Sekkel Gaal, MelissaFox, Louise2012-05-252012-05-252008973-0-8213-7442-9https://hdl.handle.net/10986/6434This paper explores Africa's economic performance and the creation of jobs over the decade and more since 1995, recognizing that some standard labor concepts are difficult to apply to conditions prevailing in Africa. The intent of the paper is to identify the economic factors behind the more successful outcomes and the options available for improving the quality of growth. The report focuses on several key issues: how has the structure of economic growth and labor demand shaped the job creation process? Does rigidity in African labor markets impede job creation? Have the quality and quantity of the labor supply affected job creation? What policies have been pursued to raise the quality of the African labor force? What does the expanding "informal" sector mean for the labor market and the quality of growth? Is it a route out of poverty or a low-skills trap? Throughout the paper, the focus is on the factors, exogenous and endogenous, that are linked to the outcomes, and the implications that these factors may have for raising the quality of Africa's economic growth. Some countries have reversed many of the vicious cycles underlying Sub- Saharan Africa's generally poor performance on job creation; those countries are highlighted where adequate data are available, and the lessons these experiences offer all stakeholders in meeting the growth and poverty reduction challenges of the future are pointed out. The paper concludes that Africa's record of poor economic performance has in part been an inevitable result of its colonial heritage-the low levels of human capital at independence. It is also a function of the ensuing policies pursued, especially those that led to the debt crisis and the subsequent recession and public sector restructuring. In most countries, these costs have been paid, and the future looks brighter as a result.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS TO CREDITADULT WOMENANNUAL LABOR FORCE GROWTHAVERAGE WAGESBALANCE OF PAYMENTSBANK DATABENEFICIARIESBUSINESS CLIMATESCALCULATIONCALCULATIONSCHILD LABORCONTRACT ENFORCEMENTCONTRIBUTIONCREATING JOBSCREATING OPPORTUNITIESCROSS-SECTIONAL DATACURRICULUMCUSTOMS CLEARANCEDEBTDEBT CRISISDEMOGRAPHIC CHANGESDEMOGRAPHIC FACTORSDEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONDEVELOPMENT POLICYDIRECT INVESTMENTDISMISSALDISSEMINATIONDOMESTIC MARKETSDOWNWARD PRESSUREDRIVERSEARNINGEARNINGSECONOMIC ACTIVITIESECONOMIC ACTIVITYECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC GROWTHEDUCATION PROGRAMSEDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTEDUCATIONAL LEVELEDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIESEFFECTIVE POLICIESEMPLOYEEEMPLOYMENTEMPLOYMENT EFFECTEMPLOYMENT EFFECTSEMPLOYMENT GROWTHEMPLOYMENT PERFORMANCEEPIDEMICEXCHANGE RATEFAMILY MEMBERSFEMALE LABORFEMALE LABOR FORCEFERTILITYFERTILITY RATESFINANCIAL INSTITUTIONSFINANCIAL TROUBLEFINDING JOBSFIRM LEVELFIRM SIZEFIRM SURVEYSFOREIGN INVESTMENTFOREIGN WORKERSFORMAL EDUCATIONFORMAL SECTOR WORKERSFULL EMPLOYMENTGROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTHIVHOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTIONHOUSEHOLD ENTERPRISEHOUSEHOLD INCOMEHOUSEHOLD SURVEYHOUSEHOLD SURVEYSHUMAN CAPITALINCOME INEQUALITYINCOME LEVELINCOMESINDIRECT COSTSINFORMAL ECONOMYINFORMAL SECTORINFORMED CHOICESINVESTINGINVESTMENT CLIMATEINVESTMENT CLIMATESINVESTMENT RISKSJOB CREATIONJOB LOSSJOB SECURITYJOB SEEKERSJOBSLABOR COSTSLABOR DEMANDLABOR FORCELABOR FORCE GROWTHLABOR FORCE PARTICIPATIONLABOR FORCESLABOR LAWLABOR LAWSLABOR MARKETLABOR MARKET CONDITIONSLABOR MARKET INSTITUTIONSLABOR MARKETSLABOR POOLLABOR PRODUCTIVITYLABOR REGULATIONLABOR REGULATIONSLABOR SHORTAGESLABOR STANDARDSLABOR STATISTICSLABOR SUPPLIESLABOR SUPPLYLABOR UNIONSLABOR-INTENSIVE PRODUCTIONLABOURLEGAL STATUSLEVEL OF EDUCATIONLIFE EXPECTANCYLITERACYLIVING COSTSLIVING STANDARDLOW-INCOMELOW-INCOME COUNTRIESMACROECONOMIC STABILITYMINIMUM WAGEMINIMUM WAGESNATURAL GASNET JOB CREATIONNET JOB LOSSESNEW JOBNEW JOBSOLDER WORKERSPAYING JOBSPOOR HOUSEHOLDSPOOR INVESTMENTPOPULATION GROWTH RATESPOPULATION INCREASEPOVERTY REDUCTIONPRIMARY EDUCATIONPRIMARY LEVELPRIMARY SCHOOLPRIMARY SCHOOL EDUCATIONPRIVATE ENTERPRISEPRIVATE INVESTMENTPRIVATE PROVIDERSPRIVATE SECTORPRIVATE SECTOR WAGEPRODUCTION FUNCTIONPRODUCTION PROCESSESPRODUCTION WORKERSPRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTSPROGRESSPUBLIC EMPLOYMENTPUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENTPUBLIC SERVICEPURCHASING POWERRAPID POPULATION GROWTHRATE OF GROWTHRATE OF POPULATION GROWTHRATE OF RETURNRATES OF RETURNREAL WAGESRECESSIONRIGID LABOR MARKETRISK PREMIUMSALARYSAVINGSSAVINGS RATESSECONDARY EDUCATIONSECONDARY SCHOOLSECONDARY SCHOOLINGSELF-EMPLOYMENTSERVICE SECTORSERVICE SECTORSSEVERANCE PAYSKILL PREMIUMSSKILL SHORTAGESKILL SHORTAGESSKILLED LABORSMALL MANUFACTURINGSOCIAL INSURANCESOCIAL SECURITYSTABLE JOBSSTAKEHOLDERSTAX RATESTECHNICAL EDUCATIONTOTAL COSTSTOTAL EMPLOYMENTTOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITYTOTAL LABOR FORCETRADE UNIONTRADE UNIONSTRAINING INSTITUTIONSTRANSACTIONUNEMPLOYEDUNEMPLOYMENTUNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEMUNEMPLOYMENT RATEUNION MEMBERSHIPUNSKILLED WORKERSURBAN AREASURBAN EMPLOYMENTURBAN MIGRATIONURBAN POPULATIONURBAN UNEMPLOYMENTURBANIZATIONURBANIZED COUNTRIESVOCATIONAL COURSESVOCATIONAL EDUCATIONWAGE DATAWAGE DIFFERENTIALSWAGE EFFECTWAGE EFFECTSWAGE EMPLOYMENTWAGE FLOORWAGE GAINSWAGE GAPWAGE LEVELWAGE LEVELSWOMANWORKERWORKERSWORKING ADULTSWORKING AGEWORKING-AGE POPULATIONWORLD TRADEYOUNG WOMENYOUNG WORKERSYOUTH UNEMPLOYMENTWorld Bank10.1596/973-0-8213-7442-9https://doi.org/10.1596/973-0-8213-7442-9