2026+非洲人才趋势：穿越招聘喧嚣-识别真正创造组织价值的人才+Talent+Trends+2026：Africa

MichaelPage

5

Hiring

ThroughtheHype

Howtonavigatethenoisetofindthetalentwho'llmakeareal

differencetoyourorganisation

—/1

TALENTTRENDS2026-AFRICA

02

contents

WHATISTALENTTRENDS?

INTRODUCTIONFROMOURMANAGINGDIRECTOR

KEYFINDINGSFOR2026

AI:Howisitchangingthepace?

SKILLS:Whatsetstalentapart?PROFESSIONALS’PRIORITIES:Whyarecandidatesmoving(orstayingput)?

CONCLUSION

ABOUTMICHAELPAGE

WHOTOOKOURSURVEY?

TalentTrends2026-africa

03

WhatisTalentTrends?

TalentTrendsisthemostcomprehensiveworkplacesurveyofitskindintheworld,exploringwhat

workingprofessionalsthink,expectandneedfromtheircareerstoday.Nowinitsfifthyear,itbringstogethertheviewsof60,000people,withinsightscovering36markets,togiveorganisationsaclearpictureofwhat’sreallyshapinghiringandwork.

Eachyear,wekeeppartofthesurveyconsistentsowecantrackhowexpectationschangeovertime.Wealsoaddnewquestionstocaptureemergingshifts–fromtheimpactofAIandskills

shortages,tohowpeoplefeelaboutflexibility,progressionandwellbeing.

BusinessesuseTalentTrendstoguidetheirhiringdecisionsthroughouttheyear.Ourconsultants

bringtheseinsightsintoeverydayconversationswithcustomers,exploringtheminevenmoredetailthroughtheeventsandwebinarswerunaroundtheworld.

Ithelpsleadersmakeconfident,informeddecisionsbybasingtheirplansonwhatpeopleareactuallythinking,notjustwhattheheadlinessuggest.

TalentTrendsexistsforasimplereason:tohelporganisationshire,developandkeepthetalentthattrulymakesadifference.

Howtonavigateourreport

We’llexploreeachtopicfromthreeuniqueperspectivestohelpyoucutthroughthenoise:

1.TheHype

Makessenseoftheheadlinesandthebigclaimsshapingeachtopic–andwhytheymatternow.

2.Ourrealitycheck

Showswhatprofessionalsarereallythinking,separatingnoisefromfactusinginsightfromoursurveyrespondents.

3.HiringHabitstoadopt

Turnstheinsightintoactionwithclear,practicalhabitscompaniescanusetohirewithconfidence.

TalentTrends2026-africa

MichaelPage

Wanttohiretalentthatmakesarealdifferencetoyourorganisation?

Cutthroughthehypetogettowhatreallymatters.

Workcontinuestochangeatspeedin2026.AcrossAfrica,organisationsareoperatinginanenvironmenttshapedbyuncertainty,unevengrowth,andshiftingexpectationsfrombothemployersandemployees.Withsomanyvariablesinplay,stayingfocusedandmakingtherightcallshasbecomemorechallengingandmoreimportantthanever.

ThisisexactlywhyHiringThroughtheHype,our

2026TalentTrendsreport,matters.Asthemost

comprehensiveannualtalentstudyofitskind,it

bringstogethertheviewsofmorethan60,000

professionalsworldwide,including2,000+insights

fromacrossAfrica.Thedatahelpsseparatesignalfromnoise,givingleadersaclearerviewofwhat

theyshouldprioritiseasnewtechnologies,skills

demandsandbusinesspressurescontinuetoevolve.Thechallengetodayisn'talackofinformation,it's

knowingwhattoacton,howtomoveforwardwithconfidence,andhowtokeeppeopleattheheartofeverydecision.

