Survey shows majority of your staff want to go

Employee loyalty is low in Nairobi County. At any given time, a majority of workers here could be actively engaged in the search for better jobs, a new study shows.

According to the Employment Survey 2014 released recently by Corporate Staffing Services (CSS), a local human resource consulting firm, 66.5 per cent of the people interviewed saw themselves changing jobs or searching for new ones in 2014. Only 33.5 per cent said they were content with their current jobs.

“Job searching has become a full-time job for most of those employed,” says Mr Perminus Wainaina, the managing director of CSS.

“Employees have also raised their expectations, which current employers are not meeting and they hope the next employer would.”

The survey, which covered Nairobi County, targeted both the employed and unemployed. It was conducted between December 2013 and January 2014.

It exposes some of the challenges being faced by job seekers in Kenya and the factors that motivate workers towards career and job changes. It also gives a rating of how job seekers view the current job market and what will motivate their career decisions in the months and years ahead.

These findings echo those by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), that Nairobi’s managers are finding it hard to retain top talent in the face of rising competition for human resource.

Many of those willing to change jobs are looking for better salaries (at 35.8 per cent) and job security (22.1 per cent). Other things motivating shifts in employee loyalty include pursuit for jobs that match their skills, better working environment, and respect of and appreciation for their efforts. Also, flexible work schedules, including the option to work from home, better terms of service and career growth were sighted as reasons for the constant search for new jobs.

In fact, according to the findings, 72.1 per cent of the employed reported that they would relocate to another county or country for job opportunities, while 84.6 per cent of the unemployed respondents would do so. “The county governments have recently been advertising many jobs and the Nairobi job seekers are ready to move to other places,” said Mr Wainaina.

Nearly half, or 49.4 per cent, of the respondents have been engaged in their current job for a period of one to five years. About 22 per cent have been working in their current job for seven months to a year, while 12.2 per cent have been working for six to 10 years. Only 1.2 per cent have worked for the same employer for more than 10 years, the survey shows. This points to a high employee turnover in most organisations.

The survey was launched by the executive director of the Institute of Human Resource Management Samson Osero, who said the study demonstrated an urgent need for employers to improve the working environments in their institutions.

According to the study, the NGO sector is the most preferred employer. On average, 27.5 per cent of both the unemployed and the employed feel that NGOs are the ideal employers. About 33.9 per cent of the unemployed job seekers say that they would like to work with NGOs, while 25.7 per cent of the employed feel that the government is the best employer. The informal sector, which has the highest potential for jobs, has a generally low level of appeal among the youth.

However, 89.3 per cent of those working with Parastatal/government department are most satisfied, followed by the NGO employees (79.2 per cent), the self-employed (65.8 per cent) and private sector (54.8 per cent).

“The high satisfaction of employees working in Parastatals or government can be partially attributed to the low stress levels experienced at work compared to their counterparts in the private sector,” declares the report.

A majority of Nairobi residents are employed in contract jobs, according to the survey, in a trend where non-state employers appear to be shying away from permanent employment. About 35.7 per cent of the employed in Nairobi are in contract jobs, according to the Employment Survey 2014. Some 28.6 per cent are in self-employment, 18 per cent on permanent terms, while 16.5 per cent work as casuals.

“Most employers in Kenya, including the public sector, have resorted to casual, temporary, part-time, contract, sub-contracted and outsourced workforces to reduce labour costs and achieve more flexibility in management, and exert greater levels of control over labour,” said Mr Wainaina, while releasing the report in Nairobi.

The survey further shows that the private sector remains the biggest employer, absorbing 51.8 per cent of the workforce. According to the findings, 29.5 per cent of workers are running their own businesses. About 11.2per cent work in public institutions and Parastatals, while only 7.6 per cent are employed in the NGO sector.

Majority of the 386 survey respondents (66 per cent) are employed while 34 per cent are unemployed, most of them youth, whose unemployment rate is double the adult average of 21 per cent. “Youth in Kenya face serious challenges concerning high rates of unemployment and under-employment,” the report states.

“Though informal sector employment has been a key driver of employment in Kenya, the informal sector jobs are precarious in nature,” the report adds. “They are characterised by job insecurity, poor wages and terms and conditions of employment, absence of institutionalised social protection mechanisms, weak safety and health standards, and short job tenure.”

Of the 386 respondents surveyed, 61.9 per cent were male and 38.1 per cent female. About 57.8 per cent of the respondents were aged between 18 and 29, while 34.9 per cent were aged 30 to 49. Six per cent were aged between 45 and 54 years.