Capital Equipment News January-February 2024

ADVERTORIAL - RECRUITMENT

Innovative solutions, like Pnet’s online platform, streamline SME recruitment, addressing time-to-hire, costs, and personnel constraints effectively.

Spotlight on SME recruitment in warehousing and logistics

SMEs account for most businesses worldwide and contribute to job creation and global economic development. According to the World Bank Group, they represent about 90% of companies and over 50% of employment worldwide.

F ormal SMEs contribute up to 40% of emerging economies’ national income (GDP), and the number is significantly higher when informal SMEs are in cluded. The World Bank Group estimates that 600 million SMEs will be needed by 2030 to absorb the growing global work force, which makes SME development a high priority for many governments. In emerging markets, most formal jobs are generated by SMEs, which create 7 out of 10 jobs. The local figures SMEs are an integral part of South Africa’sAfrica’s economy. According to a report by the International Finance Corporation, approximately 50% to 60% of South Africa’s workforce finds employment within SMEs. As such, these enterprises bring many advantages that contribute to economic development: Job creation: SMEs significantly contribute to job creation, especially in labour-intensive sectors. Their ability

to adapt quickly to changing market demands allows them to absorb labour, thereby reducing unemployment rates and providing livelihoods to many. Economic growth: SMEs foster a dynamic business environment that fuels economic growth. They encourage competition, innovation, and diversity, increasing productivity and economic progress. Poverty alleviation: As SMEs expand and succeed, they contribute to poverty reduction by empowering local communities through employment and income generation. SMEs often face various challenges, however, particularly in recruitment. Issues such as time to-hire and recruitment costs can hinder their ability to attract quality talent. To address these challenges, specialised online recruitment platforms like Pnet have emerged as powerful tools to help SMEs find suitable candidates for their vacant roles, thereby boosting their competitiveness in the market.

Recruitment activity “Jobs in warehousing and logistics have remained stable through 2023, with a 2% growth in demand between 2022 and 2023. There has been slow yet consistent growth in hiring activity since 2021 to the point that, in 2023, we can report talent demand levels close to pre-covid times. Hiring activity in 2023 was 13% higher than in 2021,” Diverse SMEs contribute 90% to global businesses and over 50% to worldwide employment, driving economic development.

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