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With Kenya facing a surging unemployment rate, a new report shows that technology, especially AI, is likely to disrupt many jobs. While Kenya is a country whose economy is run by the young people, the number of jobseekers outnumber the available opportunities.
According to the BrighterMonday Report, the demand for jobs is higher than available vacancies, with some companies reporting that they are receiving unsolicited jobs applications. This comes at the time when remote jobs are declining post covid-19 pandemic.
More than 50 percent of jobseekers are between the ages of 20-29, with 800,000 jobseekers entering the job market each year.
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Staffing, NGOs, finance, healthcare, and education are considered the leading sectors in job listings, while government jobs and IT/Telecoms are showing a decline in activity.
Furthermore, active employers and job listings have increased between 2023 and 2025, with most job seekers expecting salaries ranging between Sh15,000 to 65,000 per month.
Trends impacting employment in Kenya
AI and automation technologies are going to disrupt the job market by 2030. However, it is giving rise to a gap in digital roles. Despite this, digital roles in Kenya remain a small fraction compared to global opportunities, with data roles, content writing, and software engineering being the leading in the country.
According to World Economic Forum (WEF), AI, robotics, and digital tech are the top transformative forces, with 86 percent of employers anticipating major changes by 2030.
Other trends responsible for jobs disruption include remote work and gig economy. According to Breedj report, remote work is expanding Africa’s talent access, with 64 percent of Sub-Saharan firms citing digital transformation as key to job growth. On the other hand, gig economy is growing rapidly and it’s currently valued at Sh14 billion ($109 million).
The report highlights the need for reskilling to meet the job market demands especially on latest technologies like AI, robotics and cyber security.
