This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
On September 17, 2019, Andela, a company that builds distributed engineering teams, announced it would be laying off approximately 420 junior engineers and staff from its Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya hubs.
The move aims to help Andela restructure its talent pool to more closely align with global market demand for senior quality talent fit for its engineering-as-a-service model.
According to Andela's CEO, Jeremy Johnson, the majority of demand is for more experienced talent, and the company needs to grow its senior talent base even faster to keep up.
Johnson stated, 'This shift in demand also means that we now have more junior talent than we are able to place. This is a challenge for the business, and for these junior engineers who want, and deserve, authentic work experiences that we are not able to provide.'
Andela is working with impacted junior engineers and staff to provide a holistic professional and financial support package.
The company is also reaching out to job boards and recruitment platforms to get the affected teams placement and job opportunities.
Andela is collaborating with local hubs, including CcHUB in Nigeria, iHub in Kenya, and Innovation Village in Uganda, to help connect impacted developers with opportunities in their local ecosystems.
These hubs have identified over 60 companies looking to hire top-quality junior engineering talent.
Impacted engineers will also have access to free co-working spaces for the next three months as they look for their next big opportunities or innovations.
Andela plans to hire an additional 700 experienced engineers by the end of 2020 to meet its customers' demands.
Janet Maingi, Andela Kenya Country Director, emphasized the company's commitment to supporting those affected by the change and providing means for them to find stability.
Andela will continue to invest in its Andela Learning Community (ALC), which has already introduced over 30,000 learners from across the continent to software engineering.
Johnson concluded, 'To succeed in our long-term mission, we have to make tough decisions to continue growing a company that we know will change the way the world thinks about talent.'
