Publication: Education in a Changing World: Flexibility, Skills, and Employability
Date
2012
ISSN
Published
2012
Author(s)
Wang, Yidan
Abstract
New technologies, globalization, the
information revolution, and labor market changes have
affected the world economy on an unprecedented scale. As a
consequence, the demand for a skilled workforce has
increased, world trade and migration have intensified, and
the divide between the haves and have-nots has vastly
widened. While many developed countries have by now gone
through a demographic transition, with declining birth rates
and an increase in the aging population, low-income
countries in particular will see an upswing in population
growth. Between now and 2050, for example, the labor force
in Africa is projected to increase by 125 percent; in Latin
America, by 26 percent; and in Asia, by 22 percent. At the
same time, the labor force in Europe will decline by 23
percent. Given these circumstances, the key policy challenge
is to ensure that the emerging workforce in developing
countries has the skills needed to escape the cycle of
poverty and take advantage of the opportunities made
possible by globalization and technological change. This
paper puts education under the lens of the changing demands
of technology, the labor market, demography, and migration.
It identifies the weaknesses in current education systems,
such as restricted access, skills mismatches, and weak
school-to-work linkages. It calls for making education
systems more flexible and responsive to change so that they
maximize human resources, equip people with updated skills,
and prepare youth for the world of work. It specifically
looks at the education status of four types of countries at
different stages of development and growth and makes
recommendations on priorities and strategies for each group.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Wang, Yidan. 2012. Education in a Changing World: Flexibility, Skills, and Employability. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27092 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”