Youth Unemployment in Kenya: Close to one million Kenyan youths have lost their jobs over the past three months. According to fresh data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 771, 439 lost their jobs. The data shows that the number youths aged between 20 and 34 who are in employment or running a business dropped 9.89 percent to 7.02 million.
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However, there were more job opportunities for Kenyans aged above 35 years and above. “The older population normally have an economic activity they are undertaking. Most of them, for instance, have own businesses,” KNBS director-general Zachary Mwangi told Kenya’s Business Daily newspaper.
He further disclosed that a total of 3,870,478 — or 35.52 percent of the nearly 10.90 million young Kenyans — were jobless as at end of March 2020, slightly worse than 34.28 percent or 3,359,505 million three months earlier. In the same vein, 478,513 Kenyans between the ages of 15 and 19 years lost their jobs between January and March this year.
“The youth aged 20-24 had the highest proportion of the unemployed at 12.5 percent. On the other hand, those aged 55-59 had the least unemployment rate of 0.3 percent,” Mr. Mwangi told the daily.
This is the latest government data to indicate a gloomy economic picture out of the current coronavirus pandemic whose impact has partially exacerbated a grueling economy. Youth Unemployment in Kenya