The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals include a specific target for full and productive employment. However, what constitutes full employment in developing countries is not yet clearly understood. And likewise, there is no clear direction for developing strategies and policies to address this challenge. Drawing on the author’s deep knowledge of employment and inclusive development, this book presents a broad framework which could enable us to pursue the challenging goal of full, productive employment in developing countries. It revisits the conceptual foundations of full employment and carefully examines the issue of suitable indicators for monitoring progress. It also examines the challenges created by globalized production chains and labour market fluctuations caused by economic crises. This book throws light on a major lacuna in development thinking on how the challenge of creating productive employment for all in developing countries needs to be addressed. It provides a solution by re-examining relevant theories and empirical evidence, and by bringing out their implications for development strategies and policies. Finally, the focus falls on the effective implementation of employment strategies and policies. This authoritative work will appeal to a diverse readership of academic researchers, think-tanks, international organizations, and development partners.

The problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. The Encyclopedia encompasses 17 volumes, each one devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume addresses SDG 8, namely "Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all" and contains the description of a range of terms, to allow a better understanding and foster knowledge. The predominant economic model is promoting a lopsided economic growth that is further increasing the gap between the have and the have-nots. This SDG is not just proposing the attainment of more just and empowering economic models, but it also puts at the forefront the well-being of workers by striving to provide employment and better working conditions that respect the dignity of workers. Concretely, the defined targets are: Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value Substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and end child labour in all its forms Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment Devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries Develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization Editorial Board Rimjhim M Aggarwal, Rosa Maria Fernandez, Edurne A. Inigo, Nerise Johnson, Dmitry Kurochkin, Wim Lambrechts, Sonja Rewhorn, Marco Tortora, Tony Wall

This book presents an overview of the dialogues that took place in the Economic and Social Council on the theme of ?Creating an environment at the national and international levels conducive to generating full and productive employment and decent work for all, and its impact on sustainable development. This publication also assesses the progress of the ECOSOC reform and follow up to the 2005 World Summit. It also includes the Secretary-General's report as well as the Ministerial Declaration on the theme of the ECOSOC High-Level Segment of 2006.

Looks at the fundamental importance of employment for development. This book states that employment creation is the key link in ensuring that economic growth contributes to poverty reduction. It also explores different approaches to social security, the informal economy, the welfare state and rural employment in Africa.

Issues relating to employment and labour have once again come to the fore of global policy debates in the wake of the widespread unemployment that has accompanied the current financial crisis. In the developing world, there is a growing realization that productive employment promotion and social protection have to be at the core of inclusive growth and development. This book supports the view that employment is a cross-cutting issue shaped by macroeconomic and microeconomic policy interventions, and provides a capacious framework to analyse the complexity of this global debate. It covers a wide range of issues that have received insufficient attention in the discourse of development and labour economics. These include the impact of macroeconomic policies on employment, labour rights, the development of human capabilities and employability, youth employment, the benefits and costs of labour market flexibility, and the importance of social protection for all. This important book aims at filling this gap by revisiting old debates and reconnecting them to the contemporary context, combining analyses with relevant empirical evidence. It will appeal to a diverse readership of academic institutions and think-tanks, international organizations, bilateral donors working on development issues and policy-makers in developing countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic struck the global economy after a decade that featured a broad-based slowdown in productivity growth. Global Productivity: Trends, Drivers, and Policies presents the first comprehensive analysis of the evolution and drivers of productivity growth, examines the effects of COVID-19 on productivity, and discusses a wide range of policies needed to rekindle productivity growth. The book also provides a far-reaching data set of multiple measures of productivity for up to 164 advanced economies and emerging market and developing economies, and it introduces a new sectoral database of productivity. The World Bank has created an extraordinary book on productivity, covering a large group of countries and using a wide variety of data sources. There is an emphasis on emerging and developing economies, whereas the prior literature has concentrated on developed economies. The book seeks to understand growth patterns and quantify the role of (among other things) the reallocation of factors, technological change, and the impact of natural disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic. This book is must-reading for specialists in emerging economies but also provides deep insights for anyone interested in economic growth and productivity. Martin Neil Baily Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution Former Chair, U.S. President’s Council of Economic Advisers This is an important book at a critical time. As the book notes, global productivity growth had already been slowing prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and collapses with the pandemic. If we want an effective recovery, we have to understand what was driving these long-run trends. The book presents a novel global approach to examining the levels, growth rates, and drivers of productivity growth. For anyone wanting to understand or influence productivity growth, this is an essential read. Nicholas Bloom William D. Eberle Professor of Economics, Stanford University The COVID-19 pandemic hit a global economy that was already struggling with an adverse pre-existing condition—slow productivity growth. This extraordinarily valuable and timely book brings considerable new evidence that shows the broad-based, long-standing nature of the slowdown. It is comprehensive, with an exceptional focus on emerging market and developing economies. Importantly, it shows how severe disasters (of which COVID-19 is just the latest) typically harm productivity. There are no silver bullets, but the book suggests sensible strategies to improve growth prospects. John Fernald Schroders Chaired Professor of European Competitiveness and Reform and Professor of Economics, INSEAD

Jobs provide higher earnings and better benefits as countries grow, but they are also a driver of development. Poverty falls as people work their way out of hardship and as jobs empowering women lead to greater investments in children. Efficiency increases as workers get better at what they do, as more productive jobs appear, and less productive ones disappear. Societies flourish as jobs bring together people from different ethnic and social backgrounds and provide alternatives to conflict. Jobs are thus more than a byproduct of economic growth. They are transformational —they are what we earn, what we do, and even who we are. High unemployment and unmet job expectations among youth are the most immediate concerns. But in many developing countries, where farming and self-employment are prevalent and safety nets are modest are best, unemployment rates can be low. In these countries, growth is seldom jobless. Most of their poor work long hours but simply cannot make ends meet. And the violation of basic rights is not uncommon. Therefore, the number of jobs is not all that matters: jobs with high development payoffs are needed. Confronted with these challenges, policy makers ask difficult questions. Should countries build their development strategies around growth, or should they focus on jobs? Can entrepreneurship be fostered, especially among the many microenterprises in developing countries, or are entrepreneurs born? Are greater investments in education and training a prerequisite for employability, or can skills be built through jobs? In times of major crises and structural shifts, should jobs, not just workers, be protected? And is there a risk that policies supporting job creation in one country will come at the expense of jobs in other countries? The World Development Report 2013: Jobs offers answers to these and other difficult questions by looking at jobs as drivers of development—not as derived labor demand—and by considering all types of jobs—not just formal wage employment. The Report provides a framework that cuts across sectors and shows that the best policy responses vary across countries, depending on their levels of development, endowments, demography, and institutions. Policy fundamentals matter in all cases, as they enable a vibrant private sector, the source of most jobs in the world. Labor policies can help as well, even if they are less critical than is often assumed. Development policies, from making smallholder farming viable to fostering functional cities to engaging in global markets, hold the key to success.