Skilling of youths tipped to cut Kenya’s high unemployment
From left: Manoj Shah (chairman and founder Osho Chemical Industry Ltd, Dr Nahashon Moitaleel (secretary, National Productivity and Competitiveness Centre), Theresa Wasike, Ag. Director General NITA and Nisheel Shah (CEO Osho Chemical Ltd).
What you need to know:
- By end December 2022, Kenya had a labour force of 19.39 million.
- During that period, unemployment stood at 2.97 million.
Continuous training of Kenya’s youths to equip them with necessary skills for the job market has been tipped as one of the main solutions to the country’s endemic unemployment crisis.
This emerged at the graduation of apprentices and indentured learners from a training conducted by agrochemicals manufacturer Osho Chemical Industry Limited and the State-owned National Industrial Training Authority (Nita).
Under the programme, Osho trained 66 machine operators in February 2022, followed by the training of 14 professionals in September 2022 for a period of 12 months to equip them with practical skills in various functions.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony held at Osho Chemical Industries Ltd offices, Osho Chemicals founder Manoj K. Shah encouraged the learners to be bold, innovative and to use their newfound expertise to drive change and seek opportunities to mentor and support others.
Economic development
On his part, Nita chairman Aden Noor Ali celebrated the successful partnership with Osho Chemical Industries Ltd.
He noted the milestones achieved in Kenya’s industrial training, which has evolved and provides skilled labour across all economic sectors, addressing Kenya’s skills shortage, while promoting economic development and creating pathways for employment and career advancement.
Nearly three million Kenyans are jobless with thousands of graduates joining the job market every year.
This has made the search for employment an increasingly arduous undertaking in an economy that is struggling with slow growth.
unemployment rate
Labour statistics released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in April last year paint the picture of an economy plagued by an unemployment rate that is growing at twice the growth rate of the labour force.
By end December 2022, Kenya had a labour force of 19.39 million, underlining a growth of 1.5 per cent from the previous year.
During that period, unemployment stood at 2.97 million, a 3 per cent increase from the previous year.
More than half of the jobless Kenyans – equivalent to 1.54 million people – were between 20 and 29 years, underlining the growing crisis of youth unemployment.
