Flexible workspace the future
The Fourth Industrial Revolution heralds a more liberated workforce.
Africa’s economy will grow faster than any other continent’s over the next five years and flexible working is a huge part of that future. The African workforce is mushrooming and by 2035 its numbers will have increased by more than the rest of the world’s regions combined.
According to World Bank analysts, this working-age population could lead to a growth in gross domestic product of up to 15% – equivalent to doubling the current rate of growth in the region.
“This could dramatically raise labour productivity and per-capita incomes, diversify [the] economy and become an engine for stable economic growth, high-skilled talent and job creation for decades to come,” say the World Economic Forum’s Richard Samans and Saadia Zahidi, authors of The Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa.
But, it’s not quite that simple. Only recently the International Labour Organisation warned that both sub-Saharan Africa and Northern Africa are facing challenges in terms of job creation, quality and sustainability.
Despite the creation of 37 million new and stable jobs over the past decade, only 28% of Africa’s labour force hold such positions.
Instead, some 63% engage in some form of self or “vulnerable” employment, such as subsistence farming or urban street hawking.
Add to this, the logistical difficulties for the stable workers in getting to Africa’s urban centres.
Millions in the continent’s cities endure long, difficult commutes. Kenya, Algeria and Central African Republic are notorious for their long commute times, while tech start-up WhereIsMyTransport estimates that poor transport could cost South Africa’s economy R1.5 trillion a year. The result is stagnation and emigration.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest emigration rate globally (1.5% against a global average of around 1%, according to UN population statistics), due to a lack of decent work opportunities.
On the cusp of change
Yet change is coming. According to the World Economic Forum, Africa stands to benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
We have already seen significant technological investment in its major cities, including increased access to mobile broadband, fibre-optic cable connections to households, and power-supply expansion. This, combined with the rapid spread of low-cost smartphones and tablets has enabled millions of Africans to connect for the first time.
And as the Fourth Industrial Revolution unfolds, Africa is poised to develop new patterns of working.
It may be uniquely positioned to jump straight past the adopted working model in other countries to a more liberated future of remote and flexible working.
This trend is capturing the attention of global markets. Global flexible workspace provider, IWG plc, operates under the Regus and Spaces brand in over 21 African countries. Here, flexible workspace is proving to be an alternative for multinationals, landlords, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups.