Summary
Technical freelance skills are in high demand. People who want to increase their earning potential through a freelancing gig or side hustle need insights on the opportunities to land contracts (and make money).
This article provides an overview of the growing offshoring opportunities for African talent in the BPO space to significantly boost their incomes while offering freelance services to global companies who wants a more affordable but skillful workforce.
The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry has emerged as a significant employer and revenue generator worldwide, with global revenues projected to reach $405 billion by 2027, according to Statista. As developed economies seek to reduce costs and access skilled talent, Africa, with its sizeable English-speaking youth population, affordable talent and improving digital infrastructure, presents an attractive outsourcing destination.
Africa's Advantage in The Gig Economy
Given its favourable demographics, improving infrastructure, and alignment with major global markets, Africa has emerged as an attractive destination for outsourcing and freelancing work. With these advantages, talents have immense potential to access lucrative opportunities in high paying freelance jobs in these fields: IT, finance, marketing, creative services and more.
Large and young population
Africa has a population of over 1.2 billion, with over 60% below 25 years, providing a vast pool of youthful talent according to United Nations population data.
Improving education levels
School enrollment levels have risen substantially in the past decade. African youths are plunging into higher education, resulting in more graduates.
Expanding digital penetration
According to World Bank data, Internet users have grown from just 4% in 2007 to over 39% in 2020 as digital infrastructure expands, supporting remote work.
Lower cost of living
Since the cost of living in most African nations is much lower than in developed countries, recruiting talents in Africa offer competitive pricing which is still an attractive income for the youths and profit margin for global businesses.
Cultural affinity
A shared colonial history and use of English as a business language enables talents in Africa align with major outsourcing client nations.
Policy support
Governments of some African countries are increasingly supportive through initiatives like digitization, skills programs, access to finance and export promotion of BPO services.
Time zone alignment
Countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa align more closely with time zones of key client geographies relative to other outsourcing destinations.
Lucrative Offshoring Opportunities for African Talents
Freelance work is increasingly popular, especially among highly skilled workers. Nearly 51 million people earned income from independent work in the United States in 2021, a marked increase from the previous year. Almost 3.4 million people decided in 2021 to pursue top paying freelance jobs as a permanent income source.
For African freelancers and remote workers, the BPO industry offers immense potential to provide sustainable livelihoods and bridge the income gap with developed nations. Some of the high paying jobs in Africa include:
Customer Service
With strong English language skills and cultural affinity with major BPO client nations, African freelancers are sought after for customer support, sales and services roles. These jobs are ideal for remote work. Essential skills needed are communication abilities, customer orientation and tools knowledge.
IT Services
The technology skills gap in advanced nations, coupled with African developers' high abilities in areas like mobile app development and software testing, has boosted the outsourcing of IT services. Freelancers with programming skills, coding abilities, and software testing experience earn dollars per hour, working for global IT firms and startups.
Digital Marketing
With internet penetration rising rapidly across Africa, freelancers skilled in SEO, social media marketing, web analytics and content development have opportunities to offer their services to both local and international brands.
Accounting and Finance
Bookkeeping, payroll, tax preparation and financial analysis are some accounting and finance functions outsourced to African talent. For freelancers with credentials like ACCA, CPA or finance degrees, this is a chance to leverage their expertise for global clients at ‘per hour’ contract rates.
Creative Design
Freelance graphic designers, animators and visual artists can showcase their creativity for global brands on logos, ads, marketing collateral and video production projects.
Data Entry and Transcription
For those new to freelancing, simple repetitive tasks like data entry, image tagging, product categorization, and audio transcriptions are a good starting point. Though the pay is modest, these projects help build ratings and reviews and portfolios.
Trending High Paying Freelance Jobs in the BPO Industry
While freelancing offers opportunities across diverse fields, some roles tend to be more lucrative for Africans based on the high demand, pay rate in foreign currency and specialized skills required.
Offshoring is a fantastic option for both employers and the employed. As more businesses realize the advantages of hiring African talents to work remotely through BPO firms, many African talents are making the transition to freelancing because they choose their own hours, work from anywhere, and take on tasks that pique their interest. You can obtain better-paying freelance tasks that correspond with your skill level by taking into account the fact that market pay rates vary.
Here are some of the high paying freelance jobs for you:
Software Engineering
Professionals in artificial intelligence (AI) strive to comprehend problems and create solutions that leverage AI to enhance business and life. They use their expertise in computer programming to develop algorithms and construct models for natural language processing (NLP).
The hourly wage for machine learning engineers ranges from $25 to $50. These software engineers can discover several fixed-price projects and work remotely for $30 to $60 per hour. There are plenty of opportunities in computer and information research science, with employment growth predicted to reach 21% by 2031.
Mobile App Development
App developers make native, hybrid, or cross-platform mobile apps. You might have to start from scratch for specific projects, but for others, you might need to add additional integrations to existing software to improve it. Proficiency in a programming language such as Swift or Kotlin could give you an advantage over other candidates when exploring opportunities.
As an offshore talent, your hourly wage may range from $18 to $38. Through 2031, the software development industry is expected to grow by 25%.
