Working Out of Poverty: Job Creation and the Quality of Growth in Africa

Governments in Africa and their stakeholders have been disappointed with the number of wage and salary jobs that have been created over the last decade or more. Even in countries that experienced both strong economic growth and rapid poverty reduction during this period, job creation has lagged behind expectations. Faced with a rapidly growing labor force, Africa has to find new ways to create better paying jobs.

'Working Out of Poverty' reviews the literature and presents original research by the authors analyzing job creation in Sub-Saharan Africa in light of economic performance over the decade and more since 1995. The book identifies factors that impact job creation, both inside the labor market (such as labor supply and demand) and outside of it (overall investment climate.)

'Working Out of Poverty' focuses on the following key questions: How has the structure of economic growth and labor demand shaped the job creation process? 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?