This Regional Partnership Framework (RPF) outlines the World Bank Group (WBG) strategic program for nine Pacific island countries (PIC9): Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of Nauru, Republic of Palau, Independent State of Samoa,...

Strong economic growth continued in 2014-15, but the drought slowed down Ethiopia's growth to 8 percent in 2015-16. Exports have had their worst performance in the last decade and the current account balance remained large. Inflation is remarkable stable given the recent drought and even...

After nearly a decade of strong growth fueled by the boom in commodity prices, Ghana's economy remains undiversified and vulnerable to external shocks.This report strives to analyze the main challenges for economic diversification from a productivity angle.In looking at a set of high-growth...

The seasonal worker program (SWP) was formally introduced in 2012 following a four-year pilot scheme. The program maintains the dual objectives of: (i) contributing to the economic development of nine participating Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste; and (ii) filling labor shortages in the...

The Seasonal Worker Program (SWP) is a temporary migration scheme between Australia and selected Pacific Island Countries. It was introduced in 2012 and covers the agriculture, accommodation and tourism sectors. Extensive efforts have been made to evaluate the economic impacts of the scheme, but...

International migration for temporary employment is a critical component of South Asia's development path, from both the jobs and remittance flows perspectives. South Asian economies are at a stage of demographic transition where people of working-age are generally still increasing shares of...

Malaysia has experienced a rise in foreign labor inflows in response to steady economic expansion and demographic changes. The foreign workforce has been hovering around 15 percent of the total labor force in recent years according to Labour Force Surveys by the Department of Statistics Malaysia...

The Dominican Republic (DR) is vulnerable to climate change and has a high rate of natural degradation. The DR shows evidence of significant human mobility flows of (i) internal migration, mainly rural to urban; and (ii) international cross-border migration, especially from Haiti. Given this...