Lagos is a hub for business and commerce. With the growth of startups and the expansion of companies in the last decade, the need for professional staffing in Lagos has increased. However, companies experience some challenges when it comes to filling these positions with the required talents. This blog looks at some of the challenges of professional staffing in Lagos and how to overcome them.
Professional staffing refers to every process involved in the selection, recruitment, and training of qualified personnel to fill vacant positions within an organization. It can be done internally by the organization’s HR department or a recruitment agency.
Common challenges of professional staffing in Lagos
Lagos, like other cities, faces a range of challenges when it comes to professional staffing. Some of these challenges include:
- Limited Talent Pool:
A tweeter recently tweeted “Talent is hard to find in this country. I am tired” for a city with a lot of under-employed/ unemployed people you’d think talents will be in surplus. There is a limited amount of talented professionals in Lagos, and these people have been taken by big tech companies. This makes it difficult for businesses (especially startups) to find the right talents for their specific needs.
- Brain drain:
The well-known “japa” wave is constantly causing a brain drain in the country as many qualified talents are leaving the country in search of greener pastures elsewhere. This relocation of talents reduces the number of qualified personnel left to fill certain positions and this leads to companies struggling to find the perfect replacement/ new hire.
- The gig economy:
The emergence of the internet and online workplaces have decentralized the job market and a lot of people now prefer to work from home. In the course of research for this blog, we asked ten people between the ages of 21-32 and eight of them wanted fully remote roles that will pay in dollars, and the other two wanted hybrid roles. With the available talents looking to get roles with international companies, hiring managers in Lagos are forced to use their best tactics to get talents.
- High turnover rate
With the high rate of poaching, career switch, and the tech economy companies are slinging some of their best staff, leading to a high turnover rate and understaffing.
Strategies to successfully recruit, hire and retain quality professionals in Lagos
Despite these challenges, there are several strategies that businesses can employ to overcome them and successfully staff their organizations. These strategies include:
- Develop a strong employer brand and work culture:
Ask a lot of techies companies they’ll love to work at and 7/10 times you’ll hear Google. Google has built its employer brand so that even in spite of the layoffs people still want to work there.
To build your employer brand, you can offer competitive salaries, provide opportunities for professional development and growth, and create a positive work environment. Let your company have a personality online and show just how much you appreciate your staff members. This can help attract and retain top talents.
- Offer flexible work arrangements:
Not every role requires a full-time on-site presence. Roles like this should come with a hybrid arrangement where members of staff get to work from home. This can help boost productivity for them as they wouldn’t have to deal with traffic and/or long commute hours.
- Offer internship opportunities:
A lot of young graduates are looking for opportunities to learn and grow in real-time jobs. With available internships, these people can learn and can even be retained permanently to be members of staff.
- Investing in employee training and development:
Invest in employee training and development programs. This will help to build the skills and expertise of the existing staff base, thus encouraging internal career growth and promotions.
- Partner with recruitment agencies:
Recruitment agencies can help you identify, and recruit top talents that fit into your company’s goals.
In conclusion, the challenges of professional staffing in Lagos are significant and they can also be solved. With a strong employer brand, a good work environment, internship opportunities, and recruitment agencies, businesses can overcome some of these challenges, and attract and retain top talent.