Mobile startup Giraffe launches to help fill SA’s unemployment gap

South Africa’s unemployment rate hovers somewhere above the 20% mark with almost half of that number consisting of the country’s youth.

A new startup, called Giraffe, hopes to change these figures after just launching a mobile technology that connects medium-skilled jobseekers with opportunities.

The company notes that one of the most expensive and time consuming aspects of finding a job is costly public transport and limited access to computers. Fortunately though, South Africa does have heaps of phones that — with the help of platforms like Giraffe’s — can be used to find a job.

“Although PC penetration is relatively low in South Africa, mobile penetration is more than 100% — on par with the developed world,” said Shafin Anwarsha, Head of Product at Giraffe. “This means that we can harness the ubiquity of mobile to empower jobseekers with better access to opportunities.”

Giraffe notes that the free app works on the most basic cellphone which jobseekers can use to register and create a CV by simply SMSing a keyword and completing a basic form.

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Giraffe then sends the CV to a range of employers, based on their precise requirements, ensuring that only relevant CVs are matched with any given vacancy. Job opportunities are then sent to select, screened candidates by SMS, thus saving both jobseekers and employers considerable time and money in submitting and processing applications.

After matching candidates with opportunities, Giraffe automatically schedules interview. Anwarsha stresses that Giraffe is not a job portal or an agency. Instead, it’s built a technology which offers employers all the features of a recruitment agent at a fraction of the price.