The government has moved in formulate a Labour migration policy in a bid to address the high levels of unemployment that currently stands at 40 percent.
Under the policy, unemployed professionals will be ‘exported’ to Europe which is a shift from the traditional Middle East for low cadre workers.
Already the Ministry of Labour has started engaging several European countries and will see the first batch of Kenyan professionals leave for work when the new policy is finalized.
According to the CS in the Ministry Ukur Yatani, the government was committed to reducing unemployment levels especially among the youth in the country.
Yatani said professionals including teachers and doctors will have an opportunity to serve in European countries noting that the policy will help address some of the challenges they may face while outside the country.
“Under the newly established National Employment Authority (NEA), Kenyans who wish to work in those countries will be documented and followed up and when their skills are needed will be asked to come back and serve the nation”.
He said the Authority had come up with a Labour market information system that will help in documenting the skills Kenyans have before leaving for work outside the country.
“This means that through collaborating with training institutions we will have them in our registers and give them out to other nations on need basis and this will avoid crowding of one profession in a particular country”.
Yatani was speaking to the press during the opening of a retreat for members of the Authority at Simba Lodge in Naivasha.
He at the same time said they were working on an internship policy for trainees before they join the job market adding that this will help in detailing to manufactures the skills available.
“In line with the Presidents Big Four agenda and labour as an enabler to manufacturing we seek to make work easier for employers to find the skills they require without much hustle”.
Speaking during the meeting NEA board chairperson Winnie Pertet said they had drafted a strategic plan that will ensure the exact numbers of unemployed Kenyans so as to have figures that government can work on.
Pertet said under the new policy as detailed in the plan, the number of Kenyans working abroad will be streamlined and catered for to avoid scenarios witnessed with the low cadre workers in the Middle East.
“In line with the Big Four we want to make sure employers get it easy as we will have a system with the details of what they will be looking for in the job market thereby allowing them to focus on setting their business in the country with simplicity”.
Ends.