Organisations will have to re-think their approaches towards talent management if they are to retain top employees in the face of a changing workforce, human resource experts have said.
Experts who attended a Regional HR Summit in Nairobi warned that without opportunities for growth and self-expression, organisations risk losing top talents.
Zamara Chief People and Culture Officer Raymond Muthama noted that employers will have to focus more on providing value to their talent as a means of retaining them.
“If you provide a platform for meaningful work in your organisation, your talent pool will remain. But if you do not allow them to grow within the organisation and to express themselves and be themselves, they will leave you,” Muthama said.
He further noted that Africa must be at the forefront of curating solutions for talent and workspaces , as 60 per cent of the available global labour force is in the African continent.
The call to action comes as businesses across the continent face high employee turnover and a workforce increasingly focused on purpose and career development.
This trend marks a departure from previous generations, where long-term employment with one company was more common.
The average employee tenure today is around three years, with the typical worker aged between 30 and 35.
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) director for trade in services, Emily Ndoria said that AfCFTA is working on regulatory frameworks to enable smoother talent migration across Africa, facilitating cross-border opportunities.
"AfCFTA is spearheading the development of mutual recognition across the continent and helping in developing regulatory frameworks and agreements to enable the boundless movement of talent from one country to another," she noted.
The conference, themed "Afrocentricity: Curating Solutions for Talent and Workspaces in Africa," tackled challenges such as skills mismatches, the lack of inclusive workplaces, and the impact of technological disruption.
Attendees discussed strategies to overcome these barriers and unlock opportunities for innovation and growth across the continent.
Zamara Group CEO Sundeep Raichura said organisations should harness human capital for social progress.
“As we navigate the complexities of an ever-changing global landscape, the role of HR in shaping the future of work has never been more critical. We are at a pivotal moment where the decisions we make today will determine the success of our organisations and our continent in the years to come,” he stated.
The Regional HR Summit brought together HR leaders, industry experts, and policymakers from across the region to discuss strategies and solutions that will shape the future of work in Africa.
