Employment Services Directorate
The Directorate is charged with the following functions:
- Implementation of employment policies, programmes and projects;
- Enforcement of national standards on labour migration and employment services;
- Develop strategies to mainstream issues of gender, youth, the marginalized, and persons with disabilities into employment programmes;
- Ensure compliance with the Labour legislations on employment;
- Advise on formulation and review of employment and diaspora employment Policies, regulation and procedures; and
- Provision of advice on ratification and domestication of ILO conventions on employment.
The Directorate is organized into the following two (2) Departments whose functions are as indicated below: –
1. Regional Employment Services
The functions of the Regional Employment Offices entails:
- Promotion of employment creation;
- Provision of advise to both the national and county governments on locally available employment opportunities and policy issues concerning employment;
- Provision of advise to both the national and county governments on available employment opportunities in foreign countries;
- Development of project proposals for promoting gainful employment including monitoring and assessment of job creation programmes and income generating activities in both the formal and informal sectors;
- Registration of persons seeking employment;
- Development and implementation of a framework for monitoring all job opportunities created in projects and programmes in the country;
- Development and implementation of a framework to facilitate increased employment in the public and private sectors;
- Enforcement of employment rules and related legislations;
- Monitoring implementation of employment policies and programmes;
- Dissemination of information on available job opportunities to job seekers;
- Facilitate the employment and placement of job seekers in formal and informal employment locally
- Facilitation and promotion of equal opportunity employment practices
- Monitoring Employment and unemployment trends in the country
- Monitor and evaluate employment opportunities and trends at international levels for Kenyans;
- Oversee compliance to foreign employment policies, rules and regulations, and ILO conventions on employment;
- Canvassing for jobs and carrying out placements;
- Provision of advise to county governments on locally available employment opportunities and policy issues concerning employment;
- Collecting data for Labour Management Information Systems (LMIS);
- Information point on foreign employments for locals including confirmation of validity of agents;
- Carrying out capacity building and counselling of job seekers;
- Placement of interns and job seekers;
- Ensuring compliance on employment policies, rules, standards and regulations;
- Inspection of private employment agencies to ensure compliance
- Monitoring and evaluation of employment trends, creation and promotion strategies, plans and programmes in the Regions;
- Ensuring Recruitment Agencies comply with the Employment Rules and Regulations;
- Initiating socio-economic studies on employment creation;
- Coordination of employment services in the region;
- Preparation of quarterly reports on matters handled within the region and submitting them to the headquarters; and
- Undertake due diligence on private employment agencies seeking registration.
2. Registration of Employment Agencies and Management of Foreign Employment Department
The functions of the department entails: –
- Initiating development of Bilateral Labour Agreements;
- Coordinating participation in Regional and International Meetings;
- Ensure generation and safe custody of reports from labour attaché’s;
- Administration and management of Foreign Employment and Labour Migration; and
- Provision of Secretarial services to Inter-Ministerial Vetting Committee.
The department is further subdivided into the following two divisions: –
- Registration of Employment Agencies; and
- Foreign Employment Services.
Registration of Employment Agencies
The Division’s functions entail:
- Registration of private Employment Agencies;
- Facilitate the employment and placement of job seekers in international jobs;
- Compilation of reports on Registration and placement of job seekers by private Recruitment Agencies;
- Ensure implementation of pre-departure training;
- Maintenance of a register of registered employment agencies;
- Inspection of private employment agencies to ensure compliance;
- Organizing Workshops and Forums on Foreign Employment to educate Kenyan migrants amongst others;
- Regulation/accreditation of private employment bureaux and employment agencies including preparation and production of monthly reports on the stated relevant fields;
- Verifying foreign job offers;
- Verifying the authenticity of the Foreign Employment Agencies;
- Verifying availability terms and conditions of the jobs advertised; and
- Investigating Contract breaches and issues that are likely to interfere or terminate employment contract.
Foreign Employment Services
The Division’s functions entails:
- Promotion and protection of Kenyan labour Migrants and their welfare;
- Collecting labour market information and maintaining data base of Kenyan nationals working in other Countries;
- Register and maintain an integrated data of all Kenyan labour migrants;
- Ensure that Kenyans in distress are assisted and returned home when necessary;
- Develop and implement programmes to ensure that Kenyan returning migrants are reintegrated in society;
- Coordinate provision of legal and other necessary assistance for migrant workers in distress;
- Coordinate and monitor employment opportunities arising from the free labour movement in the EAC region; and
- Ensure the establishment of safe houses for Kenyan migrant workers in distress in destination countries.