A survey of staff recruitment and selection practices among small and medium size enterprises in Nairobi

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to establish recruitment and selection practices among small and medium enterprises in Nairobi, while also determining the factors that influence these practices among the enterprises of study. Small and medium enterprises contribute significantly to the Kenyan economy and provide 40% of the private sector employment in the country. A total of 235 enterprises were sampled with 165 of them responding, this is a 70% response rate. The questionnaires were dropped to the targeted enterprises and picked after completion. The survey findings indicated that 60% of small and medium enterprises have their human resources function headed by either the owner or appointed director and that the enterprises largely use internal sources of recruitment. There is extensive use of oral oneto- one interviews and on the job interview (apprenticeship) in candidate selection among the enterprises. It can therefore be concluded that small and medium enterprises fall short of the expectations of the "best practice" model. It is therefore recommended that small and medium enterprises explore more of the recruitment and selection practices as prescribed in the model, while at the same time look into the possibilities of outsourcing the human resources function.