TalentTrends2026-Africa

Thisyearalsomarksamajormilestoneforus:50

yearsofMichaelPage.Halfacenturyofsupportingorganisationsandprofessionalsthroughchange

hasshapedhowwethinkabouttalent.Experiencehasshownusthatwhiletheexternalenvironmentisconstantlychanging,theprinciplesthatmattermostremainconsistent.Listeningcarefully,understandingindividualandorganisationalneeds,andhelping

peoplemakewell-judgedchoicescontinueto

underpinourapproach.AcrossAfrica,ourfocushasalwaysbeenonconnectingtalentthatcreatesreal,lastingimpact.

Technology,andAlinparticular,isnowinfluencingmorestagesofthehiringjourney.We'reworking

closelywithorganisationsacrosstheregiontoapplythesetoolsinawaythataddspaceandefficiency,whilekeepingdecision-makinggroundedinhumaninsightandstrongrelationships.

Thefindingsinthisreportreflectthatbalance.

Hiringtodayismoredemanding,morecompetitiveandmorepeople-driventhaneverbefore.While

technologywillcontinuetoadvanceandbusiness

modelswillevolve,trust,clarityandgoodjudgementremainthestrongestdifferentiators.Leaderswho

communicateclearly,stayadaptableandinvest

ingenuinerelationshipsarebetterplacedtobuild

confidenceandmoveforward,evenwhenconditionsarechallenging.

Speaktoourspecialistconsultantstocutthroughthecomplexityandhirewithconfidence.

Let'sexplorethefindings.

JulienRaze

ManagingDirector

MiddleEastandAfrica

MichaelPage

GlobalTalentTrends2026

60,000

surveyparticipants

Insightscovering

36

markets

MichaelPage05

Keyfindingsfor2026

Whathavewelearnedfromthisyear'sTalentTrendssurvey?

Hiringischangingfast.Alisreshapingroles,theskillsemployersneedareevolvingatpace,andprofessionalsareclearerthaneverabouthowworkfitsintotheirlives.

Thecompaniesthatwillwintheracefortoptalentwon'tchaseeveryheadline;they'llfocusonthesignalsthattrulyshapedecisionsanddesignhiringstrategiesthatarehuman,credible

andeffectiveasexpectationsevolve.

Wesurveyed60,000professionalsaroundtheworldforthisyear'sTalentTrendsreport.Threeclearthemesemerged:

1.Alisreshapinghiringforbothcandidatesandclients,fundamentallychangingprocesses,behavioursandoutcomesforbothsides.

2.Skillsarebecomingastrongersignalthanexperienceorqualifications.Morehiringmanagersprioritiseskillsovereducationalachievementsorlinearcareerpaths,while

candidatesaremorelikelytoapplyforarolewhenskillsmattermorethaneducationorexperience.

3.Professionals'prioritieshavestabilised-aroundflexibility.Work-lifebalanceisthe

decidingfactorwhenitcomestoajobmove.It'sthetopbenefitcandidatesfearlosingwhentheychangeroles,whichputsapremiumonclarityaboutflexibility,wellbeingandgrowthfromthestart.

TalentTrends2026-Africa

MichaelPage

Artificia

Intelligence

Howisitchangingthepace?

TheHype

Transformingeverythingforeveryone

OurRealityCheck

Noveltytonormality

HiringHabitstoAdopt

Usetechtoenhance-notreplace

TalentTrends2026-Africa

arTificialinTelliGence:THeHype07

ai

TheHype:Transformingeverythingforeveryone

SkillsPeople

300

170

millionrolestobeimpactedbyAI

Source:GoldmanSachs

ThedailyheadlinesaroundtheimpactofAIonworkjumptoextremes.Somewarnof

widespreaddisruption,withGoldmanSachsestimatingthatupto300millionjobs

globallyareexposedtoAI‑drivenautomation–mostthroughpartialtaskautomationratherthanfullreplacement.Othersofferamorebalancedpicture:theWorldEconomicForumexpectsmorechurnthannetloss,forecastingthataround170millionnewrolescouldbecreatedby2030asexistingworkisredesignedandnewskillscomeinto

demand.ConcernsalsoshapehowpeoplefeelaboutAIadoption,rangingfromdataprivacyandbiastohigh‑profilequestionsofcontrolandworkquality(“AIslop”).

