This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
Employers in Kenya Identify Key Skills for Job Seekers ¶
As unemployment soars in Kenya, employers have become increasingly selective in their hiring criteria, with a recent survey report highlighting nine priority skills that job seekers should focus on to become more attractive in the job market.
According to the Centre for Peace and Spirituality's report, State of Graduate Employability in Kenya, released in May 2020, employers prefer soft skills to technical ones, with basic skills, team work, and work-life attitude being the top three most important skills.
Published on July 13, 2020, the report found that 78.3% of employers considered basic skills, such as numeracy, writing, reading, and ICT skills, to be very important. This was followed by team work (65.2%), work-life attitude (65.1%), and communication skills (60.9%).
Other key skills identified by employers include planning and organizational skills (54.3%), decision-making skills (45.7%), adapt to change (39.1%), sector-specific skills (34.8%), and analytical & problem-solving skills (28.3%).
"Universities should encourage students to take advantage of open and free online learning platforms, exchange programs and strategic partnerships that seek to improve their communication skills, in addition to other sector-specific skills, team working capabilities and problem-solving skills which are deemed important for graduates when seeking job opportunities," the report recommends.
