Recently, many Nigerian tech brothers (and tech sisters) have been distraught by reports of mass layoffs by tech companies both inside and outside the country.
But it seems the situation is not as dire as it’s made out to be, because Nairametrics’ findings have shown that some tech startups are currently hiring in droves.
Industry analysts have suggested that the peculiar situation in Nigeria leading to the mass outflow of its tech talent via the ‘japa’ trend means that there are still more opportunities for tech talent in the country.
Analysts also noted that recent layoffs by tech companies around the world, including some from Nigeria, may just be the springboard to create more startups that will open up more opportunities for techies.
Ongoing contracts: TeamApt, one of the leading fintech startups in the country, which is also one of the largest employers of labor in the Nigerian startup space with 350 full-time employees, is currently posting vacancies for a total of 56 positions. in the company.
While the talent search includes IT and non-IT professionals, 12 of the positions advertised by the company are for engineers, business analysts and application developers.
- Another fintech giant in Nigeria, Flutterwave, is also currently recruiting for back-end engineer and IT audit manager positions.
- Similarly, Renmoney, a consumer finance company, also currently has some open positions to fill in its IT Department. According to the career section of its website, the company is currently recruiting for the positions of Test Automation Engineer, IT Business Analyst, QA Tester, QA Lead, and UX Designer.
- Carbon, a digital lending platform, also has openings for various positions including Senior Android Developer, Senior Platform Engineer, Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, and Senior iOS Engineer.
The Japa Effect: Speaking to Nairametrics, the CEO of IT solutions company Jidaw Systems, Mr. Jide Awe, said there will always be job opportunities in the tech space in Nigeria because the country currently lacks tech professionals. He said:
- “Before layoffs became a trend, many Nigerian companies have been losing their technical staff due to the Japa trend, so they really need tech hands. And aside from those going abroad, we now have a lot of Nigerian tech bros quitting the companies they work for to start a remote job where they work for more than one company and earn much more than one company can pay them. So where some are laying off, there are opportunities at many companies that tech professionals in Nigeria can still take advantage of.”
Opportunities in the midst of chaos: According to the co-founder of Tech4Dev, a non-profit organization that develops entrepreneurs through digital skills, Oladiwura Oladepo, despite the layoffs, there are still abundant opportunities for tech workers both in Nigeria and abroad.
- “Tech layoffs will not be the end of the tech industry. There are still plenty of opportunities for people to get tech jobs, be it here in Nigeria or abroad. The fact is that while some organizations are firing, some are recruiting. Technology has gone from being a support function for many organizations to being an enabler, so there will always be a need for technology experts; there will always be jobs for tech people. Yes, the economy may be bad, but we still need people to build and design different software that organizations will take advantage of. There will always be a need for people to analyze data, so there will always be opportunities, even in the midst of chaos.
- “The fact is that in times of crisis, you find many new companies springing up. Recently, there was a lady who announced that if there is someone who was laid off and is willing to start her own business, she and her team are willing to invest in it. She may see some of the people being laid off today start their own companies tomorrow and create more new companies.”
Remote work factor: For Mr. Jude Okwoknwo, an IT specialist, who works remotely, even if tech companies in Nigeria are not hiring, there are plenty of opportunities for tech professionals through remote jobs.
- “I can boldly tell you that at least 50% of technicians in Nigeria are now in remote jobs, either partially or fully. tell you that 65% of techs are in remote jobs…either partially or fully. With remote work you can do more than one job and you earn in dollars. Therefore, I can say that there are no dull moments in the world of technology, even with the news of layoffs here and there. he said.