Top Startups 2022: Who gets hired at top companies in Nigeria and SA?

The 2022 LinkedIn Top Startups lists in Nigeria and South Africa feature 10 emerging companies in each country gaining attention. Backed by unique LinkedIn data measuring different elements of growth and demand, the lists include companies such as Ozow, Bundle Africa, Stitch and Utiva that you should be paying attention to.

As part of LinkedIn News Africa's ongoing series on Top Startups, we are highlighting interesting data to help professionals and job seekers make informed decisions in their careers.

More and more people are weighing the pros and cons of taking a chance on a startup versus working for a longer-established company, and the continued strong performance of newer African firms is a major draw for many.

The newsletter Africa: The Big Deal reports that startups in Africa have already passed the $4bn funding mark in 2022 – nearing the $4.5bn raised in all of 2021, which they will likely surpass by year’s end.

Who gets hired at Africa's Top Startups?

For those looking to land a contract at this year’s Top Startups in Nigeria or South Africa, it may be useful to see who already works there.

When it comes to who works at these companies, the average age of employees working in Nigeria's Top Startups skews slightly below that of those working at South Africa's Top Startups, according to LinkedIn data.

That seems to trend with external data on both countries, with the overall median age in Nigeria being 18, according to research from Statista, while in South Africa, it is almost a decade older, finds the Pew Research Center.

In Nigeria, the average age of a new hire at one of the companies on the Top Startups list is 29, while it is 33 in South Africa.

Similarly, a new hire at one of the Top Startups in South Africa has about eight years of experience, as opposed to five in Nigeria.

The startup figures track closely with data for all other companies in these countries on LinkedIn, with the average age, for example, of new hires at all Nigerian companies also skewing younger and having fewer years of experience than those at all companies in South Africa.

Indeed, more than half (57%) of new hires at Nigeria’s Top Startups are under 30 years old and 52% are hired into entry-level roles – more than 10% higher than for the rest of Nigerian firms on LinkedIn.

In South Africa, the figures are identical across the Top Startups and the rest of the companies in the country, with 37% of hires aged under 30 and 41% employed in entry level positions.

According to LinkedIn data for Nigeria, the companies Utiva, Cowrywise, and Piggyvest hire candidates who on average have fewer years of experience than those hired by Bundle Africa and Moove.

In South Africa, new hires at Rentoza and Carter generally have fewer years of experience than those at Stitch and Ozow.

So what does it take to get hired at a Top Startup? Bundle Africa, for example, considers four key criteria when looking for talent, including customer service skills and how well the candidate can work within a global and mostly remote team.

You can view more job-seeking and career tips from Bundle Africa CEO Emmanuel Babalola during his full interview with LinkedIn News Africa here.

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Take a look at this year’s 10 Top Startups in South Africa and 10 Top Startups in Nigeria – and join the conversation using #LinkedInTopStartups.

Follow the LinkedIn News Africa page for more in-depth news and features on the issues that matter to you.

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Reported by: Solange Uwimana