Effective communication skills lacking among Kenyan job applicants - Report

A new report launched by the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) has identified effective communication as the most lacking social skill among job among seekers.

The Skills Needs Survey Report 2023, launched in collaboration with the Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI) and Nexford University, targeted 521 FKE member enterprises clustered in the Nairobi, Coast, Western and Rift Valley regions.

According to the report's findings, 49.1 per cent of the businesses surveyed identified effective communication as the primary lacking social skill among job applicants.

Critical thinking came next at 41.7 per cent, followed by teamwork at 25.7 per cent, and time management skills at 23.4 per cent.

Creativity, problem solving and conflict resolution rounded off the list at 22.1, 21.1 and 20.7 per cent respectively.

"With technological changes, labor market dynamics are evolving faster than ever and the mismatch between workers' skills and those required by available jobs has become a top priority policy concern,” FKE CEO Jacqueline Mugo said during the launch.

“As such, many employers report difficulties finding suitably skilled workers, even though the unemployment rate is high.”

36 per cent of the surveyed enterprises similarly pinpointed management skills and proficiency in computer use as the most deficient technical skills in job applicants. Following closely behind was mastery of a foreign languages at 28 per cent.

In establishing the actions taken by organizations in order to reduce non-proficiency among the staff, the findings revealed that most of the organizations (73.1 per cent) organized for trainings.

Others implemented performance assessment and benefits (45.3 per cent), changing or improving supervision (34.9 per cent), carrying out new recruitments (25.5 per cent) and changing work organization (12.1 per cent).

Other actions included carrying out appraisals, counselling, assigning of duties on a daily basis and giving deadlines to different tasks, coaching and mentorship, carrying out employment engagement surveys, staff transfers, on the job trainings, reshuffling of workers, promotions and career development and team building.

"This report sheds light on the critical intersection of education and industry needs. As we navigate the evolving demands of the workforce, it is imperative for educational institutions, businesses, and policymakers to collaborate in shaping an agile and skilled workforce that can drive innovation and sustainable economic growth," said Dr. Laila Macharia, the CEO and co-founder of ADMI.