Workers in Kenyas informal sector will now receive their payment for days they have worked whenever they need it as local economy moves to embrace the United States model of payment.
Employees in the sector also referred to as blue collar jobs have had to wait till end month to access their Salaries a trend that payroll solution providers say is sinking them more into debt as they seek advances to pay school fees.
A new partnership between SeamlessHR and Melinda Gates Foundation has now led to the creation of a platform where, rather than taking loans and advances workers will be paid for the days they have already worked.
According to industry players the model will help employees improve on their output at work alongside enabling the small firms manage their employees and create financial history to enable them access loans.
Bidco Kenya CEO Vimal Shah says Most Juakali workers and small traders are not formalized and therefore lack collateral to take to financial institutions, and as a result, are often locked out on credit access by institutions like banks.
"83 percent of Kenyans work in the informal sector, and yet they are the most excluded from formal credit yet they are the ones who make the economic wheel turn," said Vimal Shah.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ over 83 per cent of Kenya’s working population is employed in the informal sector.
Despite the massive potential in the sector, there has been a slow adoption of technology with a majority of Kenyan companies still handling most HR practices manually despite the global shift to digitisation.
The Kenya Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) says that an estimated 7.4 million SMEs in Kenya, are struggling to manage human resources.
“As an employer, u have to look at the welfare of employees. When your employees are settled with no worries, they will work harder. But if you don't pay them on time, delay in paying rent or fees to go to school, they won't give you their best,” added Vimal.
Currently in Kenya wage statistics show that in 2021 only 3 percent of the formally employed earned a monthly salary of above Sh100,000 and above.
About 70 percent of the formally employed earned a monthly salary of between Sh25,000 and Sh100,000.
