NAIROBI, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will undertake a study on the informal sector with the support of World Bank, officials said on Friday.
Ukur Yatani, cabinet secretary of the Ministry for Labor and Social Protection, told journalists in Nairobi that the Informal Sector Skills and Occupations Survey (ISSOS) is being undertaken to obtain data about the profile of skills and occupations prevalent in the informal sector.
"The information obtained will help to improve employment opportunities for targeted youth in the short term and improve policy making by government in the long term," Yatani said.
The survey is part of the Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP) which aims to improve labor market information to enable informed decisions pertaining to the labor market by all stakeholders.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicates that the informal sector currently generates over 80 percent of the total job openings in the country.
Yatani said that the data collection exercise will take a period of 40 days in all the 47 counties.
"The data collection exercise was preceded by several preparatory activities that took place from 2017 to date between different government departments," he added.
The official revealed that the government is keen to improve the working conditions of the informal sector given the prominent role it plays in the economy.
