Our mobility labour market index rises 40%

From the newsletter

The Mobility Rising labour market index for the African EV sector went up by 40% in the past month, showing high volatility in the young sector. It tracks the change in the number of jobs and companies recruiting, as well as the most recent shift in our sector salary survey. It also includes the change in staff number and attrition rate at the top 25 EV companies by employee count. 

• Included in the index are white-collar staff listed on LinkedIn. Our data is drawn from a set list of sector-specific job boards. 

• The Staff Index jumped from 201.86 last month to 282.56, the highest in two months. This was driven by an increase in the number of jobs advertised and the number of companies hiring during the period.  

More details

• During the one-month period, the number of jobs advertised in the electric mobility sector across Africa rose steadily by 6% to 70 compared to 66 in the previous month. The number of companies advertising in the sector also jumped by 72% to 19 from 11. Some of the top recruiters during the period include Watu Credit, Zeno, Ampersand, Dodai, Max, Spiro, M-Kopa and Greenwheels.   

• At the same time, the number of senior staff listed on LinkedIn by the 25 largest EV companies in Africa based on the number of employees increased by 4% to 4,172 up from 4,006 in the previous month. Over the 12-month period, these companies had added 1,429 workers, highlighting their rapid growth amid aggressive expansion. 

• The 25 companies we analysed are Tesla, Spiro, Max, Rubicon, Ampersand, Roam Electric, Kiira Motors, Gogo Electric, BYD, BasiGo, Shift EV, Dodai and eBee Africa. Others are Zembo, Solar Taxi, Blu EV, ARC Ride, Wahu Mobility, Kofa, Saglev, Charge, eMo Mobility, Kabisa, MellowVans and Utu Africa. 

• During the one-year period, US-based EV giant Tesla increased its workforce the most. The company’s staff count rose by 988 during the period, nearly five times more than any other company. It now has 1,562 workers in Africa. It was followed by Spiro, which has 489 workers listed on LinkedIn. This marks a growth of 205 staff during the period. 

• Sales is one of the fastest-growing functions at the companies, with 441 (10.5%) of the staff employed in sales roles. Of these, 152 were added during the past one year. Other employees that are being heavily recruited include technicians, engineers, finance officers, procurement specialists, and operations roles. 

• Our Staff Index has been going up and down in recent months, mainly due to the frequent fluctuations in the number of jobs being advertised as well as the number of companies listing new jobs. However, one consistent aspect is the continuous increase in the number of senior employees in the sector. This growth, supported by millions of dollars in investor funding raised in recent years, is set to increase in the coming years as EV demand grows. 

Our take

• The current surge in job advertisements and companies entering the hiring market is likely to continue. With key players like Tesla and Spiro demonstrating substantial workforce growth and a diverse range of companies recruiting, the sector's labor market expansion is expected to accelerate as demand for EVs across Africa increases.

• The sector's next phase of growth will require a greater focus on developing and recruiting a highly skilled technical workforce to support the manufacturing, maintenance, and infrastructure needs of a growing EV fleet. 

• Continued access to capital will be crucial for the sector's future. The rate of expansion in jobs and new companies entering the market will likely be directly correlated with the ability of companies to secure new rounds of investment.