The outbreak of coronavirus in 2019 and subsequent restrictions and disruptions changed the world, and it very well might have changed it forever even as many countries continue to find ways to recover from the economic fallouts of the pandemic. One of the most the biggest changes in the business world is the rise of remote work. While it is not an entirely new concept, the restrictions on movement during lockdown made it expedient for businesses to embrace it more than at any time in history and business owners have been more open to having employees work remotely.
At the same time, the pandemic made more glaring the gender inequalities in the workplace as well as at home. At the end of restrictions, many working women have expressed a preference to continue working from home, and a larger percentage of men have returned to the office. Meanwhile, women provide key contributions to the labour market as they make up 80% of the agricultural, food and petrol trade in Africa. Although women form 50% of entry-level positions, the number decreases as they begin to start families. For the week’s final episode of Business Edge, Tolulope Adeleru-Balogun discusses the future of work in the post-COVID era and its implication in the African continent with Hilda Kragha, CEO of Africa Talent Company from our Lagos studios.
The uncertainty many industries, businesses and business owners feel has seen contract work, temp jobs and gigs increase in popularity as nobody is willing to rack up the costs that a full-time role entails, and as a result, there has been a shift in the work culture. This shift while felt in Europe is a different experience in Africa. The main difference is that in those markets, there’s a dearth of workers. In Africa, it’s the jobs that are insufficient. They also touch on the likelihood that small businesses which form the bulk of Africa’s economy can indeed afford the costs associated with remote work.
Watch in full above.