ZoEasy Solutions: Education & Employment

Spandana founded ZoEasy to help educate/match blue-collar job seekers with validated employers in a more ethical/transparent manner. She is a First Class Honours Business Management Graduate (Aberystwyth University) and Stanford University’s EPGY Alumna. She is featured by WEF and Financial Times for the work she's doing and has received several accolades, including Forbes 50 Startups, Ahlan 2019's Most Influential, Duke of Edinburgh and World Challenge; she visited Tanzania to assist in school building/teaching. She's a Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Enterprise for Peace Scholar and Ambassador/Delegate Speaker (Education) at One Young World. She also spoke about 4IR at the World Forum for FDI and was one of 50 young leaders chosen to contribute to the ILO’s Global Youth Employment Agenda. She is now Vice Curator (Global Shapers Dubai) at WEF, Lead 2030’s UN SDG 4 Challenge Winner, funded by Credit Suisse and Global Innovator/Winner of Expo 2020’s Innovation Impact Program.

Most blue collar workers go overseas in search of economic empowerment, and are a crucial part of the economy. In the UAE alone, this community forms 43% (4 million) of the overall population. However, recruitment in this sector is archaic/cumbersome as it relies on low qualified middle-men who prey on the financial desperation of workers. This community mainly comprises of youth, where many young people lack basic education, guidance and skills to pursue overseas careers they aspire to, making them susceptible to fraud/exploitation. Also, there is often a disparity between skills/expectations of job seekers and employers, leading to conflict, low productivity and high costs/attrition.

ZoEasy aims to impact this segment by educating/matching migrant workers with ethical employment opportunities to attain economic empowerment. We focus on sustainable job creation at fair wages based on skills and reduce inequalities via technology (to eliminate middle-men), modern hiring practices and Government/Skill Development Partnerships. 

There are 4 Million Blue Collar Workers in the UAE, 26 Million in the GCC and 2 Billion worldwide (i.e. 25% of the world population). This community can contribute USD 7.5 Trillion to the world's GDP; 3 times that of the white-collar segment. However, “talent platforms” are mainly white-collar focused, with not much catering to the blue-collar community; the pillars of any economy. Exploitation has been prevalent in this sector for decades as the industry is dependent on an offline network of unreliable middle-men who make the hiring process tedious for both job seekers and employers.

Job seekers and Employers have to cross 6 layers of agents/brokers/middle-men before a placement is done. This lack of direct communication causes serious gaps in accuracy and transparency. Furthermore, middle-men have strong leverage over placement pricing, and though governments are trying to regulate this, the effort can prove to be counterproductive as majority of these costs are borne by migrant workers (up to USD 3000) and employers; with the former having to take loans and give up their assets. Hence, it is imperative that we start at a grassroots level and systematically facilitate positive change that will last for generations to come!  

Each blue-collar job seeker is unique, with different skills/experiences to offer. We need to move away from the traditional “one-size-fits-all” model and place job seekers based on potential/experience. ZoEasy educates and matches blue-collar job seekers to the right employment opportunities using ethical/transparent hiring; with a focus on reducing age/gender bias. We understand job seeker requirements, assess their skills/psychometrics, enhance skills via training, and place them with best-fit validated employers. We also educate them on the pros/cons of migration, working conditions and cultural similarities/differences, to increase transparency and facilitate informed decisions. We are now leveraging partnerships (State Governments, One Young World, Credit Suisse, Expo 2020 Dubai, WEF Global Shapers, ILO etc.) to enable international level training programs for youth and drive economic empowerment.

