Let’s face it: finding a way to make a living is perhaps harder than ever before. South Africa’s unemployment rate currently stands at 27%, and job hunters often lament the lack of job opportunities. A new app is trying to bridge the gap between employers and potential job candidates to, in their own words “employ the world”.
JOBJACK was one of 10 finalists in this year’s Seedstars World, a competition for seed-stage startups in emerging markets, and is a simple platform for job seekers to find casual or once-off jobs, like acting as a waiter, a bar tender, a cashier or a pet-sitter.
Essentially functioning as an online recruiter of sorts, the website provides employers the opportunity to easily find candidates for temporary employment at a nominal fee – at a fraction of the cost of traditional recruitment services – while job seekers can gain access to a range of short-term, casual or permanent employment opportunities for free.
People in need of employment need only sign up and create a profile on the JOBJACK website (employers have full access to the personal brand pages of all candidate applications) after which they can immediately start browsing for a job listing that matches their preferences.
The platform can be exceptionally useful to students or other job candidates who are not necessarily in search of permanent employment, given the prevalence of once-off job opportunities on the JOBJACK website.
To sign up and create a profile on JOBJACK, simply visit the JOBJACK website. Employers can advertise job opportunities directly on the website, and have the freedom to decide what rates they will pay for the services of potential candidates. JOBJACK then circulates the position, less a 15% commission in the case of once-off jobs. Employers pay a release fee of between R110 and R250 for casual or permanent jobs once they’ve decided on a suitable candidate.
In a time where jobs are few and far between to start off with, JOBJACK is a breath of fresh air in the national employment landscape.