HR lobby backs contract hiring in public service

“I do not think there is any problem with government transforming hiring contract to fixed-term contracting and embracing the contractual form of employment. But it needs to make sure technical expertise is not lost by subjecting it to short contracts as this will negatively impact the economy,” she said.

The annual conference themed ‘Contemporary HR Practices and the Future of Work’ attracted more than 1,000 participants from Kenya and abroad.

The three-day conference focused on how the workplace is changing and empowering HR practitioners to better handle the employees.

Ms Wainaina said the civil servants should align themselves with the changes at the workplace.

“The future of work is undergoing very radical changes, for instance, the workplace will be centred on the use of technology, with machines and artificial intelligence playing a key role at work,” she said.

“The government trying to move from permanent to contract employment should not cause a lot of discomforts. That means the future of work is changing.”

Speakers at the annual event said there was a need for the education system to ensure the curriculum is in line with changes expected in the future workforce.

IHRM council member Wycliffe Osoro echoed the sentiments, urging workers to embrace the shift.

“Jobs in the future will not be the way we think of them today. We have always thought about permanent and pensionable jobs. In future people will want to work on contracts with different employers and that is the direction that we need to start moving,” he said.

The Public Service Commission chairman Stephen Kirogo said the plans to hire civil servants on contract seek to boost productivity and rein in the bloated public wage bill.