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JobTwins: 1+1 is more than 2
The Viennese start-up JobTwins was founded by Katharina Miller in March 2020. Since spring 2021, Sigrid Uray-Esterer has joined the company as Katharina's partner and shareholder. Katharina and Sigrid want to take part-time work to a new level and show that a challenging career is also possible in less than full-time.
Sigrid Uray-Esterer is convinced by JobTwins: as co-founder, she is responsible for marketing and communication. She studied in the Export-oriented Management degree programme at IMC Krems and graduated back in 2003. For a few years she worked in the catering industry and then as a category manager in the consumer goods industry. In addition to JobTwins, she has other mainstays: she takes care of media cooperations and marketing at ÜBERALL scene development, and at the same time she continues her education in the areas of online marketing and social media. She also dedicates herself to her podcast "Teilzeitkarrieretalk" and her blog "Mamawahrheiten". A mother of two children herself, she understands the challenges this brings to the job market and describes herself as a "New Work" enthusiast.
Why do we need a platform like JobTwins?
The labour market is changing at an incredible pace: demographic change, shortage of skilled workers, flexible working hours and digital transformation are just a few buzzwords that are currently on everyone's mind. There is currently a shift from the employer market to the employee market. If you want to be successful as an employer in the future, you need to gear your organisation to the future today. In the DACH region, around 60% of all women work part-time. The number of people who no longer want to work full-time is growing throughout Europe and is influencing the labour markets. However, part-time work has long ceased to be an issue for mothers. Since the beginning of the pandemic, questions about a new weighting of all areas of life, including successful and fulfilling work, have increasingly become the focus of life planning.
What are the advantages of JobTwins?
In addition to the advantages for employees, the job sharing model also has business advantages: There are no head monopolies, the strengths and weaknesses of a person in an important job are diversified and thus ultimately more competence and more wo/manpower are created in a workplace. But the economic component should not go unmentioned either. Especially in times of crisis, job sharing creates more "grid stability", similar to many small power plants instead of one large power plant in energy production. Especially in the case of well-paid jobs, not only the sharing of responsibility and work, but also the sharing of pay is a factor that has a strong positive impact on the overall system and thus in turn creates an environment for employees and companies that is permanently suitable as a means of earning a living.
How does the platform work?
Two (or more) people share the responsibility for a full-time position. JobTwins works like a dating platform: the 3-step matching algorithm suggests matches (twins) to registered users. Together they can apply for any (full-time) job. In this case, 1+1 is much more than 2, as the complementary skills of two people contribute to one job. Companies, in turn, have access to a talent pool that is otherwise not available to them.
What successes has JobTwins had so far?
The aws (Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH) has recognised the potential of the start-up and is now funding the project with a medium 6-figure sum as part of aws Seedfinancing – Innovative Solutions. JobTwins qualified at the jury meeting with its innovative product and high social impact, especially in the areas of diversity, equality and inclusion. The grant will finance the expansion and further development of the platform.
Since March 2020, JobTwins has been continuously building its community and has long since moved beyond exclusively targeting women and mothers. The company is very popular with university graduates (Generation Z), as well as with the so-called baby boomers, who do not want to spend their last years of working life on the partial retirement siding: With job sharing, not only those returning from maternity leave can continue their careers: With this innovative working model, knowledge can be passed on within the company across generations. Job sharing is "New Work" in action and one of the most promising options for what the working world of tomorrow could look like.