Employment is an essential part of human lives and people seek it for various reasons such as:
- Money- People work to make money. They need it for basic needs and also for entertainment.Employment helps to provide financial stability and freedom.
- Independence- Employment gives people independence and more control of their own lives. It also enriches their skills since when employed you are learning new things.
- Community- People seek employment to be part of a certain community. To also contribute and make a difference in their own communities. Therefore, employment exists generally for people’s own benefit.
In the world, people are seeking education and all the relevant skills so as to be fully equipped for the jobs they undertake.
However, despite all their efforts, many people cannot secure a job. They therefore keep on asking themselves many questions. The main one being, why aren’t they employed yet?
They have all the skills required for jobs and are fully capable of performing in those jobs.
According to the quarterly labor report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics(KNBS); The number of employed shrunk to 15.9 million Kenyans from a higher 17.8 million Kenyans in March.
Highest proportion of the unemployed has remained between ages 20-24 and 25-35. With respective unemployment rates of 22.8 and 21.7 per cent.
Unemployment picture is however further increased by a rise in the number of the long-term unemployed individuals. These are individuals who have been out of work for a long time.
There are other reasons as to why most people aren’t employed yet and they are discussed below:
Corona Virus
Covid-19 pandemic has hit the employment sector the hardest across the world. The job losses are being recorded in millions. The Kenyan job market has not been spared.
The Covid-19 lock down forced 1.7 million Kenyans out of jobs. The government took measures such as lockdown, ban on travels and restaurant restrictions. This caused people to lose their jobs.
Organizations and business were grappling with the losses that they encountered. As a safety precaution to sustain themselves, they decided to cut down on the number of employees.
No employment of new recruits took place therefore leaving workers with no jobs.This left the labour supply in the industry being larger than the number of jobs available.
Learn more on growing your career during this pandemic by clicking here.
Work Readiness
Other than a grappling economy that is affecting business and employment.It is not the only factor that explains why you aren’t employed yet.
Your preparedness to work is a key issue. Most people are looking for jobs but they haven’t fully grasped the requirements of these jobs. What the job requires and all the necessary preparations they need to take.
For instance learning the skills required for the jobs they wish to get. This lack of needed skills explains why some job seekers remain unemployed.
Work readiness shows whether you are literate enough to even complete the job application. It also shows whether you understand what the job requires of you. How likely you are able to perform well during an interview ?
When you get employed, your work readiness skills will be measured by your performance. The time you report to work, your ability to take directives from supervisors and how you handle criticisms.
If you don’t have these skills then you end up having difficulties sustaining a job and in the long run end up unemployed.
Job Skills
With the advancements in technology, many jobs have become obsolete. Therefore, you have to sharpen your skills to keep up with the changes in the job market.
For example, secretary positions are being replaced by virtual assistants. Also automatic call answering systems that use the callers prompts to appropriately direct their calls.
Secretaries have to advance and learn all about the online jobs. This will improve their skills and enable them to get employed.
The challenge of youth unemployment is compounded by the fact that 90% of all unemployed young people lack vocational skills.
They only have what they have been taught in schools, and don’t have skills that set them apart from the rest. To address this issue then you have to learn the soft skills.
Soft skills are like communication skills, problem solving skills, work ethic, interpersonal skills, flexibility and adaptability and leadership skills among others. Read more about skills by clicking here.
You also have to be innovative and create business ideas that can help sustain you.
Play To Get Employment
Most people limit themselves by not sending many resumes as they can and don’t commit themselves to job search. They give up when they don’t get a job after the few applications they have sent.
Other times they may submit one or two and pray to get an interview. Sometimes they focus on one job.
The focus on that one interview creates room for disappointment in case they fail to pass the interview. In the long run this may discourage them.
Therefore the solution is to send more resumes and not restrict oneself to only one particular job. Be flexible to apply and try many things as this provides better chances at getting employed.
Interview Skills
While it is advisable to send many applications as possible. You have to understand that an interview is a two-way conversion between interviewer and interviewee. It is to determine if either one is the best fit for the both of them.
You have to be confident to be able to express yourself and convince the interviewer why you are the best fit for the job. You have to prepare for the interview. Research on the job and be fully equipped with all the information.
During the interview ask for the job without fear of sounding desperate. Failure to articulate oneself properly leads you to remain unemployed even though you are the most qualified for it.
Try to take this into information into considerations so as to better place yourself in the job market and get these employment chances. Read more on interviews by clicking here.