millionnewrolestobecreatedby2030

Source:WorldEconomicForum

ThenoisearoundAIisloud–andit’sonlygettinglouder.Newtoolslaunchevery

week,eachpromisingtorewritehowwework.Inhiring,thathypeisalreadyreshapingbehaviour:candidatesareusingAItotailorapplicationsandboostthevisibilityof

theirCVsbyoptimisingforApplicantTrackingSystems,whilehiringteamsare

experimentingwithtoolstospeedupscreeningandimproveassessment.Theresult?Afaster,morecrowdedandmoreinconsistenthiringlandscape.Underneaththe

excitement,therealchallengeisclarity–knowingwhichAIsignalstotrust,andwhichsimplyaddmorenoise.

TalentTrends2026-africa

arTificialinTelliGence:OurrealiTycHecK08

SkillsPeople

ai

Ourrealitycheck:noveltytonormality

GenAIusehasundoubtedlymovedfromhypetohabit:30%of

professionalsreportedusingitregularlyatworkinourTalentTrends

surveyin2024,whichhasnowincreasedsignificantlyto53%thisyear.

WhilstmanyheadlinesaroundAIhavefocusedonfearsaroundlong‑termjobsecurity,onlyaquarter(25%)ofoursurveyrespondentscitedthisasaconcern.

ConfidencegrowswhenpeopleunderstandhowAIwillaffecttheir

role‑whatchanges,whatstaysthesame,andwhattheyremain

responsiblefor.Clearguidancehelpscutthroughthenoiseandgivespeopleafirmerfootingasthingsevolve.

percentageofprofessionalsusingGenaiatwork

30%

41%

2025

53%

2026

2024

TalentTrends2026-africa

MichaelPageARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE:OURREALITYCHECK

Firmlyembeddedin

thehiringprocess

Alnowunderpinsmanyhiringprocessesandpractices.65%ofjobapplicantssaytheyuseAltotightenlanguage,tailorCVs

andsummariseskills.Meanwhile,79%ofhiringmanagersuseAltorefinejobdescriptions,draftcandidatecommunicationsandrevieworassessCVapplications.AsAlperfectedCVs

becomethenorm,it'sharderforapplicantstostandout-andforemployerstodifferentiatebetweencandidates.

Inthisenvironment,acandidate'scompetitiveedgeshiftstowhatAlcan'tconvincinglyimitateontheirbehalf:sound

judgement,livedexperienceandthewarmthofatwo-way

conversation.Interviewsthatexplorehowpeoplemake

decisionsrevealstrengthsAlcan'teasilyimitate-suchashowtheyprioritise,weightradeoffsandrespondunderpressure.

TalentTrends2026-Africa

65%

ofapplicantsuseAlwhen

lookingforajob

ofhiringmanagers

79%

utiliseAlduringthehiringprocess

ADVICEFROMOUREXPERTS

Alhasthepowertoenhancehumanpotential,butonlywhenit's

guidedwithcareandintention.AdoptingAlisn'tjustaboutintroducingnewtools;it'saboutbeingclearontheproblemsyou'retryingtosolveandthepeopleyou′retryingtoempower.Technologycanacceleratedecisions,butitcan'tgiveyoupurpose.Thatclaritymustalwayscomefromhumanleadership.35

ImadGourari

SeniorDirectorMorocco,MichaelPage

SkillsPeople

2

MichaelPageARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE:OURREALITYCHECK

Hiddeninplainsight

Twoinfivehiringmanagers(27%)saythey'reunsurewhetheraCVor

coverletterhasbeencreatedoreditedusingGenAI.Whenapplicationslookincreasinglyperfected,presentationbecomesaweakersignalofcapability

-andhiringteamsneedclearerwaystounderstandhowsomeoneactuallyworks.

