Jobs group: Jobs Diagnostics Guidance - Why, What, and How?

Recognizing that jobs are the key to development, the World Bank Group is developing and piloting a new multi-sector jobs diagnostic approach to help countries identify key jobs challenges, and prepare strategies for addressing them. By following how people in the economy benefit from jobs, by taking into account the country context, recent trends in productivity and employment, and by considering the existing profile of jobs and workers in the economy, the new approach seeks to identify the key constraints a country faces in creating more, better, and inclusive jobs. The final step based on the country context and key challenges, is to help prioritize actions that a country can take to address these constraints.

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OUTLINE

Why Conduct Multi-sector Jobs Diagnostics?

• Jobs are central to achieving poverty reduction and shared prosperity
• Recognize need to take more comprehensive and multi-sectoral approach

Use of a Jobs Diagnostic

• Covers the whole spectrum of `employment’ – eg agriculture, own account, self-employment, wage; formal & informal enterprises and workers; but excludes care of family & housework
• Standalone ESW to inform policy and operations
• 
  Complement the SCD where expanding job opportunities is a key priority

Objective: determine key challenges to “expanding job opportunities”:

• More jobs – for un & underemployed; to absorb new labor market entrants; creating more jobs that enable transformations (structural, spatial, formalization)
• 
  Better jobs – higher productivity jobs, higher returns, better working conditions
• 
  Inclusive jobs – for poor and bottom 40%, women, youth, disadvantaged groups, those previously not participating in labor force

Elements of a Jobs Diagnostic:

1. Establish country context and key jobs needs (to guide diagnostic steps 2 & 3)
2. Interpreting the interplay of results: Identify challenges, constraints, synergies, causes
3. Defining priorities and identifying possible solutions (lay out opportunities, 2 trade-offs)