Why you should hire remote workers from Africa

If you are a company that’s having difficulties finding talents in the country in which you are based, consider hiring remote workers from Africa. Here are the reasons why...

The abundance of African talents

There are many emerging countries in Africa and the unemployment rate for skilled labour is high.

“With 12 million graduates entering the labour market each year and three million of them getting jobs, youth unemployment is rising annually”, recently declared African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina.  

That’s good news for foreign employers. According to statistics, Africa has the youngest population in the world and produces more and more graduates looking for work. You can find the talents you need in Africa. Additionally, they will bring more cultural diversity to your staff, enriching work with new perspectives and approaches.

The lower costs of wages

In the United States, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour (U.S. Department of Labor). On the basis of an 8-hour work day for a minimum of 22 work days (excluding weekends), the monthly minimum pay in the United States is US$ 1,276. In Europe, for instance in France, the Interprofessional minimum wage (SMIC) is around €1,539 (INSEE).

There isn’t enough information on minimum wages in Africa at this point, but according to different sources, minimum wages are gradually being implemented. Generally, minimum wages in sub-Saharan African countries are lower than in Europe and the United States. Of course, there are clear differences between the salaries of  those with professional qualifications and less educated people. However, the purchasing power in each African country should be put into perspective. Earning € 500-700 in Madagascar is the equivalent of earning  € 2500-3000 in France.

For example, in Mauritius, the monthly minimum pay legislated by the government is approximately €217. However, the monthly salaries in remote work exceed this amount: in Mauritius, an I.T. Engineer working remotely can earn from €800 up to €1,800, a Customer Relationship agent around €605 and a Content Writer, about €653.

On top of the costs of gross wages, we must add payroll taxes and the cost of workstations, including the computer tools needed to work, especially remotely.

Even with the costs involved, wages in Africa tend to increase with economic growth and more education. In Mauritius, wages in the ICT and remote services industries have increased by more than 20% in just a few years. Many European employers, especially French, are psent in Mauritius and other countries in the African region. This is why there are many European, particularly, French employers in Mauritius and other countries in the African region. “We have to think global because the manpower is increasingly international today. How to work smoothly with a distributed team, with the right tools and people working from different continents - that’s the Future of Work”, affirms Nicolas Goldstein, one of the two French co-founders of Talenteum, a company based in Mauritius and leading remote work all over the African region.

The development of Africa through decent jobs

Foreign employers offering decent jobs to Africans would definitely receive an important number of applications from which to select the very best candidates. In its “World Employment Social Outlook - Trends 2019”, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that the “[s]trong growth of the labour force” in Africa, particularly in the sub-Saharan region, “requires further creation of decent jobs”.

According to ILO and UN sources, the “lack of high-quality jobs and the pvalence of working poverty are also key push factors for migration”. Through remote work, foreign employers can offer international work opportunities that will enable African talents to stay in their home country. As a ripple effect, these skilled workers do not have to leave their families and friends and be “cut off” from their cultures. Moreover, they can spend their salaries locally - which will contribute to their respective countries’ development, rather than impeding progress due to brain-drain.

Talenteum, leader of remote work in Africa

If you are a business that wants to try remote work with African talents, Talenteum is the social bridging platform that can assist you through the whole process. As the forerunner of remote work in Africa, we are specialists in making remote work easy for companies in Europe and North America. We already have more than 100 talents - with skills in 25 sectors - who can work for you remotely from our offices. We provide training and all necessary equipment for our talents to carry out remote work every day. Furthermore, we organise all the paperwork and expenses (including equipment costs and paying monthly salaries) for you. You can keep your peace of mind while we put together and monitor teams of African talents working remotely for your company.

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