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<p class="MsoNormal">- Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues -<br>
<br>
Morning all,<br>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Walu has done a fantastic job moderating <span style=""> </span>so far and now you are stuck with me for the
next four days. Today’s theme is on Youth and Gender issues. It is
obvious we have touched on a number of issues that focus on this theme in the
last few days; however, it is still pertinent to address it as an exclusive
issue. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Some of you have
wondered why we keep referring to S. Africa, Mauritius and India. I would like
to re-emphasize that those are the countries where the research was conducted
but views from other countries are welcome. The idea is not to compare Kenya
per se but to bench-mark on our (or potential) competitors. Views based on
other countries are very welcome, the researchers could not visit more
countries due to funding constraints.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is useful to begin by noting that the researchers found
that the unemployment rate (2008 est) was 40% in Kenya, 21.7% in S. Africa,
7.6% in Mauritius and 6.8% in India. The researchers also found that the
minimum qualification for professional staff was a Bachelor’s degree in all
four countries.<span style=""> </span>However, the minimum
qualification for operators/agents varied.<span style="">
</span>In Kenya it was a certificate, diploma or degree depending on operation;
in S. Africa it was Grade 12; Mauritius school certificate or below and in
India it was a High school certificate.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The common work related challenges include project
management (especially meeting deadlines) and long hours. Some employees in
Kenya complained about challenges with transportation.<span style=""> </span>The detailed summary findings will be availed.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Generally there were more women in call centres than male
but more males in the professional cadre. <span style=""> </span>The youth are mostly found in the
agent/operator jobs. The following are some country specific issues:</p>
<ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">In, India there is the
Equal Remuneration Act ensures that there is equal remuneration to men and
women for same jobs. Under this law, no discrimination is permissible in
recruitment and service conditions except where employment of women is
prohibited or restricted by the law<span style="" lang="EN-GB">. </span>NASSCOM has launched the Women in Leadership-IT Initiative
to enhance participation of women in the workforce and ensure there are
more women leaders in the IT-BPO industry.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">In South Africa, there are
40% more females than males below 25 years working in the BPO sector.
However, there are 7% more males than females above 25 years old. <span style=""> </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">There is no gender or age based
discrimination in the work place. </span>There exists no law or policy
that prefers youth from other groups of people in employment<span style="color: black;">.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">In Mauritius, there is no 24 hour work
culture. In addition, the Labor Act prohibits employment of female
employees in industrial undertakings </span>between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m;
while youth are not allowed to work between between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m<span style="" lang="EN-ZA">. Interestingly, there is
clause that </span>no person shall, except with the Permanent Secretary's
written consent, transport a female worker or cause a female worker to be
transported in a goods vehicle; any other vehicle, unless the vehicle is
provided with an easy means of entering and alighting which does not
involve climbing.</li></ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style=""> </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">In Kenya we have the Employment Act which many of you know.</span><span lang="EN-ZA"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This leads us to
the following discussion questions:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><u>Discussion Q9</u></b><u>: </u><strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;">Are the Kenyan laws adequate to protect the youth and women from
exploitation by BPO&O employers?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><strong><u><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Discussion Q. 10</span></u></strong><strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;">: </span></strong>The BPO sector is not seen as a long term source of
employment for most employees. Most believe it is a stepping stone to other
lucrative opportunities. What needs to be done to ensure the youth and women
view the industry as attractive, especially in terms of quality of employment
and career progression?<span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><u>Discussion Q11</u></b>: Attrition and
poaching are prevalent in most countries studied. What mechanisms should
employers adopt to attract and retain their staff? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;">Let the games (oops! Discussion)
begin!<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;">Thanks<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;">Nyaki<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal;">To be Encl: </span></strong>Synthesis
4 – Youth and Gender Issues</p>
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