World Bank2014-06-122014-06-122014https://hdl.handle.net/10986/18642In the Pacific island countries, which are small and far from world markets, labor mobility represents the most significant and substantial opportunity for overcoming geographic constraints on employment. This report presents a brief overview of employment challenges in small Pacific island countries and recommendations for addressing them. The report contributes to an ongoing World Bank analytical program examining the linkages between employment and well-being around the world, begun with the World Development Report 2013: jobs. Discussion in this report relates to Pacific island states, with populations of significantly less than one million, including Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau. Economic growth and diversification has been very limited in these countries because of the barriers imposed by smallness and distance, and these barriers will not be quickly overcome. This report provides five priorities that are likely to be broadly applicable to the unique group of countries. First, stakeholders' expectations about the trajectory of development will need to be realistic. Second, the volume of international labor mobility should be increased through the erosion of regulatory barriers and investment in transferable human capital. Third, governments can work to harness the positive potential of urbanization through investment in improved rural services, connective infrastructure, and improved urban administration. Fourth, productive public spending can be used as a mechanism for creating new employment opportunities. Finally, policies can ensure that natural resource industries provide a sustainable source of employment creation.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS TO EMPLOYMENTACCOUNTINGAGE YOUTHAGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONBARRIERS TO WOMENBASIC NEEDSCENSUSESCITIZENSCITIZENSHIPCREATING OPPORTUNITIESDEMOGRAPHIC CHANGEDEMOGRAPHIC TRENDSDEPENDENT CHILDRENDEVELOPING COUNTRIESDEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCEDEVELOPMENT EXPENDITUREDEVELOPMENT POLICIESDEVELOPMENT STRATEGIESDISPLACEMENTDRIVERSDRUGSEARNINGEARTHQUAKEECONOMIC BENEFITSECONOMIC CHANGESECONOMIC COSTSECONOMIC FREEDOMECONOMIC GROWTHECONOMIC INTEGRATIONECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIESECONOMIC OPPORTUNITYEDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTEDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIESELDERLYEMPLOYMENT CREATIONEMPLOYMENT GENERATIONEMPLOYMENT GROWTHEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESEMPLOYMENT PATTERNSEMPLOYMENT STRATEGIESEQUITABLE ACCESSEXPORT MARKETSEXTERNALITIESFACTOR MARKETSFAMILIES WITH MEMBERSFAMILY MEMBERSFAMILY STRUCTURESFERTILITYFERTILITY RATESFOOD INSECURITYGENDER BALANCEGENDER DIFFERENCESGENDER DISPARITIESGOVERNMENT AGENCIESGROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTHOUSEHOLD INCOMEHOUSEHOLD WORKHUMAN CAPITALHUMAN DEVELOPMENTHUMAN SETTLEMENTSIMMIGRANTIMMIGRANTSIMMIGRATIONIMMIGRATION POLICIESINCOME INEQUALITYINFORMAL EMPLOYMENTINFORMAL SECTORINNOVATIONSINTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCEINTERNATIONAL MOBILITYJOB OPPORTUNITIESJOBSLABOR FORCELABOR FORCE PARTICIPATIONLABOR MARKETLABOR MARKET POLICIESLABOR MARKET REGULATIONLABOR MARKETSLABOR MOBILITYLABOR PRODUCTIVITYLABOR REGULATIONLABOR REGULATIONSLABOR SHORTAGESLABOR SUPPLYLABOURLACK OF KNOWLEDGELAND OWNERSHIPLANGUAGE PROFICIENCYLARGE POPULATIONSLEGAL PROTECTIONLEVELS OF EDUCATIONLIMITED PROSPECTSLIVING STANDARDSLOCAL ECONOMYLONG-TERM MIGRANTSLOWER FERTILITYMALE WORKERSMANAGEMENT SYSTEMSMASS MEDIAMIGRANTMIGRANT WORKERSMIGRANT-SENDING COUNTRIESMIGRANTSMINIMUM WAGESMUNICIPAL AUTHORITIESNATIONAL BOUNDARIESNATURAL RESOURCENATURAL RESOURCESNUMBER OF PEOPLENUMBER OF WORKERSOCCUPATIONSOPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMENPACE OF URBANIZATIONPEACEKEEPINGPERFORMANCE MANAGEMENTPOLICY DISCUSSIONSPOLICY MAKERSPOPULATION CONCENTRATIONPOPULATION GROWTHPOPULATION PRESSURESPOPULATION SIZEPRIMARY SOURCEPRIVATE SECTORPRIVATE SECTOR ACTIVITYPRODUCTION FACILITIESPRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIESPRODUCTIVE WORKPRODUCTIVITY GAINSPRODUCTIVITY GROWTHPRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTSPROVIDENT FUNDSPROVISION OF SERVICESPUBLIC EMPLOYMENTPUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEESPUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENTPUBLIC SECTOR JOBPUBLIC SECTOR JOBSPUBLIC SECTOR WORKERSPUBLIC SERVICEPUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYMENTPUBLIC SERVICESQUALITY OF SERVICESRAPID POPULATION GROWTHRATES OF GROWTHREAL WAGEREGULATORY BARRIERSREMITTANCEREMITTANCESRENTSRESPECTRETURN MIGRATIONRURAL AREASRURAL DEVELOPMENTRURAL POPULATIONRURAL POPULATION GROWTHRURAL POPULATIONSRURAL PRODUCERSSAFETY NETSANITATIONSCHOOL ATTENDANCESEASONAL LABORSEASONAL WORKERSSERVANTSSERVICE DELIVERYSERVICE INDUSTRIESSERVICE INDUSTRYSERVICE QUALITYSERVICE SECTORSSEXUAL EXPLOITATIONSHARE OF WORKSLOWER POPULATION GROWTHSMALL BUSINESSESSMALL COUNTRIESSOCIAL COHESIONSOCIAL MOBILITYSOCIAL PROBLEMSSOCIAL SERVICESSOCIAL WELFARESPOUSESSTATE-OWNED ENTERPRISESUBSISTENCE FARMINGSUBSTANCE ABUSESUPPLY CHAINSSUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTHTEMPORARY WORKTEMPORARY WORKERTERTIARY EDUCATIONTOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITYTRAINING OPPORTUNITIESUNEMPLOYMENTUNEMPLOYMENT RATESUNSKILLED LABORURBAN AREASURBAN CENTERURBAN CENTERSURBAN DEVELOPMENTURBAN EMPLOYMENTURBAN MIGRATIONURBAN POPULATIONURBAN POPULATIONSURBANIZATIONUSE OF RESOURCESWOMEN MIGRANTSWORKERWORKFORCEWORKING-AGE POPULATIONYOUNG PEOPLEYOUNG POPULATIONSYOUNG WORKERSYOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT10.1596/18642