandu River to retreat following a flood.

Sutherland was also a crafty fellow, as he named the streets of Newcastle after members of the government at the time – which flattered them and saw to it that the town was well received by the Duke of Newcastle, who was Secretary of State for the Colonies back then.

According to the Municipalities website, Newcastle, which occupies an area of 1 856km², is located in the inland region on the north-west corner of the province – a few kilometres south of the Free State, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng borders, yet within the dramatic foothills of the Drakensberg.

From an earnings perspective, the following percentages reflect the pecking order of economic activities taking place in Newcastle:

• trade – 24.9 percent;
• community services – 22.1 percent;
• finance –14.71 percent;
• manufacturing – 13.7 percent;
• construction – 6.9 percent;
• transport – 6.7 percent;
• agriculture – 3.8 percent.

In March 2024, the Newcastillian News website reported on a few of the challenges faced by Newcastle’s industrial sector.

Although the city is considered KZN’s main industrial centre, with the province’s government claiming it is committed to establishing new leather and textile Special Economic Zones in the region (to the tune of R600 million), economic data reveals the following:

• a downward spiral in South Africa’s industrial economy, largely impacted by the 2008 global recession, which resulted in more than a million job losses throughout the entire country;
• job losses that resulted in shrinking revenues for the country’s industrial economy, due to a decrease in demand as a result of the diminishing purchasing power from key customers;
• the USA-China Trade War, which affected trade liberalisation and led to significant losses to local economic output;
• the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which also affected global demand to a significant degree;

and
• the Russia-Ukraine War, which destabilised energy security in Europe, thus resulting in a need to source alternative energy elsewhere.

In combination, reveals the Newcastle Municipality’s Communicaitons Unit, “All these geopolitical activities have not made it easy for the industrial economy to recover from the impacts of the global recession”.

Therefore, in order to circumvent the increasing costs of operating within the industrial area, and in other parts of South Africa, most businesses have opted to implement lean principles within their manufacturing processes. These endeavours focus on “minimising waste within the production system, while simultaneously maximising productivity. Lean manufacturing looks at the whole value chain in order to identify areas where there are activities that lead to waste”.

Just a few of the decisions linked to lean manufacturing encompass “retrenchments, the employment of cheap labour, the sourcing of cheap raw material, the outsourcing of services, the introduction of AI and automation, the utilisation of renewable energy, and the halting of production lines that do not yield significant profits,” elaborates the Unit.

For individuals looking to relocate within South Africa, those with the skills to bolster the sustainability of this Newcastle sector – leading to local economic development – are sorely needed within the region.

The median salary in Newcastle is R140k per annum, but considerably more can be earned in skilled and experienced positions – such as those related to lean manufacturing, as is mentioned above.

Highly popular companies and institutions to work for in the city include ArcelorMittal, Absa, Curro Holdings, and the Department of Education, where salaries are as high as R500k per annum, and then some!

A search on the Executive Placements job portal, reveals the following kinds of opportuntities:

• finance jobs, such as that of a wealth manager, where you will be required take a holistic view of each client’s financial circumstances, aspirations, and family needs, aiming to provide comprehensive long-term financial protection;
• sales and marketing jobs, where you will need to promote and sell a range of financial, and/or lifestyle, products to clients via proactive sales activities;
• technical or engineering jobs, relevant to the kinds of industries that are most prevalent in and around the Newcastle region.

Despite its classification as a city, Newcastle has a small-town vibe to it. Great qualities it exudes relate to its breathtaking scenery and rich historical legacy, with residents advising that “people take care of each other” and the community is “most welcoming”, your conduct is important because “people do talk about each other”, “you get to see lots of livestock while out and about in the car”, but “temperatures are colder than Durban and the province’s coastal areas”, and most amenities are “conveniently situated in close proximity” to each other.

If you’ve previously lived in a big centre such as Johannesburg, moving to Newcastle will involve embracing a big change in pace, where you will have more time and energy for your partner, kids, and the human race in general.

Rather than the self-centered lives that people pursue in big cities, here “your involvement echoes and impacts numerous lives, and is a key fundamental in the functioning of Newcastle”.

A “tightly knit and compassionate community”, where people care about their neighbours’ well-being, offers undeniable charm to big-city dwellers who have found themseves living in isolation, and without neighbourly connection, for countless years before making a move here.

The Chelmsford Nature Reserve, just outside Newcastle, offers outdoorsy folks activites such as sailing, power boating, and water-skiing, and is also renowned for its carp and bass fishing, according to the Siyabona website.

Then, in late February 2024, The Citizen announced that “Newcastle has jumped on the popularity bandwagon with the opening of the town’s first padel tennis courts”, on Kirkland Street. According to the article, padel is a “racquet-based ball sport that could be described as a mixture of squash and tennis…”, and is aimed at bringing active people together, so that they can have fun and keep fit.

Another option for those who can’t keep still is to explore the Grey Goose Game Lodge Nature Trails, either on foot or on your mountain bike. SA-Venues gives a description of the two loops, and what those travelling along them are likely to see.

“Reward your efforts afterwards”, they suggest, “with an ice-cold soda or beer at the Gooseberries Restaurant, while you laze in the shade of one of the trees.” The trails are open from Monday to Sunday, and offer an incredible way to embrace nature and a healthy lifestyle in tandem.

The Schools4SA website lists a plethora of primary and secondary schools located in the suburbs amd townships of Newcastle – as many as 155! What this means is that you may have a bit of trouble making a choice as to which school would be best.

To help you make an appropriate decision, check out the list of the top 10 schools in Newcastle, as provided by HeySchools and other education-focused websites, where names such as Ferrum, Lincoln Heights, and St Dominics are likely to catch your eye.

Its never a case of pick the one mall, pick the only mall, when you need to purchase something in Newcastle. Instead, make an astute choice between:

• a large regional shopping centre called Newcastle Mall on Oak Road, with its 96 stores and convenient layout, making this a memorable outing no matter which transportation network you make use of to get there;
• the 20 shops, farmstyle coffe shop, rides, and large play area of the Factory Plaza on Kirkland Street, known for the excellent hairstyles emerging from its salon, Crystal Palace;

and

• the Dis-Chem, Planet Fitness JustGym, and eateries like Fishaways, Rocomamas and Debonairs Pizza that are housed within Newcastle Corner, on the junction of Allen Street and Memel Road.

According to ANEW Hotels and Resorts, your list should ideally include:

• a visit to area’s landmarks, museums, and battlefields;
  • a hearty meal at Jackson Brown’s;
• a hike within the Ncandu State Forest Nature Reserve;
• a game of golf at one of the area’s three highly rated golf courses;
• a horseback riding adventure along Biggarsberg Trails.