Zeelo’s bespoke solutions allow businesses to attract new employee pools to fill demand and add flexibility to their employee’s transport options.
There is still a lot of concern surrounding the employment landscape following the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic. In South Africa, recruitment remains heavily impacted by a lack of economic stability. Despite unemployment levels easing somewhat during the first few months of 2022, overall unemployment levels remain concerning. So what can your business do to attract the right talent in such difficult times?
According to research, there were 8.3 percent more job openings in the first quarter of 2022 than there were in the same period two years earlier, which is a record high. The largest rebound in hiring over the past two years has been in the medical and health sector, where it has climbed by 30 percent. In contrast, manufacturing and assembly and security and emergency services have seen increases of 28 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
Additionally, even while hiring activity has fully recovered across most industries, some remain below pre-pandemic levels. Logistics and warehousing hiring (which usually has greater demand during peak season) has almost fully recovered but is still 1% behind the annual average. So what can be done to attract and retain employees when barriers like transport affordability are making it harder than ever to get to work. With the general cost of living crisis, expensive or unreliable public transportation and ever increasing fuel costs, how can transport be leveraged as a tool to aid in seasonal recruitment ahead of the busier peak season?
Labour Accessibility For Peak Recruitment
Peak season recruitment doesn’t need to be overly complicated; here are just a few simple solutions to the issues at hand.
In order to meet the demand generated during the busiest months of the year, peak seasons typically necessitate temporary increases in employees and extended or irregular shift schedules. In order to meet demand, many businesses will likely expand their operations to run around-the-clock, which can complicate logistics and transportation. Zeelo works to provide consistent daily (as well as flexible) short-term services to ensure that all employees (both new and existing) have easy access to transportation.
There is currently no legal requirement for employers to provide transportation to employees who work night shifts, however the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 states that transportation must be available between the employee’s place of residence and the workplace at the start and end of the employee’s shift. Zeelo creates accessible transport solutions for employees; keeping them safe at night and maximising staff retention and recruitment potential.
Transport As A Tool For Peak Season Recruitment
When evaluating employment options, transportation can often be a crucial yet deciding factor. When faced with long, congested commutes or inflated public transport costs, many simply don’t see the worth. So why not hone in on that by offering reliable and affordable transport, and help combat social and mobility issues facing South Africa alongside widening the pool of talent from which you can recruit from.
By offering a commuter service, you can save your employees’ time and money on their commutes and provide a genuine incentive for prospective hires to work for your organisation. With demand peaks just around the corner, it stands to reason that businesses could greatly benefit from such a service to best attract the right talent for their organisation.
Zeelo has successfully partnered with Ina Paarman foods in Cape Town, for instance, since September 2019 to support the operation of multiple routes across two sites in Diep River. Recruitment and retention were always key challenges for Ina Paarman and so we had to provide efficient routes tailored to their employees’ needs, provide access for those poorly served by public transport at a cost accessible to Ina Paarman and all of their employees. Besides savings on admin and management costs, Zeelo has allowed staff to travel to work and home safely and help
Ina Paarman improve retention and save on recruitment.
There is no need to get locked into long term expensive contracts. Our bespoke solutions will allow businesses to attract new employee pools to fill demand, add flexibility to their employee’s transport options and aid in the management of peak periods as efficiently and safely as possible in these unprecedented times.
