African organisations under pressure to sharpen skills retention and employee engagement

 Businesses across major African economies such as Kenya and Nigeria are coming under increasing pressure to align their strategies for retaining talent, compensating employees and engaging with their workforces with good international practices. 



That’s according to Gerhard Hartman, Head of Department for Sage HR & Payroll’s International Division, who says that African companies are facing stiffer competition for skills as economies grow, governments pump money into building infrastructure, and professionals are lured into the diaspora by the promise of big salaries paid in hard currencies. 

One recent study conducted by EY found that 70% of African firms are recruiting--yet many report that they are taking longer to fill vacancies and experiencing higher staff turnover. The skills that are in short demand include engineering, technical and commercial skills, partly because of massive infrastructure products occurring across Africa, says Hartman.

“There’s a real hunger for skills in Africa, which means that businesses are demanding that HR departments step up to the plate,” he adds. “They have to craft strategies that help them to attract and retain the best talent, as well as develop human resources in a manner that delivers a high return on investment to the business. That means they need to really focus on sharpening their capabilities   African organisations under pressure to sharpen skills retention and employee engagement