Entrepreneurial mindset a winning trait

This is the second year in succession that Africa has topped the table for entrepreneurial ambition – and with a higher percentage than in 2025, when 80% of African respondents said the same. The figure is to a certain extent, as the survey notes, influenced by African cultural norms and macroeconomic conditions. Even so, it goes on to argue that this tendency towards entrepreneurial thinking is of enormous benefit to employers, although only 3% of respondents are actually self-employed or running a business at the moment.

Employees with an entrepreneurial mindset tend to have strong problem-solving and communication skills as well as creative and innovative capabilities. ‘Organisations should foster an empowering workplace where employees who identify business opportunities feel recognised and valued,’ the report argues.

Side hustles

The volatile global environment casts a shadow over this year’s survey. In previous years, it has tracked a steady rise in African finance professionals adopting ‘side hustles’ in the form of freelance work and remote opportunities, which allows them to diversify their income streams.

This year, though, while most say they are prepared to explore freelance work, the majority of respondents would rather look for ways to supplement their income alongside a steady, reliable wage. Only 8% say they prefer to rely solely on multiple short-term roles in the gig economy.

In fact, the survey detects an atmosphere of job insecurity across the continent: 32% of respondents (the highest of any region) say they do not feel secure in their current role, and 48% believe it would be difficult to secure another role in the current job market.

Impact of AI

AI adoption is steadily expanding in finance functions across Africa, and it is clear that this is adding to the sense of insecurity. Exactly half of respondents say they are concerned about the impact of AI on their role, up from 41% in 2025.

Overall, respondents are confident they have the ability to adapt their skills to this new world, but there are clear signs they don’t necessarily expect their own organisation to support them as they upskill. Only a third of respondents in Africa, compared with 43% globally, say their employer is providing opportunities for them to learn AI-related skills – although this proportion has increased from 27% in 2025, which is some cause for celebration.

Pay concerns

The rising cost of living has been the most frequently cited concern for respondents for the past three years, both globally and in Africa. The report notes that official inflation rates have declined year on year in most African countries but, even so, ‘employees’ perception of the impact on their wages remains significantly higher than the official figures’. This highlights a clear gap between statistical data and lived experience, it adds.

A further challenge for employers in Africa is that this year, only 22% of respondents say they are satisfied with their current salary – the lowest proportion of any region and well below the global average of 36%.

Over 70% of respondents are dissatisfied with their current salary, but only 59% plan to ask their employer for a pay rise. Just over half of respondents in Africa expect to receive a salary increase of more than 10% next year.

The report warns employers that these worries over the cost of living and dissatisfaction with salary could translate into a talent crisis. The survey found that 79% of employee respondents in Africa would like to leave their current role within the next two years. The reluctance to ask for a pay increase should be taken into account when employers develop their short to medium-term talent retention and motivation strategies, the report advises.

‘Employers should align retention strategies with market realities,’ it adds, ‘benchmarking compensation, and leveraging non-financial benefits to effectively motivate and retain talent.’