Agricultural Sector The Main Employer in Laikipia – Labour Report 2021
From laikipia.go.ke
Laikipia County Labor Report 2021 has identified the agricultural sector as the leading employer in the County representing 66% of the Labour force and also contributing 44.2 percent of the County’s Gross Product.
The report, the first by the Department of Finance and Economic Planning, provided summary information on the number of employees, main employers, and proportions per economic activities within the county during the year 2019.
It will facilitate informed policy formulation and implementation by highlighting sectors that are crucial in achieving more job creation and employment opportunities in Laikipia.
The agriculture sector according to the report is a significant area in employment creation as most Laikipians in the rural areas are engaged in small-scale farming.
Water for Production
The revelation has come as the government is directing more resources to water for production to make farming profitable.
Through the leasing program, the Government is opening up roads in agricultural areas to enable farmers to easily access markets.
Service activities are second at 14%, wholesale and retail trade come third at 3.2%, the Construction sector accounts for 2.4% of the workforce with the rest distributed across other sectors.
In the rural areas, the majority of Laikipians at 80% are in the agriculture sector with most of them in small-scale agriculture. Thirty-eight percent of those working in the agricultural sector are in Laikipia West while 22% are in Laikipia Central at 22%. Laikipia North has the least at 11% of the sector-related activities total workforce.
Laikipia has a labor force of 250,297 persons, representing 48.3 percent of the total population. Of this, 237,772 persons are engaged in various economic activities such as agriculture.
Nyahururu has the highest proportion of employees engaged in actual work representing 29% followed by Laikipia West at 24.47% while Laikipia North represents the least at 6.67%.
The release of the report is one of the government initiatives to address employment creation in Laikipia by identifying areas that will accelerate the growth of the county. It notes that labor is an important factor of production to achieve envisioned positive social transformation among the residents.
The residents will also be able to have access to the actual status of employment in the county and for other industry players to make an informed decision on where the key areas of investment opportunities in Laikipia can be found.
It also identifies the key employers in the County which comprises public and private enterprises as well as NGOs.
Statistical Abstract 2021
Laikipia County Government is also in the process of releasing the 4th issue of Statistical Abstract 2021 which is currently under production.
The reaffirmation was made during a virtual meeting on the review of the progress by the Department of Finance and Economic planning. The meeting sought to establish what data has already been compiled and the ones still pending.
Laikipia County Statistical Abstract was initiated by Governor Ndiritu Muriithi and contains collected data in all sectors of the Laikipia economy. It helps in ensuring residents, investors and researchers have up to date database of the performance of every sector in Laikipia to help in making informed and evidence-based decisions.
Statistical abstracts provide reliable information and have been a single data source for those seeking specific data. It contains indicators of the economy which is useful for planning, monitoring, and evaluation.
Some of the sector that will be covered in the abstract are Labour, Trade and Commerce, Tourism, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Education, Public Health and Livestock.
