Kenyan freelancers charge some of the world’s lowest rates for services offered, a trend that lifts the lid on the prevalence of cheap labour in a country where desperation has been hoisted by ballooning unemployment levels.
A study commissioned by Australian invoicing software firm Bookipi shows that in a sample of 40 countries, Kenya ranks ninth among jurisdictions with the lowest charging freelancers, while it occupies the top position in Africa in this category.
In Kenya, the average price of a freelance job is $111.99 (about Sh14,894 at current exchange rates), coming just ahead of Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Jamaica, Venezuela, Germany, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, whose freelancers charge $72.13, $79.81, $80.84, $88.63, $93.41, $102.35, $106.70, and $107, respectively.
“The study looked at several popular services, including logo design, video editing, and data entry. For each service in each country, the starting and end price were collected, and an average price overall was calculated,” said the firm in the report.
Other African countries ranked are Tunisia, South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria. According to the survey, Australia has the most expensive freelancers, costing an average of $594.56 (Sh79,225) per job, followed by India with an average rate of $501 (Sh66,758).
In Africa, Morocco tops the list of countries with the most expensive freelancers, with an average cost of $402.03 (Sh53,570) per job, which propels it to the third position worldwide.
“Typically, countries with robust economies and high living standards tend to host the most expensive freelancers, which the data reflects by finding Australia as the most expensive freelance country,” said Tim Lee, CEO and founder at Bookipi.
“Although this is true for India, the second country to appear in the ranking, freelancers can command a higher rate thanks to their specialised skills and expertise in industries such as software development, IT services, and digital marketing.”
The revelation comes at a time when President William Ruto has embarked on an aggressive campaign to court overseas multinational firms to provide digital jobs for Kenyan youth.
As part of the scheme, the government has announced plans to set up at least 1,450 digital hubs in all Kenya’s administrative wards to equip young people with the much-needed skills to take up the jobs.