Key Platform Features for efficient/transparent hiring:

• Pre-recorded Video CV/Interviews and Live Interviewing – combined with AI recruitment/selection tools (behavioural analysis)
• Transparent Job Descriptions & Role Outlines along with ratings of background checked employers - info on organisation culture / basic expectations provided 
• Question Bank with job specific questions in multiple formats (eg. Text, multi-choice, Video etc.): Applicant Tracking/Shortlisting based on this
• Online Training for job seekers (soft skills/subject specific)

- Women and Youth from unprivileged backgrounds looking to gain access to employment opportunities, skill building and attain economic empowerment 

- Unskilled/Semi-Skilled/Skilled Blue Collar Workers from regions like Africa, South-East Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent

- Ethical Employers who are in need of alternative hiring methods and looking for a productive workforce as opposed to 

Job Seekers: exposed to fraud and exploitation by middle-men who encourage them to emigrate on work visas that are unrelated to the jobs they actually wish to pursue or on tourist visas which results in them becoming undocumented economic migrants. ZoEasy eliminates this network and matches job seekers directly through its platform based on skills/experience via features like Video CV/Interviews. It also provides online/offline training to help enhance skills and integrate better into society when moving abroad. 

Employers: due to a lack of alternatives, rely on middle-men for recruitment. Pay high placement fees but don't have full control over hiring, hence, job seekers may not actually be the right fit for the positions they're hired for. Through strong identification/filtration methods and implementation of features like Video / Live-Interview, ZoEasy helps reduce recruitment time/costs, provides an all-round perspective for employers and enables greater work performance/productivity.

ZoEasy facilitates education, employment and economic empowerment of migrant blue-collar workers from all backgrounds. This creates workforce diversity which boosts skill/knowledge transfer, remittances and sustainable impact at macro/socio-economic levels via greater learning/development, exposure, productivity and standardization. 

The transparency of the solution improves the labour supply chain, reduces inequalities and increases employability via Training Programs through Source Governments and Multilateral Organizations (ILO). Having partnered with a prominent Indian State Government and Employers in the UAE, ZoEasy is now amplifying impact via technology, partnerships with similar startups, Corporate CSR Programs, Multilateral organizations and NGOs (Bring Hope - train/employ refugees in conflict zones).

Four years ago, I was fresh out of University, ready to take on the Corporate world. I had this plan of working as a Consultant at a “Big 4”, followed by a MBA and then starting a social enterprise. Yet, there was this "itch" that kept reminding me of an idea I had always wished to pursue. 

I love interacting with people from different walks of life. However, I noticed a disparity in the way the migrant blue-collar segment was treated. I've met teachers from Nigeria working as toilet cleaners in malls, I've met Software Engineers from the Caribbean working as waiters to make ends meet. Many workers attribute this to the layers of middle-men they go through in finding employment abroad. Middle-men influence the hiring process, and due to a lack of guidance/alternatives, many job seekers take loans and give up their passports to take up employment which they're overqualified for, which is underpaid and sometimes unsafe. 

Hence, I was determined to build a system that is more transparent, ethical and fair to job seekers/employers. Via technology and modern hiring, we can solve big human issues, create real socio-economic impact and ensure greater productivity in this segment.  

My passion lies in the drive to bring light to a community which has been overlooked for decades. Our society can’t stand on its own without the migrant blue collar workforce, yet they are treated like a commodity because of middle-men who influence the hiring process. This issue deeply affects me, as many young people in this community have become victims of fraud and exploitation for decades simply because they are sold a dream that is far from reality; they lack the basic guidance/skills to pursue careers they aspire to.

To address this, I wanted to come up with a solution to educate these job seekers directly at the source and help them make informed decisions to avoid exploitative situations. Education shouldn’t end at school; workers need to be taught life skills to navigate and advance their careers. Hence, I founded ZoEasy with the vision of achieving greater transparency/diversity, economic empowerment and reduced inequalities in this community by leveraging the power of technology, advanced hiring practices and the right Government / Skill Development Partnerships

Being a people person, I have always wanted to do something that connected me to individuals from different walks of life. Originally coming from an Indian State with a large outflow of migrant blue collar workers, and having been brought up / lived in the UAE for18+ years, I am well versed with the challenges of this sector. As I came into this with a fresh mind straight out of University, a majority of my time over these 4 years has been spent in doing research, understanding the market and addressing challenges that come our way (i.e. I know the ins and outs of this industry).