Thisiswherestructuredevidencematters.Shorttasks,prioritisation

exercisesandscenariowalkthroughsrevealhowpeoplethink,communicateandmakedecisions-strengthsAlcan'tconvincinglyimitate.These

approacheshelpseparategenuinecapabilityfromAlgeneratedpolish,andcreateafairerbaselineforeveryoneapplying.

AsAlchangestheperceptionofwhata'strong'applicationlookslike,over

relianceonCVsrisksoverlookingpeoplewiththerealskillsandjudgementtosucceed.

Forhiringteams,thechallengeisnolongeridentifyinga“perfectCV”-it'sfindingthepersonbehindaperfectedapplication.

Evidence-ledassessmentsturnthatintoaconsistentprocess,helpingorganisationsvalidatethesoftandhardskillscandidatesclaimthey

possessontheirCVs.

ofhiringmanagerssaythey'reunsurewhetheraCVorcoverletterhasbeencreatedoreditedusingGenerativeAl.

SkillsPeople

2

TalentTrends2026-Africa

MichaelPageARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE:HIRINGHABITSTOADOPT|11

HiringThroughtheHupe:

HabitstoadoptaroundAl

MakeAlpartofahuman-centredprocess

UseAltoremovebottlenecks,speedresponsesandkeepcandidatesinformed-nottoreplacejudgementorconnection.

BeopenaboutwhereAlfits

ExplainhowAlsupportstheprocess(screening,admin,communications)andwherepeoplestayaccountable.Transparencybuildstrustfast.

Improvethecandidatejourneyendtoend

Aliswidelyusednow,sodelaysandgapsinhiringprocessesshouldn’tbe

normal.Useautomationtosmooththeexperienceandspeeduptheprocess.

TalentTrends2026-Africa

Lookpastpolishedapplications

RememberthatcandidatesuseAltoo.Useshortworksamplesandscenariotaskstoseerealcapability,notjustpresentation.

Treatonboardingasthefinalhiringstep

Confidencecomesfromhumancontact.Aclear,steadystartreinforcestrustandreducesearlyattrition.

ADVICEFROMOUREXPERTS

Alhasn'trewrittentherulesofrecruitment-it'schangedthepace.Thevalueisusingittosharpenhumanjudgement,notreplaceitasinamarketthisdynamic,peoplestillmakethedifference.Aljusthelpsusspotpotentialfasterthanever.55

EamonCollins

ChiefMarketing&DataOfficer

MichaelPage

SkillsPeople

2

MichaelPage

Skills

Whatsetstalentapart?

TheHype

Capabilitynowbeatscredentials

OurRealityCheck

Adoptionofskills-basedhiringisgrowing-notwidespread

HiringHabitstoAdopt

Assesswhatmatters

TalentTrends2026-Africa

MichaelPageSKILLS:THEHYPE

TheHupe:Capability

nowbeatscredentials

ADVICEFROMOUREXPERTS

Theworldischangingfasterthaneverandrecruitmentisno

different.Overthelastcoupleofyearswehaveseenashiftinclientrecruitmentneeds,oftenrequiringcandidatestoperformmultiplefunctionswithinarole.Traditionalskillsarestillveryimportant,

however,candidatesthatdemonstratetheircapabilitiestoadapttothesechangeswillhavetheupperhand.55

Atitscore,skills-basedhiringmeanschoosingpeopleforwhattheycando-andlearnnext-ratherthanwheretheystudiedorhowlineartheircareerpathlooks.Hypearoundskills-basedhiringhasbeenaroundforthebestpartofadecade.However,asroleschangefasterthanjob

SKILLS

titlesandspecialist,technicalskillsremainhardtofind,theshifttowardcapabilityovercredentialsismovingfromtalkingpointtopractice-evenifadoptionremainsunevenacrossorganisations.

