Mercer’s Survey (When Women Thrive 2020), conducted between 23rd September and 22nd November 2019, reveals that Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) organizations continue to record an advancing gender parity in the workforce.
In sub-Saharan Africa, more organizations report receiving significantly more pressure to improve diversity and inclusion (D&I) than the global average (68% in SSA vs 31% globally), with pressure coming from multiple sources.
Mercer’s survey finds that women in about 94% of organizations in sub-Saharan Africa have equal access to roles that lead to advancement into leadership positions – significantly higher than the global average of 79%.
88% of respondents in this region report that their organizations are already focused on improving diversity and inclusion. 56% have talent management practices in place for high-potential women, compared to 35%
Additionally, 78% of organizations say women are equally likely as men to move across business units and/or geographies, as compared to the global average of 71%.
Mercer’s survey highlights that 82% of respondents say pay equity is part of their organization’s compensation philosophy or strategy compared to 74% globally. Moreover, 78% of organizations have a team formally responsible for conducting pay equity analysis compared to 72% globally.
76% of organizations say senior executives are actively involved/engaged in D&I programs and initiatives, compared to 66% globally.
For sub-Saharan Africa, Internal Labour Market (ILM) data for 12 organisations in the Middle East and Africa combined reveals that a modest increase of five percentage points in female representation is forecast for the professional level and above over ten years. Further, the greatest opportunity to improve future representation is through concerted efforts focused on female retention and hiring.
Globally, only 40% of the participating organisations’ workforce (professional level and above) are female. At the current rate, projections indicate it will take ten years to increase female representation globally by 3%.
However, managers in Sub-Saharan Africa are significantly less involved in supporting D&I efforts than senior executives, which is a major barrier to achieving progress. For example, the figure for middle managers is 65% in sub-Saharan Africa, outpacing the global average of 53%.
Mercer’s survey (When Women Thrive, 2020) shares insights from senior HR and business leaders across the sub-Saharan Africa, covering policies and practices related to diversity, inclusion and gender equity, including issues relating to leadership engagement, accountability, pay equity, career development, health and then wellbeing and financial wellness.
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