Mozambique is about to face two transformative opportunities for accelerating the pace of poverty reduction: the prospect of major resource inflows from the extraction of liquid natural gas (LNG) and other minerals, and the prospect of a significant demographic dividend. But to take advantage of...

This policy note analyzes the profile of the out of work in Poland and compares this with the current set of labor market policies, in particular Public Employment Services. The note relied on existing data from the Polish Labor Force Survey, the tax and benefit model, expenditure data in Poland...

The main objective of this policy note is to assess key social protection and labor (SPL) policies, program expenditures and institutional arrangements in Cote d'Ivoire. The note aims to identify policy options for improving allocative and technical efficiency for key programs, including how to...

This policy note focuses on the role of secondary cities as engines of job creation in Uganda and on the key actions and investments that the Government of Uganda (GoU) could take to strengthen this role. The note will examine why secondary cities are important for creation of more and better...

North Macedonia has made considerable progress in recent decades, moving from lower-middle to upper-middle income status, and from a planned to a functional market economy. Despite these reforms, the domestic economy still lacks the needed dynamism to move into higher-income status, as evidenced...

Kazakhstan is a unique country in a unique part of the world. Its uniqueness is important, as it shapes the opportunities and economic realities faced by the country, as well as the political responses to those challenges. Since independence in 1992, Kazakhstan has made rapid progress in...

This policy note presents an analysis of and recommendations on the city competitiveness improvement and is part of a broader Philippines urbanization study. The analysis draws on the competitive city framework which includes four pillars: 1. institutions and regulations; 2. infrastructure and...

Given the importance of labor income in the region, there are several important questions about the effects of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the labor market. At the outset of the pandemic, 48 percent of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) workers stopped working and 16 percent lost...

Using the most recent household survey data, this paper examines the characteristics of Sudan's labor market as it relates to poverty outcomes. Several important aspects of the labor market are analyzed, including the relationship between labor market indicators and the demographic structure of...