ZoEasy has grown year on year, with my strengths particularly shining in the following areas:

-       Identifying opportunities and establishing partnerships/networks that have resulted in technology advancement, Funding/Capital Raise, our message reaching a global audience, and scaling our work/impact. 

- Some examples include ties with: One Young World, Credit Suisse (via Lead 2030’s SDG Challenge for Goal 4), Expo 2020, WEF Global Shapers, Accenture ME & Education for Employment, Area 2071 (Dubai Government Innovation Program), ILO’s Global Youth Employment Agenda, Govt. of New South Wales etc.

This has also added a lot of credibility to the company, which makes it easier to on-board Job Seekers and Ethical Employers.

ZoEasy Founder Profile

ZoEasy Founder's LInkedIn Profile

ZoEasy Company Profile

ZoEasy: Features & Accolades

There was one specific year, during the early stages, that didn't go as planned. I went through a health issue, which created a dent in my work performance (doctor's orders to cut down). Moreover, it was a year where we heard the word "No" a lot, be it trying to get job seekers/employers on board, raising investment or facilitating partnerships. 

Job Seekers were especially difficult to onboard as this system was unheard of, nor had we established ourselves or gained credibility. Hence, the idea of us charging the employer and not the job seeker seemed "too good to be true" making it difficult for us to facilitate placements. 

However, I decided to plough through and managed to do our first placement, a job seeker who approached us for employment as a female driver. Having reviewed her CV, and seeing she was also a skilled beautician, I managed to find her a job with a validated employer that required both skill sets leading to almost 100% boost in her salary. This gave me the validation that the model could work, which led to database generation, pilot placements and us get our first major recognition from Forbes (50 Startups to Watch).

- Due to COVID-19, areas like education and employment have taken massive hits. In times like these, saving a job is just as important as creating a new one. Increased efforts towards identifying/facilitating outsourced employment opportunities in industries that surged in demand. Creates a win-win for blue collar candidates who may have been sent off on unpaid leave and Employers benefit from flexibility/workforce diversity. 

- The Chief Minister of my State in India was visiting the UAE; rigorously followed up with his team to gain an audience. Invited him and presented ZoEasy's ethos, vision and how change needs to be driven at the Source. He acknowledged/immediately put me in touch with all the necessary departments to help job seekers in AP access ethical employment opportunities 

- One of our job seekers worked at a warehouse in Dubai but resigned after his co-worker made unfriendly remarks. In UAE, once an employment contract is cancelled, you have to find work or head home within 30 days. With little time, he reached out to find employment. Immediately assessed his skills/experience/strengths, and was able to match him to a leading employer in the Hospitality Sector, where he earns double his previous salary.

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ZoEasy's Theory of Change

• ZoEasy generated a candidate database of 65,000 and successfully placed 100 job seekers at better salaries/working conditions. We know they’re spreading the word, which will start a movement of awareness for workers’ rights and the possibility of a fairer system! The employers we work with are also highly encouraging as their workforce is more motivated/productive.
• Partnered with Education for Employment, major NGO in the region, via Accenture to deliver soft skills training through their platform. ZoEasy’s role is to bring new beneficiaries from the blue-collar community onto EFE’s platform. Results achieved so far: 
  • 141 training candidates successfully registered (and still counting) – our goal for this year was to train 200 people, on track for this target.
    • 10 Nationalities with 1 - 3 yrs of work experience on average
    • Gender Distribution: Male (48%) / Female (52%): Accenture & EFE wanted to focus on imparting training for the female population in this community 
    • Future Goals: People registered are goal oriented with some wanting to go into entrepreneurship while others wanting to move up the ladder in their fields
    • Top Courses/Skill Interest: Communication, Motivation & Work Goals, Creativity & Innovation, Customer Service, Self Confidence etc.
• Established 3 Training Partners and 1 Major Paying Client – created 15 jobs (outsourced employment) which will quickly scale
• Established 3 ethical recruitment partners to work with – 2 of these recruitment partners are also major Employers in the region and can become ZoEasy's clients.

