Africa half year market update

There is an increasing demand for nationalisation and the drive for diaspora candidates has become increasingly more popular. In the first half of 2019 we noted a surge in global competition to acquire top talent.

Infrastructure, fast moving consumer goods, financial services and automotive sectors noted the most recruits in the last six months. Critical skills across the continent were eminent; strong finance, legal, operations and sales teams as a collective were in high demand.

Download a copy of the full Half Year Market Update for Africa here.

Furthermore, potential employers are seeking to appoint top local talent, with international and cross border experience.

Across Eastern Africa; both the Mauritius and Kenyan regions proved to be a fast-paced recruitment market, due to the increased need for mid to senior level professionals, across finance, legal, sales and operational disciplines. We have seen inflated salaries being offered as international companies look to attract and retain nationals with specialised skills. In Kenya, a demand for strong finance professionals with lengthly tenure were highly sought after.

Hiring across Mauritius will become even more competitive in 2019 and 2020; while its offshore financial services, tourism and smart cities sectors flourish, FinTech and Artificial Intelligence has been ringfenced as the ‘next big thing’. This will result in an even greater demand for local talent specialised in investment analysts, credit analysts, legal counsel, data analytics, digital transformation and financial crime.

In North Africa, more so Morocco, we experienced a steady increase in demand for sales and operational disciplines following a recovering economy. The Government has launched multiple initiatives with ambitious goals to promote employment. Expats working in Morocco have many opportunities to participate in the country’s expanding economy. Expats with technology, communications and business backgrounds remained highly sought after for their expertise.

With relation to Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast; we observed in the first half of 2019, that there has been an increasing requirement for Western educated nationals, coupled with international exposure across all markets. In addition to this, a core focus on succession plans being put into place to promote top local talent into key senior positions, particularly in finance, legal and sales. We foresee that there is still a need for sales, marketing and finance professionals, with an increasing focus on digitalisation and engineering.

Digitalization optimises businesses and provides for a competitive advantage and influences business strategies thanks to new market trends. West Africa has seen rapid economic growth over the last six months, mainly driven by commodities such as agriculture, oil and gas, mining and fast-moving consumer goods.

Download a copy of the full Half Year Market Update for Africa here.

To discuss these trends further, please contact Samantha-Jane Gravett, Associate Director at Robert Walters, on +27 (0)11 881 2417 or samantha-jane.gravett@robertwalters.com.