Kenyans found to work less than global average

Workers at an Export Processing Zone factory in Athi River. file PHOTO | NMG 

By NEVILLE OTUKI

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Summary

• The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ (KNBS) 2016 household budget survey found that the largest portion of Kenya’s workforce (28 per cent) has a workweek of between 40 and 48 hours.
• Though more than a quarter of Kenyan workers put in up to 48 hours in their jobs, the national average work week is much lower at 35 hours a week when part-time employees are included.
• This is below the global average work week of 40 hours, meaning East Africa’s largest economy works less by international standards.

Kenya’s full-time workers spend a maximum of 48 hours per week at their workstations, but the majority of the workforce put in much less, leaving the country with an average work week that is below the global average, according to the latest official data.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ (KNBS) 2016 household budget survey found that the largest portion of Kenya’s workforce (28 per cent) has a workweek of between 40 and 48 hours.

“Data on hours of work are important in distinguishing the various intensities of employment. The information is useful in monitoring the working conditions, which impact on the health and wellbeing of workers as well as levels of productivity and labour costs,” says the KNBS survey report released last week.

Though more than a quarter of Kenyan workers put in up to 48 hours in their jobs, the national average work week is much lower at 35 hours a week when part-time employees are included.

This is below the global average work week of 40 hours, meaning East Africa’s largest economy works less by international standards.

At 35 hours a week, however, the Kenyan average compares well with that of the United States which stands at 34.4 hours.

Germans work the least at an average of 26 hours a week while Mexicans have the longest work week of 43 hours, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

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The KNBS survey established that Kenya’s working age population (15-64) stood at 24.9 million in 2016, but only 19.3 million either had jobs or were looking for one.

The remaining 5.6 million of the working age group were considered inactive either because they were still in school, had stopped looking for jobs or had family responsibilities like stay-at-home parents.

Of the 19.3 million active individuals in the labour market, 17.9 million had jobs in 2016, with the remaining 1.4 million being without, translating to an unemployment rate of 7.4 per cent, the report says.

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A further 3.7 million people or 20.4 per cent of the labour force were under-employed, and worked below 28 hours a week, the survey shows.

“Kenya’s global competitiveness depends on the country’s ability to create a human resource base with the requisite skills that match technological changes and needs of the industries. In order to put the country on the path to have these skills, it calls for collaborative efforts among stakeholders which means there should be strong linkages between training institutions, industries and other stakeholders in the labour market,” says the report.