Covid-19 slashes job openings by 58pc in just four months

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen job opportunities drop by 58 per cent in the past four months, with companies closing down and others reducing operations to stem runaway costs.

A report by a jobseekers’ online platform reveals that cessation of movement and lockdowns imposed across Kenya are to blame for the loss of about a million opportunities.

“The Kenyan job market has not been spared by the scourge. There has been a drop in the number of jobs advertised and other job aggregators as Covid-19 took hold and lockdown measures were implemented,” said BrighterMonday Kenya Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Mutuma in a statement yesterday.

Hardest hit, he said, are the travel and hospitality sectors, as facilities as well as all operations were closed down as a way of reducing the spread of the virus.

But all was not gloom, with major investments made in the healthcare and safety areas that reported a 700 per cent jump, trade and services at 327 per cent, agriculture at 170 per cent, quality assurance and control at 113 per cent.

“Job opportunities in property and real estate increased by 125 per cent. This has been attributed to people disposing of property in an effort to maintain liquidity. Working remotely also gained a lot of ground in the past few months,” says the report. Hospitality and travel, building and architecture areas were the hardest hit by cessation orders leading to a 47 per cent and 75 per cent drop respectively while consulting and strategy services declined 20 per cent.

Community and social services as well as project and product management were not spared as they dropped by 36 per cent and 37 per cent respectively.

Creative and design, marketing and communication, legal services, human resources and administration survived the onslaught.

The 9pm to 4am national curfew has adversely affected business activities, with entertainment joints  closed down while retail operators and public service vehicles were forced to reduce working hours to comply with the directive.

With airline operations still suspended, all workers at airports as well as travel offices and supporting service remain closed but could reopen next week albeit in a controlled arrangement with strict Covid-19 surveillance arrangements at all airports.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), over one million people in Kenya lost their jobs as companies closed or downsized to survive the economic downturn brought about by the pandemic.

In some instances, sectors such as the hospitality and travel industries have faced total shutdowns, forcing companies to send their staff home on unpaid leave or layoffs.

As at Thursday evening, Kenya had reported 15,601 confirmed cases, with Nairobi leading with 9,251, followed by Mombasa (1,873), Kajiado (695), Kiambu (970), Machakos (660), Busia(661) and Migori (250).