5 Year Target: Train and find ethical employment 100,000 migrant blue collar workers 

ZoEasy is dedicated to benefiting developing countries and migrant workers worldwide. We are specifically working in India, and reaching out to other nations in the Indian-Sub Continent, North Africa and South-East Asia. The first State Government network has been established in AP, India, to work on blue collar trainings/placements. By being part of Area 2071 and Expo 2020's Innovation Impact Grant, we have been able to target the right employers in the UAE and are now seeking to broaden our reach to other geographies that are well structured and employ a large migrant blue collar workforce.

Our aim is to reach 100,000 successful trainings/placements in 5 years’ by continuing to reach out to more Source Governments and partners similar to One Young World/Global Shapers. This will allow us to reach deeper, including rural areas where large youth populations are unemployed and whose skills can be honed. This also opens up inter-state migration within large source countries where improved hiring practices can be applied. We are also making massive strides with technology which will advance the process and provide greater accuracy when matching job seekers/employers. We are also exploring skill development/training and are currently in discussions with organizations like ILO, and have established partnerships with Accenture/EFE to facilitate international level training for youth. We are also discussing potential synergies with Bring Hope (and similar) to help employ refugees in conflict zones by identifying and classifying them based on their skill / psychometric abilities. If implemented properly, this model can be replicated.

A) COVID-19 has affected mankind in unimaginable ways, with areas like education and employment taking massive hits. Some of our major industries like Hospitality, Aviation, Retail etc. have been put on hold, with many people being laid off or sent on unpaid leave, though employers in the UAE are still supporting through the provision of food and accommodation. This has also led to legislative / Regulatory changes in some areas. With full-time recruitment coming to a halt, saving a job has become just as important as creating a new one 

B) With the hiring system being the same for decades, it's been ingrained into both employers and job seekers that middle-men are the only method of hiring available. Hence, the time taken to educate and bring on job seekers and employers can prove to be tough is much longer, as technology is totally absent from the system. Moreover, finding the right ethical employers to work with can also be a challenge from time to time.

C) As a Startup, credibility can be low among job seekers and employers. Furthermore, team size can constantly fluctuate, and if a key person leaves, handover/finding the right person can be difficult. 

D) Imitators may enter the market as direct competitors and offer services at lower prices or large existing white collar platforms, such as Bayt (the region’s biggest job portal), may implement services for blue collar workers if the concept gains more momentum / prominence.

A) ZoEasy has increased its efforts towards identifying and facilitating outsourced / productivity based employment opportunities in industries that have seen a surge in demand (e.g. E-Commerce, Last Mile Delivery, Food, specialized cleaning etc.). This creates a win for blue collar candidates who may have otherwise been on unpaid leave due to a lack of work opportunities. Employers are also happy with this model as the workforce is more diverse and the service is flexible. I.e. sustainable revenue stream while creating an impact 

We have also launched CSR based training programs to help those who have lost their jobs diversify their skill sets and use the same to leverage other potential opportunities in the market. 

B) The provision of more efficient services and scalable business models can cater to large and small companies alike. Also, the introduction of technology will create transparency and smoothen the entire process for both job seekers/employers, thus, allowing us to create greater and more sustainable impact in the long run.  

C) We established a lot of strong partnerships and generated significant accolades over the last year, thus, addressing credibility. Team fluctuation is always a risk, but a clear handover process / back up CVs will smoothen the process 

D) The risk of direct competition is always there, however, recruitment in the blue-collar community is a different ball game, and the challenges it presents require a major learning curve which we have already had. Our first mover advantage will really keep us ahead here. 

