Unemployment is defined as the situation by which people are willing to work but they cannot have the chance to secure job opportunities.The following classes of group providees the various unemplyment types witnessed by kenyan career experts.

Seasonal unemployment

It is caused by the continous variations of seasons in the country.It has been noted that during the high season many people will be in demand for labour and the demand will later go to low levels when the season gets into its low conditions.

Frictional unemployment

Caused when people losing jobs go ahead to look for more better opportunities and find more lucrative ventures either due to retirement or sacking by managers.

Structural unemployment

Takes place when the demand for labour continually declines due to high changes in the methods of production offered by the society.A good example will be the situation in which machines are introduced to replace human labor.

Cyclical unemployment

It generally takes place in a more repeated manner at times that are similar due to having different cycles of economic activities alternating from boom to recession.

Disguised unemployment

Takes place in situations where the numebr of people employed becomes more than the ones that are needed leading to the laying off the extra numbers of workers that are in a particular firm or organization.

Kenyans work very hard, and despite the labour law put in place, rarely do they get the payment they deserve.  Most Kenyans find themselves working overtime without being compensated. Let’s face it, after working for any company in Kenya for some time, you should receive an increase in payment. However, this rarely happens, but what you may not know is that your workmates could be getting more money than you for the same amount of work done. How is that possible? You may ask. It’s possible because bosses, especially in the private sector, long since perfected the art of individual negotiations when asked about payment issues. ‘Come speak with me personally’ is often the statement they give and rarely does anyone take up that offer for fear of being victimized. So how can you ask your boss for a raise?

Fish around for numbers

You need to know how much employees in your particular field are being paid. When you are in an organization in Kenya, you may assume that everyone is being paid the same amount of money and because people rarely discuss their finances with workmates, you may not know where you stand in relation to others. Ask your workmates or friends in a similar profession how much they take home. This knowledge is vital to your negotiation and should be used to help you ask your boss for a raise.

Are you entitled to ask your boss for a raise?

Your workmates may be earning more than you, but this does not mean you are entitled to the same perks. You need to put into account the experience you have and the number of years you have been with the organization. This will give you an estimate on the range where you should lie. Your actions in the workplace will also contribute to your success or failure. Do not expect to be given a raise if you spend your day goofing around or delivering half-baked work.

Is your employer financially able to meet your pay demands?

Employers too face a variety of problems and challenges. So, if you discern that your employer is facing financial hardships, you need to take a step back and wait for a more appropriate time to raise the issue. You may need to do a little research by looking at financial records to gauge how your employer is faring.
 

Be prepared

If you go up to your boss and simply ask for a raise, chances are your request may be denied. You need to make your argument by listing your accomplishments and attributes that make you a valuable employer. You should start with what you have recently done and work backwards as this will give the impression of continued excellence.

What next?

What happens after you ask your boss for a raise? This is a question you need to ask yourself because your boss may turn you down. How will you react? Will you threaten to quit? Or will you become disheartened and go back to work? Will you ask for a timeline of when you can ask for a raise again? Being mentally prepared will allow you to decide beforehand what your reaction will be and prevent you from doing something you would later regret.

Do not just show up

You want to be taken seriously, and you can achieve this by booking an appointment with your boss. This would tell your boss that what you want to discuss is serious in nature. Do not turn to emails and phone calls when you want to discuss a raise but endeavour to do this face to face. When you go to the appointment, you should state why you are there in a clear manner. If your boss does not agree to the raise, go ahead and present the facts you gathered earlier and state your accomplishments and experience.

What not to do

Do not grovel or sound very desperate. Remember, asking your boss for a raise is your right not a privilege of only a few. You may be desperate for a raise, but this does not mean you should show it. You may want to tell your boss every challenge you experience at home – do not do this. You need to show your boss that your request is not an emotional response to your problems but a well thought out a proposal that should be given the attention it deserves.

Your credentials

Sometimes the only thing standing in the way of your raise is your credentials. The papers you may not have may be holding you back. In the organization,  you are working with has a set standard on the way it administers income, it would work to your disadvantage if you do not have a paper to show. You may often find that you accomplish the same duties as someone with a higher diploma or degree than you, but the other person is getting more because of his papers. If this is the case, you can decide whether pursuing more education
 

will work to your benefit.

Never give up

Sometimes human nature works against you and your boss may refuse your request simply because he is in a foul mood. The point here is, never give up your quest to getting a raise. Look for an opportune time to ask for a raise while ensuring that your work is still in top form. It would not be wise to start slugging off because your boss refused your request. He may well be inclined to accept your request the second time you ask him, and you should therefore not sabotage your chances.

