Report: Kenya tops in youth joblessness

NAIROBI: Kenya is among countries with the highest youth unemployment in the world, according to a World Bank report.

The report, ‘Kenya Youth Unemployment: Problems and Solutions’ says the unemployment rate among young people aged between 15 and 24 stands at 17 per cent.

In Senegal, it stands at 14 per cent, Ghana 11 per cent while in Pakistan and India the rate is at 10 per cent. Cambodia has the lowest rate at three per cent after Burkina Faso, Vietnam, Uganda and Tanzania, which have an average of six per cent.

“About 800,000 youths enter the labour market (in Kenya) every year, but the market offers only 625,000 new jobs,” he added.

“With slow job creation, Kenya still has the slowest rates of job creation globally. A balanced approach of demand and supply interventions is needed going forward,” said World Bank Senior Social Protection Specialist Cornelia Tesliuc.

This means that about 175,000 graduates are not able to secure any type of jobs annually.

The report adds that Kenya is wanting in terms of equipping human resource. “Failures in education and training systems can lead to youth not having the right skills for the job. In Kenya, most youths in the Kenya Youth Empowerment Projects see lack of skills as the main reason why they don’t have a job.”

The report cites service and manufacturing as the major sectors with operational constraints over unskilled youth.