Kipkelion East Member of Parliament Cherorot Kimutai called for inquiry into the hurdles Kenyans confront in the job market due to the requirement of experience.
Speaking during a sitting at parliament, Kimutai argued that the current situation sidelined many graduates and trained persons from breaking through to their dream careers.
The requirement, he noted, was rampant both within government and private sector hence complicating the process of securing jobs among Kenyan youths.
"Could the CS involved explain why Kenya's employment design including within the government has a predetermined requirement for relevant experience in related fields for fresh graduates?" the MP inquired.
He, as such, called for a comparison between the outcomes of careers in which employees are recruited without experience and careers which recruit from highly trained personnel but require experience of specified periods before employment.
Further, the MP sought an explanation of the evaluation mechanism used to assess the ability of fresh job seekers to eventually succeed at a time when most of them were left stranded without places to launch their careers.
The MP urged the Ministry of Labour to consider developing a framework aimed at protecting young professionals and fresh graduates from being subjected to extreme job qualification requirements.
According to the legislator, protecting fresh graduates from discrimination in the job market would boost all-around career growth as well as minimise unemployment of educated youth in the Country.
Consequently, Labour Cabinet Secretary, Florence Bore and other relevant stakeholders will have a date to respond to the National Assembly through the Committee.
The concerns came up at a time when the country was grappling with high unemployment rates and experiencing a low absorption rate of trainees who graduate from tertiary institutions every year.
According to data provided by the World Bank, Kenya's unemployment rate is among the highest in the region with analysis showing that 5.7 per cent of Kenya's population was working outside work in 2021.
The high unemployment rate, especially among university graduates prompted the government's call for the creation of opportunities in the digital space including the Ajira programme.
