With 2024 being projected as a year of economic recovery for Nigeria from the fallout of the Federal Government reforms, many companies are expected to demand for more talent that will help them stay afloat and tap opportunities in the economy.
Last year saw a rise in job losses as the surge in petrol prices occasioned by the removal of subsidy and the devaluation of the naira affected many business operations.
“We note that the anticipation of increasing business activities might increase labour demand, potentially leading to a marginal decline in the unemployment rate,” analysts at Meristem Research said in their latest outlook report.
They added that the substantial emigration from the country could create additional job opportunities for skilled workers.
Nigeria’s unemployment rate rose in the second quarter of 2023 for the first time since the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) adopted a new methodology for the country’s labour force. It increased to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent in Q1.
Jennifer Oyelade, director of Transquisite Consulting, said companies would be hiring more this year compared to 2023 but that the hires would be more strategic as employers would put money into getting the best people for the work roles that they need.
“You might see organisations regrouping, realigning and restrategising, just to ensure that they focus their resources on what they need, not as supposed to hiring for hiring sake,” she added.
According to a report by MyJobMag, a recruitment agency in Nigeria, and HR practitioners, below are the jobs for which employers are willing to pay top dollar.
Sales executives
Sales executives have an in-depth understanding of all company products and services as well as the skills and industry knowledge required to sell them.
They improve sales and overall business growth. These specialists also prepare marketing budgets, conduct research, analyse trends, lead the sales team and perform sales forecasts.
“With the economic challenges in Nigeria, many companies are working twice as hard to sustain revenue. This means seeking competent sales experts to lead and drive sales. Also, since sales is result-oriented and your performance is measured based on conversion, many candidates shy away from sales,” the report said.
It said this creates an opportunity for passionate candidates to make a killing in sales.
“If you are considering a career in sales, focus on companies that consider sales an integral part of the company, providing robust remuneration, benefits and performance allowance,” it added.
Olamide Adeyeye, a Lagos-based human development researcher, said demand for skilled sales professionals has increased.
“The price of goods and services are increasing, causing consumers’ loyalty to reduce. So, companies are seeking sales and marketing roles to stay afloat because competition is becoming stiff,” he said.
Business development executives
Business development executives such as high-level sales representatives help companies or clients increase revenue. They help to develop strategies to attract new customers and engage existing ones.
MyJobMag said last year that the demand for business development roles rose to 15.9 percent in January-October 2023 from 13.4 percent in the same period of 2022.
“Business development growth roles are always going to be in high demand because even if the economy is going to improve, you can never stop selling.”
Digital marketers
They are different from the traditional ones. They drive and raise brand awareness by utilising internet and online-based digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services.
“With more than half of the world’s population using social media, skills related to social media marketing — as part of a greater digital marketing skill set — are highly in-demand by employers,” David Vogt, head of emerging programs and partnerships, business education at Meta, said in its 2024 job-skills report.
He said investments in competencies around media planning and strategy, brand management, and marketing management will be key for businesses to get the most out of their social media channels.
In Nigeria, there were 159 million internet users as at August 2023, data from the Nigerian Communication Commission shows. This presents an opportunity for digital marketers.
Experienced HR officers (talent acquisition and retention experts)
These roles are essential for companies as they must rethink, reimagine and reconsider how they foster talent, deliver services and strengthen their operations. They are responsible for hiring, developing and looking after employees.
Recruiters at MyJobMag said that with the increased competition for top talent, employers continue to look for experienced talent acquisition, learning and development and staff retention experts.
“Employers value HR experts who know how to find rare talents and how to retain them in their companies.”
Medical professionals
In the health sector, many professionals have left the country for better pay. According to the General Medical Council, the number of Nigerian registered doctors in the United Kingdom grew by 82 percent to 10,660 in 2022 from 5,856 in 2018.
The number of nurses rose by 1,404.5 percent in the six months to September to 1,670 from 111 in the same period of 2018.
The ‘japa’ wave has created an opportunity for young Nigerians passionate about healthcare to consider three or four-year medical-related programmes to fill vacant positions, said Ogugua Belonwu, founder and chief executive officer at MyJobMag.
Other job roles are mid- and senior-level software engineers, internal control experts (finance, operations, and security), data analysis, business intelligence and product development.
“Companies are going to invest more in strategically driven courses like data analysis, business intelligence and artificial intelligence because these tech-driven roles will be more in high demand,” Oyelade of Transquisite Consulting said.
