Kenya's gig economy is projected to form the next big chapter in solving the unemployment crisis.
The outsourcing business gained traction at the onset of the Covid-19 as businesses sought to survive the pandemic-related disruptions.
According to the World Bank, the gig economy refers to the market of connecting providers to clients on a short-term or task basis, and is characterised by independent workers, and payment (rather than salaried or hourly wages) for a specific service or task.
The worldwide health emergency acted as a catalyst for an increasing number of people to explore digital employment opportunities, motivated by their desire to find new ways to secure work.
Numerous local and global platforms emerged, enabling chauffeurs, voice actors, housekeeping staff, and technology professionals to find short-term, and flexible "gig" jobs.
While the influx of workers resulted in lower earnings, key African markets have seen a rise in the number of their residents embracing platform-based livelihoods.
Monetisation of content is expected to emerge as key avenue as platforms such as Kenyan born Vumistream now line up investments into the sector with country's first social media platform designed to provide monetisation tools for content creators.
Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI) CEO and co-founder Laila Macharia said that through the platform content creators would have the capability to establish live broadcasts and engage with their fan base while earning from it.
"We are committed to pushing further towards our vision to see 1 million of Africa's digital professionals and creative entrepreneurs sharing their work with the world, for profit and for impact," said Macharia.
A study by Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) estimated that five percent of Kenya’s adult population, amounting to about 1.2m people, now participate in some form of the gig economy, which can include businesses on social media.
The uptake of social media in the country has been booming especially with influencer marketing trend increasing in Kenya.
A study by GeoPoll found over 384 million active social media users now exist on the continent.
Facebook leads with 170 million users, comprising 44 percent of the total. It also boasts Africa’s highest engagement rate at 82 percent.
However, short-form video app TikTok is rapidly gaining ground with a 60 percent active user rate, ranking second over Instagram at 54 percent. Twitter and LinkedIn follow at 49 percent and 28 percent.
Laila says that going forward "learn-and-work" model, will offer a global, practical, digital, progressive, and transformative education.
