Jobs for Africa will be a specialist jobs carrier, exclusively focused on employment. The tabloid will be published on Fridays, with a print run of 20 000, and will comprise mainly small or classified jobs ads, accompanied by larger advertising. It will also carry at least two pages of career-focused editorial copy.
Jobs for Africa will offer employment opportunities ranging from artisans and clerks through to middle management.
The publication is owned and published by Circulation Innovations, a fully empowered company. The major shareholders are Gordon Smith, Nadira Pather and Raphael Mkhize.
Smith says research had shown there was an opportunity in the market for a new, widely and effectively distributed, affordable (to both advertisers and the public) jobs-focused publication, carrying job prospects in government, NGOs, state enterprises, municipal departments, corporates, small businesses and in domestic environments.
“Jobs for Africa is exclusively focused on jobs because unemployment is one of the most pressing social issues facing our country,” he adds
He says there is only one other specialist jobs publication in the country -- providing an opportunity for competition: “We have in place an extensive distribution network covering the entire KwaZulu-Natal, into the Eastern Cape. By distributing into rural areas which are too far off the beaten track for most publications, we will ensure that previously marginalised people will also be aware of job opportunities.”
Jobs for Africa will be available at cafes, garages, and supermarkets, as well as at spazas and street vendors in cities and townships.
“We do not intend to compete head-to-head with the mainstream press; rather, we offer a supplementary medium for top positions and a low-cost option for mid- to low-range jobs,” explains Smith.
“This means it is viable for companies to advertise all positions, including those for which, previously, it may have been difficult to justify the cost of advertising. This, of course, translates into increased efficiency and quicker fulfilment times for companies.”
Smith adds that Jobs for Africa would feature a clean, easy-to-read layout, with special offers to advertisers including free classified ads and highly competitive corporate packages. The emphasis would be on providing an effective and efficient service to both readers and advertisers. “For example, we'll be offering a no-hassle, no-invoice policy for smaller businesses and individuals who may advertise by simply picking up the telephone,” he says.
Co-director Raphael Mkhize adds: “I believe Jobs for Africa will soon be a key part of the lives of the people of KwaZulu-Natal, be they employers seeking the best people for the job, new entrants into the job market such as school-leavers and graduates, the unemployed or those simply wanting to improve their career prospects.”
