Let’s all face it; cheap labor is scattered all over Pakistan but we usually struggle to find someone who is reliable and trustworthy with the work they do. Be it an electrician or a maid, the key factors one considers when pondering the issue of employing someone for work are competence, security and trust. Imagine going out there to actually look for someone who fulfills those criteria.
It makes one wish there was a centralized and systematic way to go about the process to locate the right people for the right job. It is about time we stopped relying on personal recommendations and word of mouth when it comes to this. Fori Mazdoori (Instant Labor) is a startup that is here to change that trend.
FM is a labor welfare system which operates with the idea of changing the way especially unskilled labor find jobs all across South Asia. By creating a social network for labor, it aims to connect labor with the potential employer. Rather than dilly dallying and squandering money in the process of finding the right labor worker, you can use FM to directly connect to your next driver, maid or mason.
FM simply requires the use of a smartphone. The FM smartphone apps allow users to search as well as add labor in a database maintained by the FM system. The app contains profiles of labor workers containing sufficient detail about their names, skills and experiences. Say, for instance, you need to hire an electrician to fix wiring at your house. Access the app, choose city, category (electrician) and the app will pop up a list of available electricians near you.
In the absence of a centralized system like this, the first logical step when embarking on a journey to find someone who is competitive is to ask around. The app addresses that with the allowance for peer-rating whereby labor workers are rated on a 5-star scale depending on the performance of their duty. A 10-second video pitch on each worker’s profile, detailing their name, skill/s and experience, can also assist employers in making the right choice.
FM basically features a couple of apps, one with the focus on searching for labor and the other to allow registration of labor on the FM system. Fori Mazdoori App is the main app for potential employers to look up labor workers whose skillset matches their requirements. Fori Mazdoori Registrar is an offline app meant for registrars to sign up workers in the FM system. The main focus remains on the apps but there is also a website which is still in beta.
It’s understandable that a good part of the labor force would be in-adept at technology; they don’t require a smartphone. Those who are technology-literate can have themselves registered online or contact FM via text message or call. FM has NADRA on-board in order to extract the necessary details such as name, address and photo of the interested labor worker once they are contacted. Subsequently, these details are added to the FM system.
On the contrary, labor in-adept at technology are the responsibility of the community. Hundreds of volunteers across Pakistan approach labor across the country and have them added to the system. These labor drives involve young volunteers who personally meet labor across the country and record a 10-second video containing the usual details. As usual, these are added to the FM system for interested employers to access.
FM is always on the lookout for more volunteers. If you wish to join and lend a helping hand, you may reach them on their Facebook pages here and here or on Twitter here and here. Once you fill out the standard volunteer form, FM will sign you up as part of the volunteer community. The team has previously partnered with independent youth as well as students from various universities such as NUST and Punjab University.
FM was selected among the top 15 startups of Europe and Asia at an event called Startup Istanbul. Locally, it has been the runner up in National Innovation Grants Challenge which was initiated by Pakistan Unnivation Fund and backed by Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund with the focus on poverty alleviation.
Fori Mazdoori is the brainchild of Dr. Musstanser Tinauli who holds a PhD in Design from Politecnicodi Milano. He has also led a high profile project ‘Trash Track’ at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the past. In addition, Dr. Tinauli has lived and worked in China, Italy Malaysia, Norway and the USA.
Download Fori Mazdoori apps for iOS here and here.
Download Fori Mazdoori apps for Android here.
