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A total of 105,367 Kenyans have secured jobs abroad since July 2023, a despatch from the Cabinet said on Thursday.
The meeting, chaired by President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, 16,943 Kenyans have been cleared for opportunities since January this year.
Kenya has signed bilateral labour agreements with Germany and Austria.
Other countries identified by the Ministry of Labour as destinations for Kenyan workers include Australia, Qatar, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, and Northern Ireland.
These opportunities span professional, skilled, and unskilled jobs, including positions for nurses, aged-care workers, and teachers in science, mathematics, English, and physical education.
“At the meeting, the Cabinet was informed that the Ministry of Labour has organised job recruitment drives in every county over the coming weeks,” the despatch said.
The government puts labour export at the forefront of its agenda, aiming to generate millions of jobs for the unemployed.
Last month, Kenya and Qatar have agreed to set up a Qatar Visa Centre in Nairobi to streamline the export of labour to the Gulf state, as well as a new station to ensure that job contracts are properly signed.
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said the two countries have started bilateral talks aimed at finalising a new MoU between Kenya and Qatar that will allow for the deployment of skilled Kenyan workers to the Gulf state.
There are currently about 67,000 Kenyans working in Qatar.
This number, Dr Mutua said, will potentially rise to over 200,000 once the new agreement is signed, unlocking a wave of employment opportunities for Kenyan professionals in the Gulf nation.
Mutua highlighted Qatar’s ongoing development projects that have created demand for skilled workers in sectors such as ICT, health, education, infrastructure and agriculture.
“This MoU will open doors for thousands of skilled Kenyans to contribute to Qatar’s key developmental projects,” he said.