PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2023 - African Perspectives

Africa at work: Building a reinvention-ready workforce

Overview

Business leaders everywhere are prioritising transformation, but what if your most skilled people are more reinvention ready than your company culture is? And what if your employees say they are even more likely to quit now than they were last year—back when everyone thought the “great resignation” was at its peak?

Discover the vital trends shaping the world of work and uncover insights on embracing transformation, addressing financial hardships, and fostering a skilled workforce.

The report surveys nearly 2,200 workers across South Africa, Algeria, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria who participated in PwC’s 2023 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey which details the attitudes and behaviours of nearly 54,000 workers in 46 countries and territories.

This year’s key findings:

2022 participants in PwC’s Global Hopes and Fears survey across Africa.
Respondents across South Africa, Algeria, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria.
Only 27% of Africa workforce respondents can pay the bills each month and have enough left over for savings, holidays and extras.
25% of the Africa workforce respondents have two jobs.
55% are satisfied with their job, similar to global respondents (56%).
84% of the Africa workforce respondents believe that being adaptable and flexible is the most important skill for their career in the next five years.
39% of Africa workforce respondents believe that their employers focus too much on job history and not enough on skills.
79% of the Africa workforce respondents actively seek out opportunities to learn and develop new skills.

Download the Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2023 here

Workers on three continents, together with PwC’s Global Chairman Bob Moritz, preview the new survey's themes and findings.

Engage and inspire your people - especially those lagging behind

When an environment is filled with uncertainty, one thing matters more than anything else—and that’s who you’re with. Whether you’re in a turbulent economy or turbulent waters, the people you’re with can determine whether you succeed or fail. So clearly, in today’s modern workforce, people—both traditional employees and contingent workers—are at the heart of any organisation. In order to thrive, now and in the future, it’s critical to differentiate your organisation to attract and retain the people you want, when you want them. Engaged employees also produce higher-quality work, report greater job satisfaction, and are less likely to be absent from work.

However, the Global Hopes and Fears Survey of 2023 demonstrates that talent is hiding in plain sight – over a third of employees have skills that are not clear on their resumes, and a similar proportion feel they have missed out on job opportunities due to a lack of the “right” connections.

Make your culture a catalyst for change enabling employees to thrive

Change is coming!

In a dynamic changing reinvention business landscape, adaptability is key. 84% of the workforce in Africa believe that being adaptable and flexible is the most important skill for their career in the next five years.

Organisations’ values have evolved alongside their talent and technology transformations, demanding from us a shift in our mindsets, behaviours, how we show up, the way we interact with others and in how we learn and how we are measured. Talent is an asset, not a cost.

Understand how the cost-of-living crisis is sapping your people

Given the weak outlook for job growth in 2023-2024, the rising cost of living, elevated interest rates, and the decline in buying power over the past year, it is not unexpected that the workforce in Africa is downbeat about their personal financial outlook. Increased cost of living has substantially impacted affordability and financial well-being of employees has profound impacts across employees in all sectors.

Unfortunately the impacts of cost of living are having repercussions on the overall level of job satisfaction of the workforce as well as what workers want. This has an impact on business reinvention as well as organisations ability to carry out their strategy.

Nurture employee interest in AI

As the future of work becomes even more digitised, organisations will have new opportunities to make a commitment to their employees’ success. Investments in developing employees' AI skills will pay off in the short run in a more energised business and in the long run, they will also give employers a strong competitive advantage with their employees, customers and the community at large.