According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Kenya's employment levels rebounded in 2021, increasing by 921,600 as the economy recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Published in the Economic Survey 2022 on May 6, 2022, the report revealed that employment levels outside small-scale agriculture and pastoralist activities stood at 18.3 million people, up from 17.4 million in 2020.
Private Sector Leads Employment Growth ¶
The private sector recorded a growth of 6.8 per cent in employment levels, compared to a decline of 10 per cent in 2020. The sector employed 1.9 million Kenyans, up from 1.8 million in 2020, although this is still lower than the 2.1 million employed in 2019.
The share of private-sector employment was 68.3 per cent in 2021, higher than the previous year's 67.8 per cent.
Key Sectors Drive Employment Growth ¶
The accommodation and food services activities recorded the largest increase in jobs, with a 23.9 per cent growth to 61,700 from 49,800 jobs in 2020. This was largely due to the reopening of hotels, bars, and restaurants following the end of Covid-19 led closures in 2020.
Other sectors to record a higher employment count in the private sector include administrative and support service activities, education, and ICT.
Wage Employment and Public Sector Growth ¶
Wage employment in the modern sector also recorded a growth of six per cent to 2.9 million in 2021, compared to 2.7 million in the prior year. This was attributed to a partial resumption of international travel and a broad-based recovery in the manufacturing sector.
Employment levels in the public sector increased by 4.3 per cent to 923,200 from 884,600, mainly due to recruitment in the civil service for essential services.
The informal sector, which employs the majority of Kenyans, employed 753,800 more people during the year.
