Casual workers hit 17.6pc as companies cut hiring costs

About 17.6 percent of employees in top firms are casual workers, as firms increasingly turn to contract staff to control costs.

Official statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) show that individuals engaged in casual employment grew from 416,900 in 2020 to 582,900 in 2025, accounting for 17.6 percent of the 3.32 million formal sector workers.