POLICY BRIEF > The Journey of Shona in Kenya / October 2024 Economic opportunities The Shona community's employment rates in 2024 are still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, regional drought, inflation crisis and continuing global economic turbulence. According to data from the Kenya COVID-19 Rapid Response Phone Survey (RRPS), the Shona community experienced significant job losses during the pandemic, particularly between July and September 2020, when unemployment increased dramatically.[9] This period of economic disruption caused by the pandemic led to fluctuating employment rates, as seen in the figure below. Figure 3: Labor force participation as a percentage of working age population, between 2019 and 2024 Source: 2019 Shona socioeconomic survey,[8] Kenya COVID-19 Rapid Response Phone Surveys (RRPS),[9] and the authors’ calculation of 2024 survey data. While employment has started to improve, it has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, especially for women. The employment rate for women decreased from 72 percent in 2019 to 61 percent in 2024, which can largely be attributed to the job losses incurred during the pandemic and slower recovery in female-dominated sectors that were further setback by the food price crisis and global economic headwinds. Meanwhile, male employment increased slightly from 74 percent to 76 percent during the same period, reflecting a quicker rebound in maledominated occupations. The overall decline in total employment from 74 percent in 2019 to 70 percent in 2024 is indicative of the sum of these shocks. Although men have re-entered the labor force at a faster rate, the community as a whole is still in the process of economic recovery. The proportion of unemployed individuals has remained relatively low, suggesting that many are still re-entering the labor market or seeking labor market opportunities. Only 13 percent of the Shona working wage-earners have some form of employment contract, demonstrating a high prevalence of informal work arrangements. The increase in the number of individuals out of the labor force, especially among women, underscores the difficulties of returning to the labor market and securing timely employment. The pandemic's effects have pushed www.unhcr.org 6