Rinchi
TechInAfrica – Recently, Uber and Airbnb have been in a big discussion on “informal economy” even though they only have a small part of many other freelance types of work worldwide. However, these so-called informal economy seem likely more efficient while using technology. In fact, most of these freelance jobs are driven by technology.
The freelance type of jobs which are considered as “informal economy”, have a rapid increase in many African cities. They have a notable impact on the economic, especially in the local communities. Moreover, it uncovers job opportunities for the local communities. Most of the economic sectors in Africa are driven by informal sectors, for example in Kenya, only 17% of Kenyan employment is formal while the rest are informal ones.
According to the Center for Global Development, digital platforms have a big influence on helping freelance workers and budding enterprises for formalization. Even though it is not something totally new to most Africans, they need the services more than anyone else in the other part of the world since “they have no working experience in the formal sector, nor do they have mentors who have created a larger business”.
The research moreover noted that most African cities depend on these freelance jobs where most of them have time flexibility. The freelance jobs are including ride-share drivers like Uber drivers, e-commerce resellers, and home-stay hosts. Surprisingly, some people even find these types of jobs are “desirable”.
