Top mobility firms grow workforce by 34% in one year

From the newsletter

The number of senior employees at Africa’s 25 largest EV companies grew by 1,429 over the last one year, according to data from LinkedIn analysed by Mobility Rising. This is 34% of the 4,172 staff that the companies now employ, underlining their fast growth. Six of the 25 companies we analysed reduced their workforce over the 12-month period to September.  

• 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 last one year.  

• The average experience of staff at the companies is 7.2 years, indicating that they prefer employees that already have industry know-how. The average tenure is just 1.8 years, highlighting the youth of the companies. 

More details

• 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. 

• US-based EV giant Tesla has 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. 

• Uganda’s Kiira Motors emerged third, adding 54 workers, raising its workforce to 133. It was followed by Ampersand and BasiGo, which grew their staff count by 48 and 42 respectively. BYD grew by 33 workers in Africa, one of the highest, followed by Gogo Electric and Dodai, which increased their employee count by 29 each. 

• Other companies that added expanded their workforce include Zembo (11), Blue EV (14), Kofa (8), Saglev (8), Shift EV (7), Charge and Kabisa (3 each), ARC Ride, eBee Africa and Wahu Mobility (2 each), and eMo Mobility (1). 

• On the flip side, six companies reduced their workforce. South African EV charging company Rubicon lost 33 during the period, the most of any company. Kenya-based Roam Electric lost 13, while Ghana’s Solar Taxi lost 7. Others are South Africa’s MellowVans (-4), Nigeria’s Max (-2) and Kenya’s Utu Africa (-1). 

• Overall, the rapid hiring by EV companies shows the big strides the sector has made in recent years. While electric motorcycle companies are the biggest EV firms on the continent, startups that make electric bicycles, buses, vans, tri-cycles and cars are also emerging. 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 trend of rapid hiring is likely to continue, especially for companies that have recently secured significant funding like Zembo, as they'll need to scale their operations and meet growing demand. This will lead to a continued increase in the workforce size of EV firms. 

• Expect to see increased competition for experienced talent. With the average employee tenure being short (1.8 years) and the average experience being high (7.2 years), companies are likely to poach skilled workers from competitors. 

• The focus on sales roles will likely remain strong. As a key growth area, companies will continue to invest in expanding their sales teams to capture market share and drive revenue, particularly as new EV products enter the market.