Access to mobile technology, especially in Africa, has kicked-off a monumental rise in the usage of online services ranging from social and healthcare to education. To some degree, online HR and recruitment services have also made strides, but still have the potential to become game-changers in helping countries build a strong working-class population and uplift millions of people out of poverty and into fulfilling careers (and help them live meaningful lives).
Content Is King
Youth unemployment is a huge socio-economic crisis faced not only in South Africa, but around the world. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, over 75 million youth are unemployed (and three times as many are underemployed) worldwide. This does not have to be the case. There is a large demand for skilled labour, but not enough talent to meet those demands. Educational and skills-driven content delivered via mobile devices can be a powerful tool in combatting unemployment, and helping upskill a skills-scarce economy more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Final Frontier
According to GSMA, by 2020 there will be around 700 million smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa alone. That’s a large market which, if targeted correctly, can deliver major financial rewards to HR companies and related recruitment services, including the philanthropic benefits that eventually follow when empowering a work-force that size.
Internet For All
Companies like Google and Facebook are ahead of the curve when it comes to making sure that more people around the world have access to the internet, especially in rural areas, through initiatives such as Google X’s Project Loon and Facebook’s Internet.org. Although they have received a slew of criticism from various stakeholders, the idea of free internet access as a Human Right has gained momentum in the past few years and is a worthy concept to pursue nonetheless.
Locally, cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria have clear directives to broaden their free Wi-Fi footprint to enable their residents to access free basic services and related content. In July 2016, Vodacom launched NXT LVL, giving all its South African customers free access (no data required) to the country’s most popular job websites, including CareerJunction.
A Connected Africa
Africa’s mobile users’ prowess grows and internet access becomes more democratised, an increasing number of job seekers will reach for their phones, tablets or use wearable technology to access online Human Resources services. Making sure your HR efforts are easily seen and consumed on mobile devices is key to future-proofing your company’s current and future success.
For more information, please visit CareerJunction here.