Samuel Hall - Youth Employment in Kenya (original) (raw)
Related papers
Generational gap in terms of economic wealth and political leadership in Kenya and Africa in general cannot be overemphasized. The generational question has dominated the entire history of this continent where age is a deciding factor when considering or discussing leadership positions or economic wealth. Youth unemployment and underemployment, which is a growing concern in Kenya has contributed significantly to their marginalization and thus exacerbates this generational gap. The older generation's continued hold on political and economic power has left the youth disillusioned, highly dependent and inactive in the political and socioeconomic affairs of the country. Notably, these youth, who are in the prime of their life, comprise the largest proportion of the entire population. This is a clear indication that young people will live with the effects of unemployment and underemployment that will eventually affect generational posterity. Directly linked to this scenario is increased poverty and disempowerment among the youth population. This phenomenon works against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 1, 8 and 10 which takes into concern inclusivity, poverty reduction and equity. This paper will use secondary sources that will help understand the challenge of youth bulge and unemployment in Kenya. The paper will also suggest various approaches and strategies that will ensure empowerment among the young population.
The youth-adult unemployment on Kenya and its potent for political and socio-economic crisis
The Global Centre for Policy and Strategy, 2021
The current youth unemployment situation in Kenya is fast creeping into a major youth-adult unemployment crisis. The unemployed adults risk slipping into redundancy mode unless they retrain to acquire employable skills that will match the changing demands of the job market. This is likely to herald political crisis and economic tailback. Recommendations are offered on the need to harness dormant county resources for the creation of more job opportunities in agri-business; set up more county-based entrepreneurship innovation centres; and incorporate entrepreneurship and job creation as an examinable subject in the curriculum of basic, tertiary and University education.
GDN Working Paper Series Education, Training and Youth Unemployment in Kenya
2009
Young people in Kenya constitute 30% of total population while youth unemployment constitutes 78% of total unemployment. In nearly all developing countries the rate of urban unemployment in the 15-24 age group is at least double the rate of all other age groups. These high rates of urban unemployment in this age bracket are also seen in developed countries, although the rates are far lower than those of developing nations (Livingstone, I. and Ord, H.W., 1985). Literature also acknowledges that the unemployment rate understates the extent to which labour is ‘underutilized’ (Bosworth and Westaway (1987), Bregger and Haugen (1995), Mitchell and Carlson (2001). This is because unemployment rate does not capture the underutilization of labour that occurs when employed persons would like to work more hours at the prevailing wage rates than they actually work. The main objective of this study was to empirically analyse the factors explaining why some youths would be openly unemployment or ...
Kenya youth survey report executive summary
Executive Summary Kenya is a very youthful country. The median age is estimated at 19 years, and about 80 percent of Kenya's population is below 35 years. To a very large extent, Kenya's youth — defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 35 — will determine the shape of the country's future. With that in mind, the East African Institute of the Aga Khan University commissioned a survey to understand the values, attitudes, concerns and aspirations of this critical segment of the population. We interviewed 1,854 respondents ages 18-35 from across the country, including both urban and rural areas. The survey reveals a number of important and sometimes surprising insights, and offers reasons both for optimism, deep concern and the need for urgent action. The youth identify as Kenyans first, faith and tribe. They value family, faith and hard work. They give evidence of being entrepreneurial: the majority would like to start their own business, rather than pursue careers in law, teaching, medicine or engineering. Few (11%) want to become farmers, suggesting that the country's urbanization is likely to continue apace, intensifying demand and competition for off-farm employment. Moreover, Kenyan youth are largely positive and optimistic about the future and are confident that it will be more prosperous, offering more jobs and better access to health and education.
African Journal of Emerging Issues, 2021
Purpose of the Study: The study sought to investigate the perceptions of the youth on unemployment and its consequences in Kajiado East Sub County, Kenya. The research was guided by the following objectives: to investigate the social effects of unemployment on economic growth of youth among in Kajiado East Sub County; to investigate the effects of youth unemployment on security among in Kajiado East Sub County and to identify approaches that have been employed by the state and non-state actors to mitigate youth unemployment in Kajiado East Sub County. Two theories informed this study that is Keynesian theory of unemployment and Human Capital theory. The key arguments of these theories are that unemployment is a result of several interlocking factors originated from the policy level to education and training and to individual level. Statement of the Problem: Despite Kajiado East Sub County being an area that borders the capital city of Kenya; the unemployment rate in this Sub County is quite high as reflected by the KNBS (2019) statistics which put it at 13%. A good number of them are trained in the various occupations but they do not get the opportunity to engage in gainful employment. This imposes a lot of pressure as well as strain on the households that they come from. The end result is usually an increase in delinquent activities among them at the family level as well as violence. Methodology: Descriptive Research Design was used for this study in which both qualitative and quantitative approaches were applied. The target population included 5, 000 members of registered self-help youth groups. The sample was arrived at using Krejcie and Morgan's sampling formulae to arrive at 375 respondents.
2015
Youth bulges have become a global phenomenon and Kenya is no exception to this trend. In Kenya today, the youth bulge presents a number of challenges for both the youth and the country. In Kenya today, the youth would be considered the most abundant asset and with current trends, will continue to be key resource for some time into the future. Engaging the youth population fully in activity of mutual benefit can no longer be ignored in the country’s development agenda. The Government of Kenya in the year 2007 developed a plan emphasizing the importance of a coordinated and multi-sectorial approach to addressing the problem of youth unemployment. In April 2009, the Kazi Kwa Vijana (KKV) was launched with the intention to employ 200,000 - 300,000 Kenyans, primarily the youth in rural and urban areas. To further strengthen the KKV programme, the government launched the Kenya Youth Empowerment Project (KYEP) in July 2010. The Kenya Youth Empowerment Program (KYEP) first component objecti...
Kenya economic update : Kenya at work - energizing the economy and creating jobs
2012
THE STATE OF KENYA'S ECONOMY 1. Economic performance in 2012 1.1 An economy still standing 1.2 Monetary policy was tight in 2012 but it has started to ease 1.3 Kenya's fiscal position remains strong 1.4 The external account remains under pressure 2. 2013 and beyond 2.1 Growth Prospects 2.2 Risks to outlook 2.3 A policy agenda for the next government 2.4 Energizing the economy for job creation SPECIAL FOCUS: CREATING JOBS 3. The jobs landscape 3.1 Why jobs matter 3.2 The changing face of jobs 4. Challenges facing youth in the job market 5. How can Kenya spur job creation? 5.1 The supply side: does the workforce have the skills needed for good jobs? 5.2 The demand side: constraints to job creation by employers 5.3 Raising productivity of non-farm self-employment 5.4 Creating good jobs: The way forward ANNEXES