Jobs in Kenya are hard to come by these days. With the increasing number of graduates from Universities, colleges and even high schools, competition for the few jobs is cut throat. One will need to have exceptional skills to really secure that coveted job. (We are of course assuming that connections do not play a role in securing a job, which is a fallacy in itself.). Due to the dwindling job prospects of many Kenyan graduates, the power has shifted to employers. Many employers routinely abuse their employees knowing that there are many job seekers out there ready to take the job at half the pay.
The people that seem to be most affected by the shrinking job numbers are the fresh graduates. Many employers expect that once you secure that job, you will begin work immediately. Many such employers are not willing to train new hires before they can start their new assignments. This would simply cost them a lot of time and money. Given that many Kenyan first time job applicants have no experience to speak of, this puts them at a huge disadvantage. It is actually much easier to get subsequent jobs after the first job.
Many of such job applicants have preferred to use internship and job shadowing as the stepping stone to being hired by the company. Internships are a great way to build skills and can in fact be counted as experience. In the 2011/2012 budget, Finance minister Uhuru kenyatta offered incentives to companies that were willing to offer employment to Kenyan University students and recent graduates. The companies are in turn expected to provide more of such opportunities to young professionals. However, there is a danger that some companies may abuse this and routinely recruit young professionals as they seek to cut the salaries and wage bill.
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