Kenya records 58pc dip in job adverts on Covid-19
By Lewis Njoka, July 27, 2020
Lewis Njoka @LewisNjoka
Job advertisements reduced by more than half since the first Covid-19 case was reported on March 13, a report shows.
A recent study by the job placement company Brighter Monday says Kenya recorded a 58 per cent drop in the number of jobs advertised on the back of Covid-19 shocks.
“Many positions in the travel and hospitality sectors were frozen in the first weeks when the virus hit Kenya.
Other sectors soon followed with most companies laying off their employees and others sending them on unpaid leave,” said Brighter Monday Chief executive, Emmanuel Mutuma.
Building and hospitality industries were the most affected by the Covid-19 containment measures registering a 75 per cent and 47 per cent drop in job advertisements respectively.
Building sector
While the building sector ranked higher in percentage, the hospitality and travel industry was the most affected in numbers.
The number of jobs listed in the hospitality industry dropped from 111 registered in the 10 weeks preceding the first Covid-19 case to only 58 registered in the first 10 weeks after the case was reported.
In the building sector, the number of jobs listed dropped from 28 to seven over the same period.
Other sectors that witnessed a significant drop in job listing are Project and Product Management, Community and Social Services and Strategy and Consulting at 37, 36 and 20, per cent drop respectively.
Creative, marketing and communication, legal services, human resources and administration sectors, among others, witnessed a minimal decline in the number of jobs advertised.
On the other hand, industries offering essential services and those where work can easily be done remotely reported a surge in job advertisements.
Similarly, job opportunities in property and real estate increased as people are disposed of property in an effort to maintain liquidity.