A survey by the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) in partnership with the Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI), and Nexford University, have revealed the careers and skills with the highest demand in the Kenyan job market.
In a report dated Tuesday, November 21, the organizations focused on the changing demands for skills in Kenya’s workforce.
Further, the survey was designed to capture the changing demands for skills, specifically targeted FKE members across diverse sectors, with a robust participation of 521 enterprises.
Information Technology (IT) was among the careers with the highest demand at 28.4% followed by Finance and Business Management with 27.4%.
Third on the list is Engineering with a demand 19.2% then Transportation, Distribution & Logistics follow closely with 18.6%.
Additionally, Legal profession was ranked fifth with 18.2%.
“This report sheds light on the critical intersection of education and industry needs. As we navigate the evolving demands of the workforce, it is imperative for educational institutions, businesses, and policymakers to collaborate in shaping an agile and skilled workforce that can drive innovation and sustainable economic growth,” said Dr Laila Macharia, the CEO and co-founder of ADMI.
Besides, TVET skills were in demand in transport, distribution & logistics (26.5%), social service and community development (13.2%), and hospitality and tourism (11.1%).
Undergraduate degree qualifications were mostly sought in information technology (50.5%), finance business management (48.4%), and legal professions (36.5%).
University VS TVET Careers
Besides, the predominant educational qualifications sought by these enterprises were undergraduate (Bachelor’s) degrees (43.8%) followed by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) (34.9%).
Further, the top TVET skills on demand were in transport and logistics (21.3%), electrical (21.1%), and building and construction (18.2%).
Within the engineering sector, computer, and software engineering led the list with 30.7%.
This was followed by electrical and electronics engineering with 27.4% and mechanical and production engineering 25%.
“With technological changes, labor market dynamics are evolving faster than ever and the mismatch between workers’ skills and those required by available jobs has become a top priority policy concern.
As such, many employers report difficulties finding suitably skilled workers, even though the unemployment rate is high,” said FKE CEO, Jacqueline Mugo.
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Social Skills
Among the crucial social skills identified by the report are effective communication (49.1%), critical thinking (41.7%), teamwork (25.7%), and time management (23.4%).
Furthermore, the survey highlighted that 20% of enterprises faced hard-to-fill vacancies, leading some to employ applicants with qualifications below their initial requirements (9.6%).
Industries like manufacturing reported the highest difficulty in filling positions.
“The report clearly shows that employers need to do more to upskill their own team members and to partner with educators to bridge the gap between educators and employers.
Equally, the report shows that while jobs may be limited compared to the size of Kenya’s talent pool employers are still struggling to find qualified talent and that struggle will only increase as technology continues to disrupt industries,” Fadl Al Tarzi, CEO of Nexford University.
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Other Careers Revelations
Also, reasons for non-employment or staff retention challenges captured included a lack of qualified candidates in the local region (29%) and high salary expectations from candidates (26%).
Consequences of skills deficits included inhibiting business expansion (25%), loss of revenue (24%), and a decline in customers or market share (21%).
Again 48% of the enterprises addressed the skills gap by training existing employees while 27% hired new staff from the Kenyan job market.
Additionally, the education level demanded by enterprises varied across career fields, with secondary education mainly sought in public safety, corrections & and security (4.8%) and arts and recreational services (3.1%).
The survey also shows that 39.3% of enterprises had plans to make their products/services more climate/environmentally friendly.
Further, concrete changes were implemented due to standards/requirements or expectations related to a green shift (26.1%), and 25.7% anticipated an increase in enterprise services/products as a consequence of the green shift.
Finally, some of the things identified as essential for the green shift were leadership competence (34.2%) and skilled worker competence (33.4%).
