This paper is the first joint country study conducted by the United Nations and the World Bank aimed at translating into practice the principles of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2250, through direct and local engagement with young people and their communities in one of...

The analysis presented in this study points to persistent and high numbers in Georgia and Armenia of youth who are jobless and/or economically inactive and with limited access to learning and/or training opportunities, and these figures are among the highest in the ECA region. As many as 31...

Demand-driven training (DDT) and results-based contracting (RBC) are two mechanisms used to enhance the effectiveness and impact of skill training programs. DDT links skills development explicitly with the job market, typically through employer engagement. Private sector employers define what...

Promoting early labor market success of workers has increasingly become an important economic and social development aim internationally, as exemplified by the 2030 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals related to youth employment. Many low-income countries, including Nepal, are in...

Six years into the transition from planned to market economies in Central and Eastern Europe, high unemployment rates, including a growing proportion of the long-term unemployed, represent a serious challenge to social welfare systems and policymakers. This paper analyzes labor market...

Pakistan is facing yet another balance of payment crisis. Authorities have taken some corrective measures and negotiated a 39-month stabilization program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Nonetheless, inflationary pressures increased during FY19. Current account deficit narrowed as...

Before the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, Somalia's economy was on an upward trajectory, recovering from the 2016/17 drought. The economy grew at an estimated rate of 2.9 percent in 2019, on par with population growth, and was projected to grow at 3.2 percent in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has...

Bhutan maintained solid growth and macroeconomic stability during 2016/17. The national poverty headcount rate fell from 12 percent in 2012 to 8 percent in 2017. However, the job challenges remained unaddressed. the youth unemployment rate increased from 10.7 percent in 2015 to 13.2 percent in...

Countries the world over have launched ambitious privatization programs to improve the efficiency of state enterprises, free up resources for social services, and mobilize capital for expansion and modernization. A universal concern in this process is the effect privatization has on labor. Many...

Afghanistan has one of the youngest populations in the world, with two-thirds of the population being below the age of 25. Afghan youth are critical to the development of their country and have the potential to be drivers of peace and prosperity. However, they face various barriers to...