Thisisbackedbycredibleadvocates.TheWorldEconomicForum

haslongpromotedaskills-firstapproachtowidentalentpoolsand

improveequity,whileHarvardresearchshowsadoptionoftenlags

PaulNewman

OperatingDirectorSouthAfricaMichaelPage

intent-educationalrequirementsmayberemovedonpaper,yetlegacyassessmentsandhabitspersistinpractice.

People

Whydoesthismattermorethanevernow?InaworldwhereGenAlcan"perfect"aCVinseconds,employersneedsignalsthatrevealappliedcapabilityandhumanqualities-judgement,resilience,communication-thatsustainperformanceovertime.

TalentTrends2026-Africa

sKills:OurrealiTycHecK14

AI

Ourrealitycheck:

40%

ofhiringmanagersnow

prioritiseskillsover

educationorcareerhistory

whenlookingfortalent

adoptionofskills-basedhiringisgrowing–notwidespread

sKills

Findingtherightskillsisgettingharder:40%ofhiringmanagerssaytheirbiggestchallengeisthatthenecessaryskillsaren’treadilyavailableinmarket.Asaresult,manyorganisationsareturningtoskills‑basedhiring‑amodelthatrecognisesthebestcandidatewon’talwaysbealikeforlikematchonjobtitlesorcareerhistory.

Acrossthosealreadyadoptingthisapproach,supportisnearunanimous:96%sayit

deliversclearbenefits.Themostcommonreasonsarebetteridentificationofcapabilities

(58%)andeasiermatchingtocurrentandfutureneeds(56%).Momentumisbuilding,evenifadoptionisstillearly‑27%ofhiringmanagersplantomovetowardskillsfirstmodels.

Employersincreasinglyvaluehowcandidatespresenttheirskillsovertheireducationor

People

ofhiringmanagersstruggle

tofindcandidateswith

theskillstheyneed

workhistory:22%sayskillpresentationmattersmorethandegreesorlinearcareerpaths,witharoundhalfweighingthemequally.Thatshiftsthecoreassessmentquestionfrom“Dotheylookgoodonpaper?”to“Doestheevidencefeelgenuineinconversation?”

Thisshiftstartswithclearerroledesign.Definewhatsuccesslookslikeinthenext6–12months,thenidentifytheskillsneededtoachieveit.Assesscandidatesusingstructuredtasksandclearcriteria;thisnotonlyimprovesfairnessbutgivesthemearlierinsightintohowtheywoulddevelopintherole.

TalentTrends2026-africa

MichaelPageSKILLS:OURREALITYCHECK

Softskillslead

Astechnicalskillsremainhardtofind-andGenAlliftstheperceivedpolishofapplications-hiringmanagersareputtingmoreweightonattributes

Alcan'tquicklyreplicate.Hiringmanagerstoldustheskillstheywere

lookingformostincandidatesareadaptability,industryrelevanttechnicalexpertiseandinterpersonalskills.

Whytheseskills?

·Adaptabilityrankedhighestbecauserolesareshiftingquicklyandpeopleneedtoadjustatpace.

●Industryrelevanttechnicalskillsfollowed,reflectingtheriseincrossindustrialworkandtheneedtounderstandthenuancesoftheindustrytheyareapplyingfor.

·Interpersonalskillscameclosebehind,ashybridanddistributed

workingmakerelationshipbuildinganddaytodayinfluencehardertodemonstratebutmoreimportantthanever.

Together,theseskillsrevealwhethersomeonecanperformwellasworkcontinuestochange-qualitiesthatGenAlcan'timitate.