Data Analysis
A freelance data analyst assists clients with analysing particular data points of previous occurrences or transactions. You'll be essential in helping businesses make well-informed decisions about their daily operations by spotting important patterns in customer behaviour or other business-related areas.
Companies use data analysts to make more accurate predictions about future trends. Using extensive data gathered from multiple operational sources is your responsibility.
Upwork says the typical hourly wage for data analysts is between $20 and $50. Even though many data analysts work full-time for businesses of all sizes, BPO firms consistently offer high-paying jobs to freelancers. According to BLS data, the demand for analysts is expected to increase by 23% between 2021 and 2031
Project Management
Project management studies intricate business processes and identifies areas to improve organisational workflows. Project managers make sure groups stay on course and meet deadlines. In the process, they help firms save money, time, and resources by removing uncertainty.
Project managers often earn between $19 and $45 per hour when working remotely. There is an expected 7% increase in demand for project managers by 2031.
Legal Consulting
A legal support world report showed that the global legal market size for outsourcing legal work is expected to reach a CAGR of 31.8% by 2025. This percentage was priced at $5.2 bn in 2018. According to one recent research by Grand View Research, the LPO industry is likely to grow to $38.25 bn. During this growth, eDiscovery might witness the highest growth by 2025.
Virtual Assistant
Clients employ virtual assistants to handle administrative duties, including data input, calendar management, and email correspondence. These experts might make restaurant reservations, arrange doctor's appointments, and make purchases on behalf of their clients.
These services allow busy clients, especially global firms, to concentrate on core tasks. Most virtual assistants work directly with clients or via freelance networks to complete assignments.
Virtual assistants can make from $10 to $20 per hour doing various administrative tasks. Your experience usually dictates the kinds of tasks you can work on. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment for administrative assistants will decrease by 8% by 2031, yet over 350,000 roles for secretaries and assistants will become available each year.
Writing and Editing
One of the most popular careers for freelancers is copywriting. A freelance writer can write emails, ebooks, essays, newsletters, and other polished content that catches readers' attention.
Anyone proficient in the English language and with strong communication abilities may find great success creating this kind of content. Depending on the particular customer, you might utilize Google Docs or a content management system like WordPress.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 4% rise in employment in this field between 2021 and 2031. Additionally, data indicates that there are about 15,200 work opportunities for writers serving the US market each year; the number is significantly higher for freelance writers because they can work with clients worldwide.
The median hourly wage for freelance writers is $19 to $45 per assignment. Certain content writing positions have set prices, while others could pay hourly or per word.
Social Media Marketing
Businesses can advertise goods and services to target consumers directly and profitably by using social media. Social media managers work with brands to develop and carry out marketing plans that improve lead generation.
Working with multiple brands at once allows freelancers to help them hone their social media communication strategies. Clients will look to you for professional guidance on content creation and targeting, so you need to show that you are adept at using a variety of social media platforms.
As an African talent, you can anticipate commanding a median pay rate of $14 to $35 per hour. Through 2031, there will be a 10% increase in the need for personnel in related fields, including marketing and advertising management.
Accounting
Accounting talents keep track of a company's financial transactions and can assist with record interpretation. This role is essential to ensure financial record accuracy for reporting and tax purposes. Businesses depend on accountants to deliver precise and attractive financial data so they can make well-informed decisions about how to run their operations and ensure compliance with regulations.
Accurate recordkeeping procedures facilitate more efficient analysis of profits and losses. Preparing bills, figuring out payroll needs, working with auditors, and examining operating budgets are possible extra responsibilities.
The hourly median income for these projects ranges from $12 to $32, based on your skill level and other variables. Professional accounting is expected to expand by 6% by 2031.
Freelancers who invest in building specialized expertise in these fields are well-positioned to earn substantially higher incomes. Gaining recognized certifications and demonstrating proven results for clients can boost prospects in these best paying freelance jobs.
How Can Offshore Talents Position for These Best Paying Freelance Jobs in Africa?
- Focus on in-demand skills: Invest time to gain expertise in fields like customer service, digital marketing, finance or software testing, where demand for African talent is rising.
- Focus on client satisfaction: Go above and beyond to deliver work on time, maintain communication and exceed expectations rather than solely focusing on income generation.
- Invest in tools and technologies: A computer, high-speed internet, software like Zendesk for customer service, and project management tools help provide quality work.
- Develop soft skills: Friendly and professional communication, collaboration, time management and working under little or no supervision are highly valued.
- Earn certifications: Complete courses on online academies launched by leading BPO firms to gain credentials that validate your skills.
- Leverage networks: Attend BPO events, build connections online and leverage BPO firms to access opportunities.
Conclusion
As companies seek to trim their overhead and supplement their existing workforce, offshore talents are more important than ever. The flexibility remote work provides on a project-by-project basis is excellent for organizations managing their cost to hire team members.
African youths who invest in building their capabilities can realize both financial uplifts and flexible, location-independent lifestyles. The future looks bright for African talents ready to deliver outstanding work products and establish themselves as competitive players in the global gig economy.
As an employer or employee in this gig economy, you can partner with Workforce Africa - one of Africa's leading offshoring firms, to provide the information and support needed to succeed. To get started, click here to schedule a free consultation.
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