Nakuru: The Director General for Economic Planning, Dr. Masini Ichwara, announced the commencement of the 2026 Integrated Labour Force Survey (ILFS) to be conducted nationwide from June to September. This survey is designed to enhance economic planning strategies, track employment trends, and craft targeted interventions for youth, women, and the informal sector.
According to Kenya News Agency, Dr. Ichwara emphasized that the survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) aims to improve the quality, comparability, and coherence of labour statistics. It will gather extensive data on employment, labour under-utilization, the informal sector, and digital platform work.
Speaking in Nakuru at the conclusion of a 17-day training for 192 field personnel, the Director General underscored the importance of reliable Labour Market Information (LMI) for analyzing employment trends, workforce dynamics, and informing policies to promote decent employment opportunities. ILFS will provide crucial insights into employment patterns and workforce skills, essential for tracking progress towards Kenya’s Vision 2030 and international commitments such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Kenya conducted its first ILFS in 1998, integrating labour force, informal sector, and child labour surveys into a single cost-effective survey. It covered 11,049 households with an 86.2% response rate, providing indicators such as school enrolment rates, housing conditions, and unemployment rates. The survey’s objectives were to update labour force data, assess the informal sector’s size and output, and estimate child labour.
Dr. Ichwara explained that the 2026 ILFS aims to capture employment dynamics, measure unemployment and underemployment, and provide a deeper understanding of the informal sector and child labour. It will analyze employment distribution by sector, occupation, hours of work, wages, and educational attainment. The survey will also examine unemployment, youth unemployment, long-term unemployment, and underemployment while providing evidence on informal sector activities and child labour.
The survey is a collaboration between KNBS, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, National Employment Authority (NEA), National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), World Bank (EARSPR), International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Women, and tripartite partners. KNBS Senior Manager Isaac Ndegwa highlighted that the ILFS will offer a comprehensive understanding of Kenya’s labour market dynamics, guiding government policy, job creation strategies, and bilateral labour negotiations.
Ndegwa noted that the ILFS will quantify the informal sector, which accounts for over 80% of jobs, helping integrate workers into social protection systems. By collecting detailed demographic and geographic data, it will measure unemployment and identify reasons behind youth unemployment. The survey will also target child labour, guiding policies to eliminate exploitative practices.
Treasury Economic Planning Secretary Timothy Gakuo stressed the survey’s focus on youth, women, and persons with disabilities within the labour force. It will provide updated data after major economic changes and aid in designing interventions for these groups. The ILFS is crucial to Kenya’s socio-economic development, providing foundational metrics for employment policies and indicating where government interventions are most needed.
The survey will help align the Ministry of Education’s curriculum and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs with modern labour needs.
