Labour market grows by 8.7% in June

From the newsletter

The labour market in the electric mobility sector grew by 8.7% 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 rose from 260 in May to 282.9 in June. The biggest driver was a significant increase in the number of jobs available in the sector, which grew by 36% to 102 from 75 in May. 

• Our analysis shows that the number of senior staff at the leading ten electric mobility companies increased to 3,007 in June, an increase of 1.86% from May. 

More details

• Our Index used data on the leading ten firms in the sector as shown by the latest Mobility Rising company ranking, which used numerous parameters. The companies are Tesla, Spiro, BYD, Ampersand, Max and BasiGo. Others are MellowVans, Rubicon, Mbay Mobility and Kiira Motors Corporation.  

• Despite the increase in hiring during the period, the rate of increase slowed down. The Index shows that the leading mobility firms increased their workforce by 1,215 in the 12 months to June, a slight decline from an increase of 1,235 in the 12 months to May.

• Additionally, while the number of advertised jobs increased significantly, the number of companies that advertised jobs declined by 25% to 15, down from 20 in May. This indicates that the new jobs were concentrated in a handful of firms, especially Spiro, BasiGo, Ampersand and M-Kopa, highlighting their growth.

• The increased hiring was supported by a significant amount of capital raised from investors for expansion. The total funding raised by startups in the electric mobility and logistics sector this year stands at $83.1 million, according to data from Africa: The Big Deal. After years of capital raises and aggressive expansion, some companies have become profitable, enabling them to expand organically.

• At the same time, the average salary for senior workers in the sector remained stable at $81,500 per annum in June, according to salary benchmarking data from leading recruitment agency Shortlist. 

• Tesla remains the largest employer in the electric mobility industry in Africa, and continues to expand rapidly. Its total employees based in Africa totals 1,371, according to analysis of LinkedIn data. The company has been scaling fast, growing its workforce by 876 over the past 12 months alone. Tesla sells home energy storage systems in Africa, and is set to officially sell its popular EVs on the continent for the first time, starting in Morocco.

• Our analysis shows that one of the fastest growing functions in the industry is sales, with the leading EV firms hiring an additional 149 sales employees over the last one year. The growth in sales workers indicates a focus by the firms to grow their revenues, even as demand rises. Other leading functions are engineering, operations, quality assurance and information technology.  

Our take

• Africa has hundreds of electric mobility companies, but only a few - 15 companies - advertised new jobs over the last one month. Initiatives like innovation hubs, SME support and public procurement incentives could diversify job creation and reduce concentration risk. 

• With sales, engineering, and tech roles expanding, it's vital to invest in upskilling programs, vocational training, and university-industry partnerships to ensure a ready talent pool, especially in East and West Africa where expansion is strongest.

• Governments should streamline EV-related policies—offering import duty exemptions, expanding charging infrastructure, and standardizing regulations—to keep pace with job growth and attract more firms to the hiring table.