Percent of self-employed
100
10
FIGURE 37: Changes in earnings among
paid employees
10
80
60
63
70
40
20
0
27
20
60
47
88
40
47
20
Urban refugee
Decreased
6
80
0
Shona
Unchanged
100
Percent of wage workers
FIGURE 36: Changes in revenue
among the self-employed
Increased
12
Shona
Unchanged
Urban refugee
Decreased
Increased
Source: Kenya COVID-19 RRPS (2020).
Note: More details in online dashboard: www.kenyacovidtracker.org
have been OLF in the last seven days because they are sick or incapacitated. In addition, 4 percent
report a lack of employment opportunities as the reason why they have not worked. For nationals living in urban Kenya, 59 percent of those OLF are full-time students while 21 percent are OLF because
of family responsibilities.
34. Among those OLF, 13 percent are discouraged jobseekers, mainly due to the unavailability of
jobs in the area and family responsibilities. This population constitutes the potential labor force—
defined as persons not in the labor force who are available but no longer looking for work due to specific labor market-related reasons. Among this population, about 28 percent cite no jobs available in
the area as the main reason for not searching despite being available themselves, and 22 percent cite
themselves as homemakers. Women are more likely to be discouraged than men and their reasons for
not seeking jobs differ from men. Women often cite family responsibilities (26 percent vs. 15 percent)
as the main reason while men often cite unavailability of jobs in the area (31 percent vs. 26 percent).
Irrespective of the reasons given for not seeking jobs despite being available, these potential workers are generally considered as being underutilized. When job placement services are improved (for
instance, promoting job creation, facilitating job search processes, and helping potential employers
find potential seekers), these people might change their minds and look for work, which increases
employment rates and overall labor force participation.
V. County Trends
35. The Shona community living in Kiambu County are poorer, live in worse housing conditions,
and have lower educational outcomes compared to their counterparts in Nairobi County. The Shona
living in Kiambu are 9 percentage points more likely to be poor than those living in Nairobi County
(56 percent vs. 49 percent). The lower incidence of poverty among the Shona in Nairobi compared to
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