Online platforms making job-seeking effortless

In his work, Benjamin Rukwengye attests that one of the biggest frustrations is helping people find employment because nobody seems to know what employers want.
Rukwengye is founder and chief executive officer of Boundless Minds, a company training Senior Six leavers and university students in business leadership, entrepreneurship and social justice. With the continued growth of digital platforms, many people are turning there to find job opportunities or market their skills.
A simple online search for jobs will bring up options, one of which is ‘Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy’ by African Development Bank Group.
The goal of the strategy is to create 25 million jobs for African youth over the next decade and to equip 50 million youth with a mix of hard and soft skills to increase their employability and entrepreneurial success rate.
The Bank could do well partnering with people like Rukwengye in different African countries, who are already working with the young people.
Rukwengye says companies such as Fuzu, a career management platform, make it easy for young people to learn about employers and their own suitability, access resources for their own professional development, take personality tests and know what to emphasise in their applications.
It is almost in line with what Outbox Edu is focusing on, equipping individuals with industry relevant digital skills. These range from software development skills, digital marketing to data analysis.
“We seek to bridge the gap between the traditional educational system and what the industry requires so as to create individuals that are ‘ready to work’ through intensive boot camps,” says Richard Zulu, the director of Outbox, an innovation hub that supports technology entrepreneurs.
Fuzu’s CEO, Jussi Hinkkane, says after users have told them about their interests and built their profiles, they give users personalised recommendations on job opportunities and learning content and makes sure users get access to inspirational blog posts and articles.
Michael Niyitegeka, a programme director at Applied Information Communication Technology at Clarke International University, says online job platforms such as Fuzu bring into the market something new that is dynamic and is powered by data analytics, which empowers the human resource manager to become more productive in the recruitment process.
“It is a dual carriage platform that seeks to empower both employer and employee. The platform is significantly informed by research that is context rich,” he explains.
African Development Bank estimates that Africa’s youth population is rapidly growing and expected to double to more than 830 million by 2050.
In its observation, the continental bank notes that if properly harnessed, this increase in the working age population could support increased productivity and stronger, more inclusive economic growth across the continent. However, this asset remains untapped due to unemployment and underemployment thus, the potential benefits of Africa’s youth population are unrealised as two thirds of non-student youth are unemployed, discouraged, or marginally employed. Only three million formal jobs are created annually while 10-12 million youth seek to enter the workforce each year. Therefore, efforts by career management companies are steps in the right direction.
“I have no doubt that it is going to be much easier not just for employers but for the millions of young people seeking opportunities to improve their competitiveness,” Rukwengye observes in light of the two initiatives.