TalentTrends2026-Africa

#1

#2

Mostsought-afterskillsforhiringmanagers

Adaptability

Industryrelevanttechnicalexpertise

Interpersonalskills#3

ADVICEFROMOUREXPERTS

AcrossAfrica,hiringisbecomingmoreregionalandincreasingly

skills-led.Organisationsarestartinglocally,thenlookingacross

neighbouringmarketsandthewidercontinent,focusinglesson

wheretalentcomesfromandmoreontheskillspeoplebring.This

shiftreflectsamorepragmaticapproachtohiring,whereadaptability,technicalcapabilityandappliedexperiencemattermorethan

traditionalcareerpathsorlocations.Technologyishelpingenablethischange,makingiteasiertoidentify,assessandmobilisescarceskillsacrossborders.55

lgorRochette

SeniorDirectorAfrica,MichaelPage

SKILLS

People

sKills:OurrealiTycHecK16

AI

skills-basedhiringneedshumaneyes

Overaquarterofhiringmanagersarenowprioritisingskillsover

educationorcareerhistory,andcandidatesaretakingnotice.Twointhreepeoplelookingforrolestoldustheyweremorelikelyto

applywhenskillsarepromotedasthemostimportantelementofajobadvert.

ofcandidatessaid

theyaremorelikelyto

applywhenskillsare

themostimportant

elementofajobadvert

Asweexploredearlierinthisreport,AIishavingaprofoundeffectonwhathappensnextinthehiringprocess.Forcandidates,itis

People

sKills

easierthanevertouseAItoensuretheskillslistedontheirCVarematchedtojobadvertrequirements.Increasingnumbersofhiringmanagers,meanwhile,arerelyingonAItoolstothenmatchtheseCVsbacktoroles.

WhenbothcandidatesandhiringteamsrelyonAI,there’sarisk

theprocessoptimisesformatchingalgorithmsratherthanreal

capability.Humanreviewstopsstrongtalentbeingfilteredout

beforethey’vehadachancetodemonstratewhattheycando.

It’saboutstrikingabalance:utilisingtechnologyforefficiency,butbuildingaprocessaroundhumanqualitiesandhumanjudgement.

TalentTrends2026-africa

MichaelPageSKILLS:HIRINGHABITSTOADOPT

HiringThroughtheHupe:

Habitstoadoptaroundskills

Keeptalentpoolswarm

Definewhatsuccesslookslikeinthenext6-12monthsandmapthecapabilitiesneededtodeliverit.

Startwithoutcomes,notjobtitles

Build“always

on”attraction

andagilehiring

modelsfor

roles

with

persistent

demand.It

shortenstime

tohireand

strengthensyour

pipeline.

SKILLS

Equipmanagers

Spotskillsthatpointtopotential

Providequestionbanks,evidenceguidesandratinganchorssodecisionsdon'tdefaulttogutfeel.Thisimprovesfairness,paceandhiringconfidence.

Askillsfirstapproachcomplementsexistingmethods.Ithelpsuncovertalentbeyondtraditionalcredentialsorlinearcareerpaths.

People

ADVICEFROMOUREXPERTS

Inaskills-ledmarket,clarityremainsacompetitiveadvantage.Whenwedefinewhatgreatlookslikeandassessitconsistently,wedon'tjusthirefaster,wehirewithimprovedconfidence.Alcansupporttheprocess,butit'sourjudgement,ourtransparency,andthewayweconnectwithpeoplethatturngoodhiringintolong-termsuccess.55

Assessskillsthroughevidence

Usepracticaltasksandstructuredscoringtoseehowpeoplethinkandwork.Itbringsconsistencyandreducesbias.

IsabelleBastide

ChiefOperatingOfficer&ExecutiveBoardDirector

TalentTrends2026-Africa

MichaelPage

MichaelPage

Professionals'Priorities

Whyarecandidates

moving(orstayingput)?

