The scope of this report is twofold. First, it documents skills gaps and mismatches and attempts to understand the reasons for them. Second, it provides a framework for thinking about skills development, drawing on international best practices, with the intent of stimulating further discussion....

The shortage of skills sought by key export-oriented and import competing industries in Bosnia and Herzegovina (henceforth, 'BH') is substantial and if left unaddressed, threatens to constrain future economic growth of the country. Prior to the onset of the global economic crisis, BH enjoyed...

This report examines the challenges in the labor market in Mongolia as the economy has undergone a transformation into a market economy. It identifies three major interrelated challenges-joblessness, informality and skills mismatch. The inability to find productive employment has important...

Improved access to and quality of upper secondary schools, teacher training colleges, Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs), and demand-driven Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses to supply the demand for the higher-level skills and competencies relevant to labor market...

This report provides an overview of Zambia's labor market, highlights key potential sectors for future economic development and employment growth, and analyses the challenges faced by the technical education, vocational, and entrepreneurship training (TEVET) system as it seeks to respond to...

"The initial occupational placements of male immigrants in the U.S. labor market vary significantly by country of origin even when education and other factors are taken into account. Does the heterogeneity persist over time? Using data from the 1980, 1990, and 2000 U.S. Censuses, this study...

This report presents a framework - Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP), that provides a simple yet comprehensive way to look at skills development. It brings together research evidence and practical experience from a range of areas-from research on the determinants of early...

Changes in demographics and patterns of investment in human capital are creating opportunities for international trade in professional services. As populations in rich countries age, developing countries are seeing an increase in the proportion of working-age people. At the same time, the...

This paper reviews labor market performance in Georgia, and examines the link between labor market outcomes and poverty. At over 15 percent, the unemployment rate in the country is high by European standards. Georgia faces three main labor market issues: (a) underutilization of labor resources,...

Over the past decade, Cambodia improved the skills of its workforce at a slower rate than other countries in East Asia. And, although Cambodia's firms do not perceive skills as their main business constraint, skills shortages may negatively affect the process of both industrial and agricultural...