Economy, not inexperience at heart of Kenya's jobs crisis

Work experience are not the primary reasons young people struggle to find jobs.[iStockphoto]

It is conventional wisdom that a lack of work experience is the main reason the youth can’t get jobs. And we have quietly believed that. The belief has led to an explosion of internships, both as part of the curriculum and after graduation.

Even the government supports the position, with several ministries and agencies offering paid internships. Let’s debunk this myth.

One, what percentage of those who go through an internship or some form of work experience actually get a job?

That would be good evidence that work experience is the key hindrance to reducing joblessness.

My guess is a low percentage. If experience is a hindrance to getting a job, why do some youngsters go through multiple internships without a job?

Two, when we graduated in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, we got jobs straight off campus. We did not have any work experience, nor did we go through internships.

Back then, many people often got multiple offers. One Kenyan in his 70s told me that he received three job offers on the same day after graduating in the 1970s. I got my first job offer in Form Two. That is not fake news!

Three, for Kenyans who go abroad, or majuu, they get jobs after getting the necessary skills and qualifications. No internships. More curious is that jobs have become easier because of technology; think of an accountant, banker, or even farmer 30 years ago.

Clearly, we need less work experience to get jobs, more so when jobs are digital, and our youth are digital natives.

They found the Internet and mobile phones when they were born. Truth be told, for some jobs, like in computer science, work experience is a problem!

What is the missing link in joblessness? It’s simply slow economic growth and faster population growth.

If the economy grew fast enough, we would create enough jobs for everyone, the experienced and inexperienced.

That was what was envisaged in Vision 2030, with economic growth at a rate of 10 per cent or more per annum.

We have not reached half of that! And historical growth shows ups and downs, not steady growth.

The other evidence that the economic growth rate is wanting, in addition to joblessness, is the rate of job changes.

We change jobs when the economy is booming, and there are choices.

We are seeing job losses as technology takes over and firms try to reduce costs.

HR is the most dispensable resource in cost reduction.

Technology reduces the demand for more employees. Think of jobs shed by sectors like banking because of the use of technology. We fear more jobs will be lost as AI becomes commonplace. No wonder there is a backlash against AI.

On population, growth has slowed, as literacy has gone up, and family planning has become more available.

The birth rate is still high by global standards. That has created a steady supply of job seekers. The opening up of more institutions, including universities, has reinforced the supply of job seekers and raised their expectations.

Why else are foreigners easily finding jobs in Kenya, from farmhands to car washers, kinyozis, and house girls?

Add the fact that most of these graduates’ skills are not market-driven; they are in the social sciences. It’s not hard to explain why. I got a job offer while still in high school because I had the technical skills demanded by the market.

Think of it: why do we seek jobs in Europe or the US? Their population growth is slow, which creates demand for workers. Take a walk in any European city and look hard for baby prams. Some European countries even talk of a demographic winter with a bulging, ageing population.

The myth that joblessness is driven by inexperience is just a myth.

The reason is simple and realistic; there are only a few jobs for the men and women leaving our schools.

We have two choices to improve the situation: grow the economy or reduce the population. The latter is long-term and emotional.

Economic turnaround

The easier option is to grow the economy. Make citizens optimistic. That is not what I am sensing on the ground.

Shifting blame to past regimes and blaming other tribes is not how optimism and jobs are created.

Optimistic people invest and consume, creating jobs. The late former President Mwai Kibaki’s economic turnaround was not magical; he just made us feel good and optimistic.

Improve the infrastructure to make it easier to carry out economic activities: roads, ports, a good education, railways, power, water, security, and other public goods. Give incentives to those who go beyond the call of duty, hard workers, and innovators. That includes reasonable taxes and levies.

We should not kill the goose that lays the golden egg. We should outgrow petty jealousy for the economically successful.

We hate affluent people but want to be rich ourselves. Seek markets beyond our borders with quality goods and services.

Japan and South Korea are small, but they have global markets for their quality goods. Finally, confront corruption, the bump on the economic growth path.

We can’t grow our economy when doing nothing is more profitable than being productive.