Asking your boss in Kenya for a raise is often a step many do not take and therefore they remain in the same pay grade year in year out. You should not let fear or a preconceived notion deter you from asking for a raise. Remember, your boss can only either refuse or agree to your request. Use these tips to ask your boss for a raise and who knows maybe this time you getting that raise that is long overdue.

The news on the discovery of oil in Turkana County in Kenya was received with joy by the residents of this county after the former president of Kenya; Mr. Mwai Kibaki announced it officially to Kenyans. The discovery of oil in Kenya was made by a British company called Tullow Oil, which also discovered oil in Uganda. The discovery of oil in Turkana was to relief suffering from the community in Kenya, but it has now turned to be a point of conflict between the residents and the Tullow oil company.

Several meetings have been held between the community in Kenya and the Tullow oil company, but the community members are saying that the contagious issues have remained unsolved. The community has led recent demonstrations in Kenya, just outside Tullow oil company in Kenya at Ngamia One Parts of Turkana in Kenya. This has led to temporary suspension of company operations in the wells in Kenya due to fear of insecurity of its personnel.

The pastoralists in Kenya who live around the firm are claiming that they have been snatched large tracts of lands, and there is fear that the company may not compensate them. The complaints are coming from the people of Turkana South and East districts in Kenya. The wells that are under oil exploration are Ngamia 1, Twiga 1 south, Ekale 1 and Etuko.

The Tullow oil company is accused by Kenyans in this region of allocating jobs to people from other areas in Kenya, sidelining the Turkana community in Kenya. They also claim that the job advertisements are done in Nairobi without their notice, which ensured that they do not apply. The issue of tender allocation in Tullow Oil Company is also another problem that the community members in Turkana in Kenya are raising and are claiming that the company is awarding the tenders of supplying meat, charcoal and vegetables to the people of Kitale town and Nairobi city in Kenya. The community in Kenya wants to be given the tenders because they have business people within the community who can supply them. They also wanted their vehicles to be hired by the company because they are saying that out of 40 vehicles hired by the Tullow Oil Company, only ten of them belong to the community members of Turkana County in Kenya.

Although the governor of Turkana, Mr.Kooli Nanok has distanced himself from the demonstrations held at the company recently, there is a need for reconciliation between the community members and the Tullow oil company in Kenya. The central government, county government and the community members in Kenya are supposed to come to a consensus regarding the issues raised by the community members in this part of Kenya, so that the firm can resume its operations and save losing millions of shillings.

The economy of the republic of Kenya needs to grow, and the exploration of this oil will propel this country to the next level in terms of economic growth. We understand that Kenya spends a lot of money in the national budget in importing crude oil, and if the drilling of oil in Kenya begins, it mean a lot of money will be saved for other uses. It is our hope that the government can solve the issues so that we can avoid problems faced by the African countries that are mining oil and avoid more demonstrations from the community members in Turkana. The government should also ensure jobs in Kenya are allocated fairly especially to communities such as Turkana.

Jobs in Kenya are available for the right type of applicants that show high cases of competence and willing to work well with others. It is therefore important that competitive candidates check and be informed on the best paying careers in Kenya before sending their applications. The following are the most competitive careers for Kenyans

Financial Experts

The parties are responsible for ensuring that a country maintains the revenue it gets in a more efficient manner or way. They play a leading role in signing big contracts with other country’s agencies in high attempts to try sourcing their companies. Such groups include accountants for various banks and also actuaries. The field is highly rewarding when it comes to financial matters.

Professional Doctors

People in this particular field are always assured of a job upon completion of their study and further goes ahead to pay them well. However, the profession has long working hours but still crucial to the life of experts.

Politicians

The field has the richest people in Kenya. The field is now diverse as individuals can venture into careers such as being political analysts, advisors, think tanks and consultants. Any Kenyan above the age of 18 can join politics and try to seek the various chances that arise from it. Such careers are more important especially for people that have good leadership qualities and can be influential.

Company Marketers

They are responsible for creating and spreading more awareness about a particular type of product that a certain type of company deals with. Many companies in Kenya perform well due to having good reliable marketers that make them known to customers who need their products.

Radio Presenters

The profession pays well a good example being citizen TV’s Janet Mbugua. People that have good looks and better voices can apply them in the field of journalism to make sure that they get maximum use of their God given talents and abilities. Journalism is marketable in Kenya especially by the growing trend in the number of vernacular stations.

