Many people in Sub-Saharan Africa still work in agriculture; on average, over half of the labor force, and even more in poorer countries and localities. Yet the share of the labor force in agriculture is declining (as is normal in development), leading African leaders and economists to focus on job creation outside agriculture. Planning for…
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Let’s face it: assessing the results of a development project can be as complex as designing and implementing it. This is particularly true for projects that aim to create more and better jobs for all population groups and often work across sectors: how do we measure the number of newly created jobs through a private…
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Digital technologies affect employment through complex channels: automation, connectivity, and innovation. Labor-saving technologies coupled with reshoring may disrupt labor markets in developing countries and result in job losses. Yet, technological change drives productivity gains in both white-collar and blue-collar jobs either through ICT uptake or modern mechanical technologies. The ‘gig economy’ changes the traditional employer-employee…
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Since the concept of the “informal sector” was coined half a century ago, countries all over the world have promoted the formalization of small- and medium-size enterprises. The perceived benefits of formalization include better access to credit, justice, large formal clients, and, for the government, higher tax revenues. But according to recent literature, most formalization…
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Press Release | September 5, 2018 Digital jobs can bring new employment opportunities for young women in developing countries, says a new report by the Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) coalition. The report, titled Digital Jobs for Youth: Young Women in the Digital Economy, incorporates insights drawn from 19 case studies and lays out how…
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There are more informal workers than formal workers across the globe, and yet there remains confusion as to what makes workers or firms informal and how to measure the extent of it. Informal work and informal economic activities imply large efficiency and welfare losses, in terms of low productivity, low earnings, sub-standard working conditions, and…
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The path to inclusive growth in Mozambique lies in the generation of higher quality jobs, says a new World Bank report launched today in Maputo. According to the Mozambique Jobs Diagnostic, the existing development model, although it has achieved substantial poverty reduction since the 1990s, is limited in its capacity to support continued poverty reduction. Over…
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Almost 100 economists, researchers, and policy-makers from 25 countries joined the second edition of the Jobs & Development Conference in Bogota, Colombia, on May 11th and 12th, 2018. For two days, the Conference presented the latest policy-relevant research to help address jobs challenges around the world, aiming to promote dialogue and to stimulate scientific research…
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Over 50 policy-makers and practitioners attend the second Jobs and Migration Core Course. Representatives of over 25 countries are participating in the 2018 Jobs and Migration Core Course. The two-week core course is taught by recognized experts from the World Bank and other agencies, international organizations, academics, and policy makers from around the world. It…
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A complex set of laws, policies, and other factors influences refugees’ right to work and access to labor markets. Host countries need to assess the economic impacts of granting refugees the right to work and identify which factors are hampering their labor market integration. Support from the international community for refugee host countries is key.
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