Kenya records high numbers in Africa’s youth unemployment survey
Kenya has been recognised as a high-performing country in Africa with high percentages of literacy and employment among the youth.
The country’s percentage of youth Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) is estimated at 15 percent, one of the lowest on the continent.
According to the latest Africa Youth Employment Clock by World Data Lab and Mastercard Foundation, 60 percent of Kenya’s youth population is employed, comparatively higher than the African average of 52 percent recorded in most countries in Africa.
About 19 percent of NEET female youth are employed compared to 11 percent of males. Similarly, 85 percent of women are more educated than men with the numbers standing at 78 percent.
"Kenya’s youth labour market is characterised by high youth employment in the services sector, low shares of NEET, and high education attainment relative to African averages,'' says the reported mapping 52 countries in the continent,” The Star quoted the report.
The Star further noted that 89 percent, or 10.37 million out of 11.63 million young working-class Kenyans work in the informal sector, with 52 percent working in services, and 89 percent of jobs created for youth between 2020 and 2023 in the services.
Kenya’s youth population is 19.5 million and is expected to grow by 16 percent to 22.7 million by 2030
