Irony of employment authority with inadequate employees

Chairperson of National Employment Authority board Ms Winnie Pertet during a past event. [File, Standard]

Inadequate human resource and funding are among key challenges facing the National Employment Authority (NEA) to effectively deliver on its mandate.

The delay in categorization and classification of NEA has affected finalization of the operationalization tools and recruitment of necessary staff.

This was disclosed by the Chairperson of NEA board Ms Winnie Pertet during a workshop for the staff of the Authority at a hotel in Mombasa over the weekend.

The Authority was established in April 2016 by an act of Parliament to replace the National Employment Bureau (NEB).

Among the key mandate of the NEA is to advise on formulation of employment policies and strategies for national and county governments.

It is also mandated to offer advise both national and county governments on any policy matter concerning employment and develop methodologies for employment measurement, management and promotion.

Ms Pertet said the Authority has proposed intensive capacity building in order to address the challenges facing the country in dealing with unemployment.

‘'The Authority needs a paradigm shift towards enhancement of employment intervention and increase access to employment by the youth,’' she added.

In a speech read on her behalf by NEA board member Jefferson Kariuki, the chairperson said there is a need for broad consensus and participation by all stakeholders for the Authority to realize its objectives.

She mentioned formulation framework for employment creation analysis to monitor employment creation as some of the achievements made by the Authority.

Other achievements are draft national internship policy and internship guidelines, curriculum to guide in training domestic workers and streamlining of registration and vetting private employment agencies.