The global job market has become more intertwined because of the internet. People are able to work with professionals from any part of the world. Global companies and organizations are always on the lookout for the best talent so that they can stay ahead of the competition and grow their businesses.
There is an increase in the demand for African professionals across the world. One of the biggest factors driving this demand is that Africa has the youngest average age which translates to a larger pool of skilled workers. At the time of writing, Africa has an average age of 19.7 years. In comparison, Europe, Asia, and the United States have an average of 44.1 years, 32 years, and 38.5 years respectively.
Aging populations leaving skill gaps
Over time, the skills required to fill the demands of the global job markets have changed. These changes have a ripple effect that transforms how people approach education and their participation in the job market. As populations age, there are fewer people that are capable of meeting the requirements of the roles available today. As a result, organizations have to look beyond geographical constraints and seek professionals from parts of the world far from them.
African educational institutions have made massive strides as far as creating a capable workforce goes. These professionals have gone and created startups, businesses, and organizations that are creating top-quality products. This catches the attention of global companies that then make an active effort to try and hire the human resources they need from Africa.
Building bridges between African talent and global companies
While the production of equipped and capable professionals is of great importance, access is an issue that many African professionals face when they try to find jobs internationally. There are barriers to entry that were created by many countries outside of the African continent. Many countries have immigration laws that make the cross-pollination of human resources difficult. For several decades, this kept African professionals out of the global job market.
The growth of the internet has somewhat leveled the playing field as it does away with most of the barriers to entry, especially those that are geographically oriented. Resources such as the AfriBlocks network take it further and make jobs that are not constricted by location available to African talent. The improved ease of access allows global companies to look at the African talent pool with a strong intent to make use of the vast skilled workforce.
Lately, the drive to build and improve ICT infrastructure is moving at a rapid pace in Africa. This improves the connection between the continent and the rest of the world. The amount of investments being made into African startups also tells us that there is a significant change in how Africa is perceived by global companies. Internet-based entrepreneurship is on the rise and it is the services provided through this that global companies are chasing in Africa.
Africa’s digital economy is growing rapidly and it is not going unnoticed. Global companies want a piece of the pie and therefore, they are chasing the services provided by African professionals. African talent could potentially dominate the global job market as other continents have aging populations that cannot meet the demands of their job markets. At AfriBlocks, we are here to give African professionals a platform through which they can become the biggest players on the global stage.