SkillsPEOPLE

TheHype

Everyonewantseverything

OurRealityCheck

Work-lifebalancewins

HiringHabitstoAdopt

It'sallaboutbuildingtrust

TalentTrends2026-Africa

MichaelPagePROFESSIONALS'PRIORITIES:THEHYPE

TheHype:Everyonewantseverything

Thepandemicdidn'tjustdisruptwork-itrewiredwhatpeopleexpectfromit.Itforcedmillionsaroundtheworldtorethinkhow,whereandwhentheywork,

andthoseshiftsdidn'tsnapbackwhenofficesreopened.Instead,theyresetthebaseline.Flexibilitybecamenormal,notnovel.Wellbeingmovedfromaperktoapriority.Andformany,workbecamesomethingthathadtofitalongsidelife,notconsumeit.Thatrecalibrationexplainswhy,inrecentyears,manyprofessionalshavechosentostayputratherthangambleonamove-67%ofthosewe

surveyedareactivelylookingforanewjobthisyearcomparedwith63%in2024.Whenstabilityfeelsfragile,peopleholdtightertowhattheyknow.

Acrossindustries,professionalswanttoprotectthegainstheyfoughtforduringthoseyears-notbecausethey'rechasingperfection,butbecausethey'velivedthroughaversionofworkthatfinallyfeltsustainable.That'sthehype:theideathat"peoplewantitall."Butunderneathitsitsamoregroundedtruth-clarity,trustandtransparencynowdeterminewhethersomeoneisevenwillingto

considerachange.

ADVICEFROMOUREXPERTS

Peoplemakedecisionsthroughthelensoftrust.Theywanttoknowhowworkwillfitintotheirlife-andwhetheranemployerisbeing

openaboutpay,flexibilityandconditions.Expectationshavealreadyshifted,andclarity,fairpayandgenuinetransparencynowshape

whetherajobcandidatesaysyes',keepslookingorstaysput.55

TesselNaaijkens

ChiefPeopleOfficerMichaelPage

Skills

PEOPLE

TalentTrends2026-Africa

prOfessiOnals’priOriTies:OurrealiTycHecK20

AI

peOple

Ourrealitycheck:

Work-lifebalancewins

Twoinfivejobapplicantsworrythatchangingroleswouldmeansacrificingwork‑lifebalance,andthatfearnowoutweighsconcernsaboutjobsecurity,pay,progressionorthereputationofthebrandtheymightmoveto.

Whenwork‑lifebalanceslipsinacurrentrole,people

feeltheywouldbe

sacrificingwork-life

balancetoaccept

anewrole

startlookingelsewhere;45%saythey’dbemorelikelytolookforanotherjobifaskedtocomeintotheofficemoreoften.Toattractandretaintalent,treatwellbeingand

flexibilityasacoreelementoftherole,notanadd‑on.

Inpractice,thatmeansofferingclarityonflexibility

(workrhythm,collaborationwindows,hybridpatterns,

autonomy)socandidatescanpicturedailylife–notjustajobtitle–longbeforetheydecide.

TalentTrends2026-africa

Whatmattersmosttoprofessionalswhenthinkingaboutwork?

TalentTrends2026TalentTrends2025

percentagerankingasnumberonepriority

Work-lifebalance Mymentalhealthsuccessinmycareer Jobsatisfactionagoodsalary

22%

30%

21%17%

20%

20%

19%

19%

16%

14%

percentagerankingintop5priorities

Work-lifebalancesuccessinmycareer Jobsatisfaction agoodsalaryMymentalhealth

79%

75%

78%

70%

76%

68%

75%

68%

73%

61%

MichaelPagePROFESSIONALS'PRIORITIES:OURREALITYCHECK

Theimportanceofauthenticity

Connection,authenticityandtrustkeeppeoplein

aroleandhelpthemsayyestoanewone.Those

notlookingforarolearefarmorelikelytotrust

leadershiptoprotectwellbeing(94%)thanthose

undecidedaboutajobmove(58%)oractively

looking(38%).Trustisfragileatthestart:apoor

onboardingexperiencecanpushanewhire

towardstheexitasearlyasdayone-sodesign

onboardingasthefinal,confidence-buildingstageofhiring,notasadmin.

TalentTrends2026-Africa

23%

ofhiringmanagersplantomakechangesintheironboardingpractices

ADVICEFROMOUREXPERTS

Authenticity,tome,isn't