On July 13, 2023, Ajira Digital hosted an executives’ roundtable with the industry leaders in the human resource industry, recruiting job boards, and the private sector organizations at Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi, to explore the emerging trends in the human resource industry while re-imagining hiring in the wake of the digital economy in the country. The meeting is mainly in support of Ajira’s efforts in solving youth unemployment in Kenya where it aims to create one million work opportunities annually for young people in the country through digital and digitally-enabled work.

The chief guest was Mr. Geoffrey Kaituko, Permanent Secretary at the State Department of Labour and Skills Development from the Ministry of Labour and Social Development. Also present was Dr. Ehud Gachugu, Director, Ajira Digital Program and Youth Employment at KEPSA; Macharia Muthondu, Vice President Federation of Kenya Employers and KEPSA Board Director in charge of HR and Remunerations; Ms. Wandera Kweyu, Head of People at Jambojet; Ahmed Quresha, IHRM Executive Director; Paul Breloff, CEO Shortlist; Chris Otundo, CEO Brighter Monday; Stephen Mboya, a job seeker and persons with disability among others.

Here are highlights of the conversation at the roundtable:

“According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the number of Kenyans without jobs increased to 2.97 million underscoring the labour market woes in the wake of elevated inflation and reduced activity in the dominant agricultural sector. With the persisting youth unemployment challenge in the country just like in the region, there is a need for all the stakeholders in the economy to rethink alternatives and leverage emerging digital opportunities,” - Geoffrey Kaituko, Permanent Secretary at the State Department of Labour and Skills Development.

“The Human Resource sector plays an important and pivotal role in connecting supply and demand sides with intermediation services, data, and insights that can greatly transform labour market in response to the changing environment resulting from a need for a globally skilled workforce and digital transformation. Hence, this conversation is very timely as new and emergent labour-related disputes have started to surface particularly in organizations working in Digital and ICT-related sectors and these developments could negatively impact the gains already made in making Kenya a leading labour choice destination for companies globally. HR practitioners who are very fundamental in the organization’s decision making, therefore, need to be included in policy and practice discussions in relation to these emerging issues and opportunities for scaling job creation efforts in the country,” - Dr. Ehud Gachugu, Director, Youth Employment and Ajira Digital Program at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)

 “Skills should come first before the disability or credentials of a potential employee. We all attest to the fact that Apple company is the best seller on phones and I strongly believe it’s because they embrace diversity and inclusivity. As an IT enthusiast and being very talented with technology skills, I would appreciate the opportunity to offer my talents to these organizations with a little help from the digital technologies supporting PWDs which are readily available,” – Stephen Mboya, a job seeker and persons with disability from Kilimanjaro Blind Trust.

“Both employers and employees are to think through what they really want to achieve when it comes to job acquisition and management. The Federation is charged with the mandate of ensuring decent workplaces, fair remuneration, and a fair work environment which is what businesses and organizations should also be seeking to achieve.” - Mr. Macharia Muthondu, Vice President of the Federation of Kenya Employers and the KEPSA Board Director in charge of HR and Remunerations.

“Today, recruiting is almost fully automated but it is important for employers to accurately communicate what they want of the potential candidates to these recruitment systems. By doing this, they are sure of getting suitable candidates and will not miss out on the right talents. Employers also need to be conversant of the data protection issues as with this model of hiring and outsourcing talents there is a risk of data being misused,” - Ms. Wandera Kweyu, Head of People at Jambojet.

Job boards and recruiters have evolved into indispensable tools that add significant value to the private sector while also expanding work opportunities for young people and especially women and marginalized groups. From expanding the talent pool and streamlining recruitment processes digital technologies empower the private sector to thrive in a competitive global market which is key to the growth of the nation’s economy.