 

The latest discovery of oil and gas explorations in Kenya has caught our country off guard. The lack of experts in the field of oil and gas exploration in Kenya has greatly been felt by the Kenyan economy. Kenya has resulted to hiring human resource from outside Kenya which constitutes a higher percentage of foreign staffs working in the gas and oil exploration companies in Kenya. Currently the Ghanaians (people from Ghana) and Nigerians are the ones that account for a high percentage of workers in the oil and gas sector in Kenya, because they have a lot of experience in these areas.

The field of oil and gas industry in Kenya is a very delicate entity that only requires people who have qualification and are certified to perform in these fields. This means that people who engage in this sector have to undergo compulsory and critical courses in or outside Kenya which also involve health and safety in this industry. At the moment, Dubai happens to be the place that has majorly invested in the institutions that offer the gas and oil exploration courses but at much higher price. In Africa, we are lucky because they are a few countries that offer the gas and oil exploration courses at a reduced price as compared to that of Dubai. The countries in Africa, which offer oil and gas exploration courses, include Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt.

Initially, there was no need of training personnel for such a sector; gas and oil in Kenya because there was no explorations in Kenya at that time and if a person was to train on these courses, he/she be would have been jobless in Kenya. This led to failure of introducing oil and gas exploration courses to the institutions of higher learning in Kenya. Due to the latest discovery of oil in Turkana country in Kenya, that is viable for commercial production and gas in coastal regions of Kenya, there is a need for people of Kenya to train in the oil and gas exploration sector. The high demand for experts in oil and gas drilling sector in Kenya has led to opening of an institution in Westlands, Nairobi by the Energy Resource Group (ERG) which is based in Africa. Westlands in Nairobi will be the main headquarters of the Institution that offers gas and oil exploration courses in Kenya at the moment.

The main courses that are offered by Energy Resource Group in Westlands, Kenya include:

• Basic offshore safety induction and emergency.
• Helicopter underwater escape training.
• Personal survival.
• Elementary first aid.
• Well control.
• Fire fighting.
• Slinger and first-aid response.

The purpose of Energy Resource Group in Kenya is to offer Kenyans the necessary skills to propel the oil and gas sector in Kenya in the near future so as to constitute higher percentage of workers in the sectors instead of employing large numbers of foreign people yet there are capable young Kenyans who can pursue these courses. Energy Resource Group will also give Kenyans who will qualify a chance to work in other countries. The chief executive officer of the Energy Resource Group, Mr.barry Carey said that their main aim is to push Kenya to the next level so that they can have the necessary experts in the oil and gas industry in Kenya and to make it one of the countries that offer courses that train personnel in this sector in Africa after countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Angola.

It is my hope that Kenyans will take this opportunity and enroll for gas and oil industry courses which will equip Kenyans with oil and gas production skills, so that we can take full opportunities in the recently discovered oil and gas. The government of Kenya should also offer scholarships to Kenyans, to some students who perform well in the national examinations so that they can go abroad and study in these courses so that they can be of help to the country. With more areas under exploration of oil and gas in Kenya, it means there will be more opportunities for grab in the future for those who will have qualified in the gas and oil production field in Kenya.

• Physicians and surgeons
• Gynecologists and Obstetricians
• Top Political positions
• Internists
• Anesthesiologists
• Orthodontists
• Psychiatrists
• Family and general practitioners
• Prosthodontists
• Chief executives
• Dentists and all other specialists
• Pediatricians
• Nurse anesthetics
• Dentists, general
• Engineers
• Architectural and engineering managers
• Air traffic controllers
• Computer and information systems
• Marketing managers

 

Choosing a career is a person preference, there is no career which is best for every one we all have different life experience, skills, expectations and interests. When choosing the career which you’re best suited; consider your natural talent, you will find it easy doing some things and receiving compliments, consider your abilities when choosing a career and what you will enjoy doing. Consider you style of work, do you enjoy working in a closed environment or in an open working area, are you perfect in working with deadlines or you enjoy flexibility. Evaluate if you like serving people directly or indirectly, be very sure of the environment where you can thrive best. The career you are choosing should rhyme with your hobbies like if you like travelling there are jobs which require a lot of travelling.

You social needs should also be applied in your career, there are people who enjoy working in teams others prefer concentrating on their own projects and presenting them individually. Some other jobs will require you to be public figure; some of these jobs will include political positions, television and radio presenters, acting careers and any other position in the entertainment positions. Some jobs have very strict deadlines, these are the jobs to choose if you can manage stress and give good results even under pressure.

