Global Jobs: Facilitating International Remote Work in Sub-Saharan Africa

We aim to conduct an expanded pilot of the comprehensively revised Global Jobs program. The full program, designed in collaboration with Upwork, involves several components. The program starts with one week of online training on using Upwork, in synchronous and asynchronous sessions, using materials from Upwork Academy as well as bespoke Global Jobs material. Participants are introduced to mentors, individuals from their similar backgrounds who have shown employment and earnings success on Upwork, and then meet with mentors in bi-weekly group advising sessions for the next two months. Mentors and participants are connected in WhatsApp groups, in which mentors provide regular motivating messages and which provide a forum for advising and support. Participants also have preferential access to Upwork group coaching sessions. Upwork also provides incentives in the form of Connects (the platform’s internal currency used in job applications) for participants who reach job search milestones. The expanded pilot will measure labor supply in remote (online) jobs, four to six months after the intervention.