NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 6 – Kenyan firms hired more workers in December last year as business activity improved, according to the latest Stanbic Bank Kenya Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).
The data shows that private sector activity was supported by stronger customer demand and relatively mild cost pressures during the month.
“Amid sharply increasing new business, firms in Kenya added to their workforces at a historically strong pace in December. In fact, when adjusted for seasonal variation, the Employment Index rose to its highest point in just over six years,” the PMI report shows.
“Job creation was widespread across sectors, but easily the most pronounced in construction,” it adds.
As a result, Kenya’s PMI stood at 53.7 in December, down from 55.0 recorded in November 2025. A PMI reading above 50 signals an improvement in business conditions, while a reading below 50 indicates a deterioration.
“Business output increased at a sharp rate as 2025 drew to an end, with firms often relating an expansion in activity to rising order book volumes. Whilst not as substantial as that recorded in November, which was the strongest in over five years, the rate of output growth during December was still historically elevated,” the report said.
