State moves to ensure Kenyans access decent jobs in Europe

The government has initiated various strategies geared towards increasing access to decent jobs by Kenyan workers in Europe.

Labour and Skills Development PS Shadrack Mwadime on Thursday said the strategies also seek to protect the rights and welfare of Kenyan workers in Europe.

Further, he said the strategies will help optimise the benefits of labour migration to the country.

Mwadime said the government is keen to increase access to employment opportunities for Kenyan job seekers, especially the youth.

“Labour migration and development nexus can be witnessed through increased remittances into the country,” Mwadime said.

“Some Sh628.49 billion was remitted in 2023 making diaspora remittances one of Kenya’s highest foreign exchange earner,” the PS noted.

Mwadime made the remarks when he made a presentation on ‘Kenya’s Labour export strategy’ to Kenya’s ambassadors and high commissioners in European countries during their regional consultative conference held in Vienna, Austria.

Europe remains one of the key and popular destination countries for Kenyan migrants with the region only ranking second after the US.

The United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland are among the top 10 European countries remitting to Kenya.

The PS said the strategies employed by the government have increased access to decent jobs by Kenyan workers in Europe.

“These include implementation of the signed bilateral labour agreement on healthcare professionals between Kenya and the United Kingdom that has facilitated employment of 280 nurses in the UK,” he noted.

The PS said the state department has drafted other bilateral labour agreements with eight targeted countries which are at various levels of finalisation.

He named the countries like Germany, United Kingdom (all categories of workers), Austria, Poland, Ireland (nursing and midwifery), Israel, Serbia and Russia.

The PS apprised envoys of the strategies the government has put in place to strengthen policy, legal and institutional frameworks on Labour migration in Kenya.

This includes operationalisation of one-stop shop for labour migration services in Nairobi to provide all labour migration services in a centralised place and ease pre-departure process for outbound migrant workers.

 He noted that labour migration desks have also been operationalised at major airports to ensure compliance with migration procedures.

“The desks are expected to curb irregular migration, unethical recruitment and human trafficking to ensure the realisation of safe, orderly and regular labour migration for all Kenyans,” Mwadime said.

He asked for support from the ambassadors and high commissioners in the identification and securing of employment opportunities for Kenyans in the European labour market.