Jobless? This could be your year as firms set for new hirings

A man protects his bag while taking a nap at Uhuru Park. [File, Standard]

The number of unemployed Kenyans is set to decrease significantly this year if the findings of a new study are anything to go by. 

According to the research by shortlist, a talent matching and employability platform, 92 per cent of employers in the country are looking to add to their employees’ headcount this year.

This is, however, a slight drop from last year when 96 per cent of firms polled had indicated they would be raising their workforce. According to the 2019 census results, the economically active population stood at 22.3 million, comprising the working (19.7 million) and those seeking work (2.6 million).

About 29.9 million Kenyans are dependants, and this figure could get slashed significantly.

The study found that the biggest problem organisations face is identifying quality talent.

The companies also have to overcome the rigours of attracting such talent.

“The battlefield for talent is not just with large corporates any more; candidates have moved from looking at just the brand to considering factors such as company values, cultures and opportunities for impact,” said the study report.

“This calls for all companies to develop and maintain winning corporate culture and come up with robust employer branding strategies to help candidates understand how they might fit into the company’s community and future.”  

According to the study, companies also struggle to hire a diverse workforce. Fifty-one per cent of respondents complained about diversity and inclusion being a complex riddle to solve, up from 23 per cent in 2019.

A majority of the employers polled (41 per cent) were keen to learn how to handle the challenge of ensuring workplace diversity and inclusion, as compared to 23 per cent in 2019.