As you look forward in choosing your career, consider the amount of money you want to make, don’t only look at the current situation but think about the future when you will have a family and may be you will be the bread winner of your family, choose a career which will support your family comfortably. In the current world the career world has proved to be flexible, there is always a room to change if you are not in the right path. If you have taken a career path of a Mathematics teacher you can change and become a statistician in a company or an accountant.

Explore different careers which are related to your area of interest, take time and use elimination method until you come up with the best choice, know your strengths and weaknesses this will make you know if you will succeed in the training in the preparation of your career. Some training will require physical energy like the military; you will have to prove that you can survive even during the worst situations and war zones. Other careers will require intelligence like Medical and health career, a little mistake in the job will lead to a loss of life. Engineering require a lot of thinking in order to operate different machines and equipments and come up with the appropriate results. There many technical jobs which require use of hand and the expertise in the relevant job. Hotel jobs will require you to be clean, keen, welcoming and energetic in service delivery.

 

Every student who finish Kenya certificate of secondary education (KCSE) every year wishes to pursue a course or career in one of the colleges or universities in Kenya in a course that is marketable and well paying in terms of salary. Back at home, the parents also advise their children to pursue courses which are well paying and marketable at the same time.

If you are one of the students who are planning to join college or university in Kenya, you need to make a concrete decision on the career to pursue. Choosing a career to pursue in life is one of the challenging things you can do. This is why one should always consider the job market and passion for in the career one want to do because we have heard of scenarios where the person is forced by the parents to pursue a course is not interested at but ends up doing it due to influence from parents.

Therefore, if you want to pursue any career in Kenya, you should consider your passion towards that subject and second, consider the marketable courses before you make your final judgement of the career to do.

The top most paying careers in Kenya according to order are:

i)                    Politics.

Politicians are the highly paid workers in Kenya. They fix salaries for themselves and are involved in many sittings contributing to a lot of allowance for them.

ii)                  Law.

The field of law is another entity that is well paying. Lawyers get a lot of pay for defending people in courts in Kenya. If you look at the judges, they are among the highest paid people in Kenya.

iii)                Engineering.

Engineering combined with information technology is another field where people are paid well.

iv)                Medicine and Pharmaceutical.

This is a field where you will not miss employment in Kenya because after training, doctors are usually absorbed by the government and they are paid well.

v)                  Architects.

Architects are the people who are involved planning, designing and overseeing the entire construction of building. They are highly paid for these services.

vi)                Marketing and Advertising.

This is a field that involves auditing and management of money in large organisations both private and governmental such as chief internal auditors of the finances in county governments in Kenya.

vii)              Audit and finance.

This is a field that is core to selling of products and services in any given country. Those employed to this sector acts as consultants.

viii)            Market and Social research.

Those who deal with this field are usually evaluation and monitoring consultants in many non-governmental organisations and earn a lot from this.

ix)                Communication and Public relation.

This is an area that is mostly involved in telecommunication and media sector and people who work there earn a lot.

x)                  Procurement.

If you are working in acentral government department or county government as a procurement officer, then consider yourself lucky because you will earn more money.

Many Kenyans get caught up in unsatisfying careers in Kenya. Personally, I remember dreaming of getting into a hospital theatre and cutting open someone’s brain to rectify some neurological hitch. Yes, I dreamt of being a neurosurgeon in Kenya. I had grown up reading some inspirational novels by Ben Carson, and being the kid I was, I could only think as far as Ben Carson did. Ben Carson was a rather average kid in school but he ended up outshining all his classmates to becoming one of America’s best neurosurgeons after having his sight rectified. Having an eye problem at that age too, one thing was for sure- I was destined to become a neurosurgeon.

Later on in life I came to know that the field of medicine in Kenya requires much more than academic excellence. It was a calling. I have a minor case of trypanophobia! (That is not some deadly disease by the way!) Trypanophobia in Kenya basically is the fear of injections, and needles. Of course with this, I would not have the courage to be a general physician in Kenya leave alone a neurosurgeon. It is good to dream and be ambitious alright, but with some of these careers, much more is needed.

Then again, came the idea of being a lawyer in Kenya. Well I would have probably stuck to this one had my grades allowed. I ended up being an environmental scientist in Kenya by virtue of failing to attain grades fit to pursue law. I still have the dream of pursuing law, probably at masters or doctoral level though.