• Credit Suisse as their Lead 2030 Winner for UN SDG 4: Mentorship, Funding and access to their Global Network 
• Expo Live (Expo 2020 Dubai) - Grant Winner and Global Innovator: Mentorship, Funding and access to their Global Network 
• One Young World - as an Ambassador, Delegate Speaker and one of their top initiatives contributing to the UN SDGs: largest youth community which facilitates important collaborations/opportunities 
• Global Shapers Community at the World Economic Forum – Vice Curator of the Dubai Hub
• Part of Area 2071, Dubai Government's Innovation Programme: excellent for facilitating partnerships in the local market (e.g. employers) 
• Social Innovation Warehouse (Eidos aka Y20) – Our project is uploaded to their platform and we're also receiving support in terms of e-learning material and opportunities (e.g. networking conferences, grants etc.)
• ILO - contributor to their Global Youth Employment Agenda and can result in a tie with ITC ILO for international level training for the blue-collar community
• Tie up with the Govt. of AP, India  – working on a Joint Action Plan to train and place more job seekers. This also gives access to the State’s Population, including those based in rural areas and looking for better opportunities 
• Training Partners: Accenture via Education for Employment and SmartLife Foundation (major NGO with connections to labour camps across the UAE). 
• Govt. of New South Wales, Australia: talks initiated post speaking at World Forum for FDI. Wish for ZoEasy to establish operation in NSW as they also have a large migrant/local blue collar workforce. 

ZoEasy is using a combination of online/offline tools to directly match blue collar job seekers with the right employment opportunities. We assist job seekers by understanding their requirements, minimum expectations and seeing where they fit best in the job market. We also help them make informed decisions via workshops on migration and cultural similarities / differences. For employers, we identify and filter job seekers based on key data points and organization culture. Job seekers are crowdsourced from skill development partners or identified from existing database.

Current Revenue streams:

• Employers pay per successful candidate placement; typically, one month’s salary, which is also as per market standards
• Source Country Governments, Skill Development Programs and CSR Programs of large corporates willing to work with us and subsidize training costs for job seekers.
• Connecting workforce to outsourced employment opportunities through existing/new networks on a monthly basis. This is helping create impact in the community, especially during COVID-19, where saving a job is just as important as creating a new one. 

Based on our pilot and work with current employers, it is clear that there is a need and demand from both employers and job seekers for skill development and transparent / ethical hiring processes. Hence, post product deliver at end of August, we can combine this with existing employers, partnerships, skill development programs and sourcing/placement techniques, to generate greater impact and sustain commercially as well. We also wish to diversify impact in this community through other services like financial literacy/inclusion, insurance, resources on healthcare (mental health being a big one that we wish to explore), telecom (e.g. incentivizing job seekers to improve their skills through e-learning / skill development material via airtime or data that will allow them to call home) etc. which will also generate further income streams.

o   Credit Bundles & Pay per Job Posting: Employers and recruiters can avail these at a much cheaper cost than market standard while gaining access to quality job seekers.

o   Customized Quote: for Employers who would like ZoEasy to handle end-to-end recruitment for their positions

o   White-labeling / Licensing Model with a Monthly / Yearly Fee: excludes basic set up charges

o   Work with established Online Learning Platforms like edX through their Affiliate Program (i.e. their content will be displayed on our platform, and if job seekers avail this certification, we get a small % of the revenue made).

o   Skill Development (Offline / Online): Revenue Share Models with Skill Development Partners when bringing on more employers/jobs seekers to work with.

Funding: 

- 2016: Raised USD 170,000 at seed level against equity from a Global VC Firm and a private individual investor from the United States

- 2019: Raised USD 100,000 in grant funding from Expo 2020's Innovation Impact Grant Programme (Expo Live) in Dubai 

- 2019: Raised USD 50,000 in grant funding from Lead 2030's United Nations SDG Challenge for Goal 4, funded by Credit Suisse. Lead 2030 is an initiative by One Young World, introduced by the UN Secretary General's Envoy on Youth.  

Revenue: 

- Conducted 100 pilot placements to prove the business model, out of which 26 were paid engagements / full-time recruitments: USD 7,065 (approximately)

- Established 1 year contract (in May, 2020) with an E-Commerce Food Delivery Company for outsourced / full-time recruitment: USD 125,000 (approximately)