A drop in hiring shrinks labour market by 30%

From the newsletter 

The labour market in the electric mobility sector declined by 29.6% in the past month, the Mobility Rising Staff Index shows. It measures the change in the number of jobs available, number of companies advertising jobs, and the most recent shift in our sector salary survey. It also tracks the change in the number of staff and attrition rate at the top ten companies.  

• The Index went down to 202 down from 286 in July, marking a second consecutive decline. This was mainly driven by a downturn in hiring, with the number of jobs advertised in the sector dropping to 66 compared to 85 in the previous month. The number of companies that advertised jobs also shrunk from 16 to 11.  

• On the flip side, the number of workers at the 25 top electric mobility companies in Africa went up by 4.4% to 4,006 up from 3,837 last month. At the same time, over the last 12 months, these companies have added 1,430 workers, according to an analysis of LinkedIn data. 

More details

• The top 25 electric mobility companies we analysed, selected by employee count, are Tesla, BYD, Spiro, Ampersand, Max, BasiGo, MellowVans, Rubicon, Mbay Mobility, Kiira Motors Corporation, Blu EV, Zembo, Charge, Roam Electric, Shift EV and Dodai. Others are Gogo Electric, Kofa, ARC Ride, Solar Taxi, Kabisa, Saglev, Wahu Mobility, EVTech and eMo Mobility. 

• We also analysed all the jobs advertised by electric mobility companies on the continent over the past one month. During the period, some of the most active recruiters include asset lenders M-Kopa and Mogo, Ampersand, Zeno, Gamma Mobility, Egike, Max and Watu Credit. 

• The roles advertised during the period are mainly software engineering jobs, highlighting the focus on technology by the companies in their operations. Other major jobs that were advertised include electric and mechanical engineers, sales, technicians and credit officer roles. 

• Over the last 12 months, Tesla has emerged as the top recruiter. The US-based company has hired 967 new workers over the last 12 months. This brings its total employee count in Africa to 1,494 workers spread across more than 32 countries. Other top recruiters include Spiro, Ampersand, BasiGo and Kiira Motors Corporation. 

• The latest hiring trends come at a time when local assembly of electric vehicles, especially two-wheelers, is growing rapidly. This means that despite the general fluctuations in hiring on a month-by-month basis, general recruitment in the sector is booming. The increased assembly will open up new roles in various departments, especially in engineering. 

• However, the electric mobility labour market could be negatively impacted by reduced funding to the sector in recent months. Mobility and logistics startups raised $110.9 million from investors in the half-year to June 2025, a decline of 49% compared to the same period in 2024. 

Our take

• While job postings may dip in the coming months due to tighter funding and reduced investor confidence, the structural push toward local EV assembly and adoption will keep creating jobs over the long term, especially in engineering, manufacturing, and technical support.

• With software engineering dominating recent listings, the labour market could increasingly demand higher-skilled, tech-driven roles such as battery management systems, fleet software and telematics, while more basic roles like technicians and sales may stabilize rather than grow sharply. 

• Companies struggling with funding shortages may downsize, merge, or exit, leaving stronger players like Tesla, Spiro, Ampersand, and BasiGo to dominate hiring and workforce expansion across Africa.