Kenya Expands Global Workforce with 200,000 Overseas Placements

The Kenyan government has significantly increased its facilitation of overseas employment, placing more than 200,000 Kenyan workers in jobs abroad since June 2024.

This initiative, spearheaded by the National Employment Authority (NEA), is detailed in the report "Foreign Job Placements for Kenyan Workers (2022/2023 - 2023/2024)" and represents a key strategy in the government’s broader effort to combat domestic unemployment. Saudi Arabia has emerged as the primary destination for Kenyan workers, absorbing 194,320 individuals primarily in roles such as domestic workers, drivers, cleaners, babysitters, and security guards.

Other significant destinations include Qatar (2,554 workers) and the United Arab Emirates (1,374 workers), which offer similar employment opportunities. Turkey also provides a mix of domestic and professional roles for 515 Kenyans. While a substantial number of placements are in domestic service, there is also a growing demand for skilled Kenyan workers in other countries.

Australia, for example, has hired 370 Kenyans in positions such as windscreen fitters, panel beaters, carpenters, diesel mechanics, auto electricians, and motor mechanics. Germany has recruited 264 Kenyans for roles in early childhood education, food technology, registered nursing, and agriculture.

Oman has taken in 294 Kenyans, predominantly as domestic workers and cleaners, while Serbia employs 222 Kenyans in general domestic roles. Smaller numbers of Kenyan workers have also found employment in Kuwait (193), the United States and Canada (155), Poland (57), Denmark (35), Italy (19), American Samoa (16), Great Britain (5), Bahrain (3), and Albania (3), filling a variety of roles from livestock management internships to food service assistance.

The data indicates a notable gender disparity, with female workers initially dominating the overseas job market, particularly in domestic roles. However, the report also reveals a growing trend of male workers securing international employment, suggesting a potential shift toward a more balanced gender distribution in foreign job placements. Specifically, in the 2022/2023 financial year, 98,247 job seekers were placed abroad, comprising 86,457 female and 11,790 male workers.

This number increased to 103,878 workers in the following year, with 90,221 females and 13,657 males securing positions. Labour Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime, speaking at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), reiterated the government’s commitment to creating one million jobs annually through enhanced labour mobility.

Mwadime highlights the flagging off of 20 Kenyans to work as taxi drivers in Abu Dhabi as part of this initiative. He also projects a significant increase in the number of Kenyans working abroad as the government continues to forge bilateral agreements with other nations.

"Currently, about four million Kenyans are working in different countries. As more bilateral agreements are signed, we expect the numbers to rise exponentially," Mwadime stated.

The Kenyan government's active role in facilitating international job placements forms part of a broader strategy to tackle unemployment, particularly among the country's youth, estimated at five million, and to improve economic livelihoods through global employment opportunities.