Kenya’s economic growth has risen slower than expected due to a number of factors. Corruption has been in the forefront in denying Kenyans their much desired economic freedom and much is being done to eradicate the vice. However, little is being done to deal with the high rates of unemployment in the country and the policies, if any, have often failed to achieve the desired results. So worse is the situation that many Kenyans are preferring to seek jobs abroad with the Middle East being the most common destination and analysts are afraid of brain drain if something is not done. Here are ten facts about youth unemployment in Kenya;
1. More than 500,000 young graduates join the job market each year, but only about 50,000 succeed in securing formal employment.
2. The government provides tax breaks to employers that offer 6 to 12 months internships to university graduates. This is aimed at equipping young people with the required job experience.
3. The youth make up more than 35% of the Kenyan population yet are the majority of the unemployed workforce in the country. According to a UNDP report in January 2013, about 80% of the unemployed are people between the ages of 15 to 34.
4. Unemployment has been blamed in the rise in insecurity in the country with most youth resorting to crimes and radical militant groups in order to make a living.
5. Learning institutions have been blamed for offering courses that are not tailored to the job market needs. This mismatch of skills is to be blamed for graduates failing to adapt to their jobs.
6. Programs meant to tackle rising unemployment rates among the youth, such as Kazi Kwa Vijana and Youth Enterprise and Development Fund among others, have often failed due to gross mismanagement, political interference and leadership wrangles.
7. While the government is doing much to alleviate the crisis by creating jobs, most of the jobs created are often in the informal sector.
8. The Kenya Youth Empowerment Project (KYEP) is a partnership between the government of Kenya and the private sector aimed at addressing youth unemployment by providing training and mentorship programmes tailored to market needs.
9. The government increased the proportion of government tenders reserved for the youth, women and PPersons With Disabilities from 10% to 30% in order to spur economic empowerment in the country.
10. Apart from unemployment, underemployment is also a headache to the country as most people are over skilled for the jobs they are engaged in. This leads to boredom at work hence unproductivity which slows down the country’s economic growth.
By Eric Winston
