A recent report by BrighterMonday highlights a critical skills gap in the Kenyan job market, as the rapid advance of artificial intelligence and digital transformation reshapes the employment landscape. The findings call for immediate and large-scale reskilling initiatives to equip the nation’s youth for the jobs of the future.
The Digital Disruption in Kenya’s Job Market
The world of work is undergoing a fundamental shift, driven by automation and AI, and Kenya is at the forefront of this evolution. BrighterMonday’s analysis, presented at the 2025 HR Smart Lab, points to both a significant challenge and a unique opportunity for the country’s workforce.
A Growing Youth Population Meets a Changing Market
Africa is projected to have the world’s largest working-age population by 2050, with a net increase of 740 million people. In Kenya, 800,000 new job seekers, primarily young people, enter the market each year. However, job creation has not kept pace. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 2.97 million Kenyans are unemployed, with over half of them aged between 20 and 29.
“We’re riding a massive digital wave that is redefining what it means to be employable,” stated Sarah Ndegwa, Acting Managing Director at BrighterMonday Kenya. “The key question is not just about job availability, but whether our skills match the demand.”
The Widening Gap Between Skills and Employer Needs
BrighterMonday’s data, gathered from over 1.3 million candidate profiles and more than 70,000 employers, reveals a significant mismatch between the skills job seekers possess and those sought by companies. An analysis of popular job roles on the platform found that:
- 65% of listed hard skills can be automated or augmented by AI.
- 20% of soft skills are also susceptible to automation.
This underscores the growing importance of human-centric abilities that complement AI, such as emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and complex problem-solving.
High-Demand Skills and Critical Gaps
The demand for technology-related skills is surging across the continent. A 2025 report by SAP, titled “AI Skilled Readiness,” found that 100% of surveyed organizations in Africa have experienced an increased need for tech expertise.
Specific Skill Shortages in Kenya
In Kenya, the skills gap is particularly pronounced in several key areas:
- AI-related skills: 43% of companies reported a significant increase in demand for these abilities.
- Cybersecurity: A staggering 86% of businesses identified this as their top skills gap.
- Cloud Computing: 79% of employers flagged this as a critical area of need.
These shortages persist even as remote work and digitalization open up new avenues for Kenyan talent. A report by Breedj noted that 64% of firms in Sub-Saharan Africa are leveraging digitalization to create jobs. The cybersecurity challenge is particularly acute, with Standard Chartered launching specialized mentorship programs for women in cybersecurity to address the regional skills gap.
The Path Forward: A Call for Collaborative Reskilling
The rapid acceleration of Kenya’s digital economy, from fintech to e-commerce, demands an equally swift evolution in the talent pipeline. To maintain national competitiveness and position Kenya as a global hub for remote work and innovation, a concerted effort in reskilling is essential.
Hilda Kabushenga, CEO of The African Talent Company, emphasized this point, stating, “The demand for tech and digital skills has widened the gap between what employers need and the skills the youth have. GenerationKazi is working to bridge this gap by provisioning Kenyan youth with access to the tools and skills they need to thrive.”
Key Areas for Reskilling Focus
BrighterMonday is urging a collaborative approach involving HR leaders, government agencies, educational institutions, and the private sector. The focus should be on developing large-scale programs centered around:
- AI-resilient skills: Cultivating abilities in strategic thinking, communication, negotiation, and emotional intelligence.
- Digital-first capabilities: Providing training in high-demand areas like software development, cybersecurity, data analytics, and cloud technologies.
- Lifelong learning: Establishing adaptive learning ecosystems to ensure the workforce can keep pace with future technological shifts.
Key roles currently in high demand include software developers, data analysts, cybersecurity specialists, and AI integration experts. Initiatives like AWS’s AI Ready program, which aims to train 2 million Kenyans in AI skills by 2025, demonstrate the scale of commitment needed from both public and private sectors.
The challenge is substantial, but so is the opportunity. As global organizations increasingly recognize Africa’s potential as a technology hub, Kenya stands positioned to capture significant value from the digital transformation wave. Success, however, depends on bridging the current skills gap through coordinated, large-scale reskilling efforts that prepare the nation’s workforce for an AI-driven future.
The need for action is urgent. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries worldwide, Kenya’s ability to adapt and upskill its workforce will determine whether the country emerges as a leader in the digital economy or falls behind in the global race for technological advancement.