Kenyan kids wallow in the miasma of career confusion in Kenya, lack of exposure being the main culprit. Most primary schools all over Kenya are however trying to stem this tide by having career guidance sessions over the term. The kids have a talk with experienced counsellors in Kenya and other professionals in various fields who tell them what they need to get to such professions and more so what obstacles and hindrances they are likely to encounter. Schools in Kenya go as far as facilitating talks where the primary school kids are guided on which secondary schools to apply to with regard to their academic capabilities.

Again, this goes to the parents- Kids should be allowed to follow the professions in Kenya in which they fit. There are many stories of kids who live a rather desperate professional life after being forced by their parents into careers they dint fully fit in. If your kid wants to pursue fashion and design, do not force them into a business related field. They will live to blame you in the future.

Kenyans need various career tips to ensure they achieve their 

highest levels of production while working.

Kenya needs maximum utilization of its human resources to achieve

economic growth. Kenyans can learn from various tips to improve or

choose successful careers: 

1. As a Kenyan, You need not to have a fixed career plan- You

should stay flexible and open to all the possibilities that come your

Way.

2.Kenyans should forget the ladder, but climb the jungle gym

instead- A ladder is of no good when the world and technology is 

changing so fast and its unpredictability. No one really knows what 

tomorrow’s ideal job will be. Kenyans should think of your career as

a jungle gym which sharpens their peripheral vision and should look

for opportunities all around in any part of the country.

3. Kenyans should focus on what they have right now and to oversee

 the longterm opportunities that may arise. Kenyans should

not always worry about the job they have. However, the job should

be done well. If you do not do it well, you will never get the next one. 

It’s important to envision some ultimate goals.

4. As a Kenyan, You should follow your compass not your clock.

Whatever direction you know is right, you should follow that in

spite of the period of time you require to achieve. Always focus on the

 right direction in your career.

5. Take risks- Kenyans should take risks and be ready to work for 

smart people; be prepared to do new things.

6.Be yourself you can be somebody else and follow all your life, but 

you can not be somebody else and lead. Be the leader of your life in

Kenya.

7. Kenyans should not balance juggle- As a Kenyan, you should 

stop believing in balance and know that there exists more days than

one when you 

Thousands of Kenyans in various parts of the country are opting for freelancing in Kenya as a perfect means for them to make extra cash on the internet. Apparently, a good number of these people are taking up freelance jobs in Kenya as their full time employment. The internet has offered Kenyans a wide range of opportunities and avenues to make money through the online platform. There are many freelancing websites in Kenya today. Kenyans can now get jobs on the internet easily and earn heftily for working online at the comfort of their computers. Kenyans can also join in on the bandwagon and make money writing, designing graphics, programming in Kenya and doing all sorts of things on the internet.

If you are a Kenyan and you truly feel that Freelancing is what you should be doing today, there are certain top websites which you cannot choose to overlook. Apart from them being the best paying websites in Kenya, they also offer limitless orders; meaning that you won’t have to stay for long without work to do. Here, now is a look at some of the most preferred freelance websites in Kenya today.

Guru.com

There is no doubt that Guru website in Kenya is the largest freelancing website on the internet.  This site connects well over 500,000 freelancers with over 30,000 businesses all over the world. The website is organized into different categories so as to make it easy to locate the jobs for Kenyans that you want to work on. It does not matter what your skills in Kenya are; rest assured that Guru will serve you best.

Elance.com

The other big player in the Freelancing world is Elance.com.  This website covers a wide range of freelancing jobs in Kenya ranging from graphic design, writing, programming, web development and many more. Just like the case is for Guru.com, the jobs for Kenyans here are placed into various categories so as to make it easy for people in Kenya to find them.

Rentacoder.com

Just as the name suggests, Rentacoder freelance website in Kenya mainly caters for coders, programmers, software engineers and ICT professionals in general.  On this website, you will come across a wide range of jobs for Kenyans ranging from very simple HTML pages to complex programming tasks that even take you months to complete.

Freelancer.com

Freelancer is probably the most popular freelance site in Kenya today.  Highly regarded as the largest freelance platform in the modern age, Freelancer in Kenya is the place where you will find all the jobs in Kenya and in the world which you have always been looking for. One thing that is amazing about freelancer in Kenya is that it always puts up offers for job seekers and employers in Kenya to take advantage of.

Kenyans should recognize that the internet offers a wide job market in Kenya that they can take up and earn well.