Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa Deon Filmer The World Bank December 2013
Main Findings Unemployment (of urban educated graduates who want to work in the wage sector) is just the tip of the iceberg The youth employment problem is about pathways to productive work in agriculture, household enterprises, as well as the modern wage sector with priority actions on the human capital as well as the business environment side
The Opportunity: Africa s Youth Bulge Sub-Saharan Africa 2015, 2035 South Asia 2015, 2035 80+ 70-74 60-64 50-54 40-44 30-34 20-24 10-14 0-4 80+ 70-74 60-64 50-54 40-44 30-34 20-24 10-14 0-4 -100-80 -60-40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100 Population in millions Male 2015 Female 2015 Male 2035 Female 2035-100 -80-60 -40-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 Population in millions Male 2015 Female 2015 Male 2035 Female 2035 Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2011). World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision. http://esa.un.org/wpp/excel-data/population.htm 3
Commodity exports have shaped recent changes in economic structure Over the past two decades, agriculture s share in GDP contracted in Africa, but manufacturing did not replace it Low income countries Low-Middle income countries 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.0 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 0.0 1990 2010 1990 2010 1990 2010 SSA South Asia East Asia SSA South Asia East Asia Agriculture Industry (exc. Manufacturing) Agriculture Industry (exc. Manufacturing) Manufacturing Services, etc. Manufacturing Services, etc.
Labor Force Distribution 15-64 Most Africans are not unemployed they work in agriculture and household enterprises 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Low Income Lower-Middle Income Resource Rich Upper-Middle Income Total 183 m 40 m 150 m 21 m 395 m Agriculture HE Wage Industry Wage Services Unemployed
Proportion Proportion The SSA Youth Challenge: a long transition to work, especially in urban areas Rural Urban 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.3 0.0 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 Age 0.0 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 Age Working Both Working and at School At School Not at School, Not Working, Looking for Work
Labor force (millions) Where will the new jobs come from? Projected new jobs in 2020 compared with structure in 2010 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Agriculture Household Enterprises Wage Industry Wage Services 2010 New Jobs in 2020
Priority Actions A cross-cutting agenda on education quality
Education determines opportunities Education Profile of Workers ages 25-34 in each Sector 100 80 60 40 20 0 Agriculture Non-farm household enterprise Wage without contract Wage with contract No Education Primary incomp. Primary comp. Secondary + All
SACMEQ Low SES Zambia Low SES Namibia Low SES Malawi Low SES South Africa Low SES Lesotho Low SES Zanzibar Low SES Uganda Low SES Mozambique Low SES Botswana Low SES Zimbabwe Low SES Seychelles Low SES Swaziland Low SES Tanzania Low SES Mauritius Low SES Kenya Low SES Percent But quality is key challenge Percent of SACMEQ 6 th grade test-takers at each mathematics performance level, by SES 100 80 60 40 20 0-20 -40-60 -80-100 Competent and above (Level 5,6,7,8) Beginning numeracy (Level 4) Pre, Emergent and Basic numeracy (Levels 1,2,3)
Severe Shortfalls in the Delivery of Education Services Service Delivery Indicators Kenya Nigeria* Senegal Tanzania Uganda (Public schools only) School teacher absence rate 16% 16% 18% 23% 27% Classroom teacher absence rate 47% 25% 29% 53% 57% Share of teachers with minimum knowledge: English/French 10% 5% 29% 9% 4% Mathematics 75% 7% 75% 73% 36% Classroom teaching time 2h 19m 3h 17m 3h 15m 2h 04m 2h 58m (scheduled teaching time) (5h 40m) (4h 43) (4h 36m) (5h 12m) (7h 20m) * Nigeria SDI covers 6 States. Preliminary findings shown.
Priority Actions For agriculture For household enterprises For the modern wage sector
Percent In agriculture, youth need land and support to make it productive Land ownership by age group Opportunities and constraints 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Growing demand for food produced on Africa s farms domestically and exports Youth can be early adopters of new technology if it is available Age Malawi Tanzania Uganda
Priorities for productivity in agriculture Do now, for now Enable rental markets for land Support high-quality, demanddriven extension services (covering information as well as skills) Promote rural village savings and loan associations and selfhelp groups Link agricultural credit to extension services Do now, for later Establish effective land registration and transaction systems Scale up intergenerational land transfer programs Mainstream youth into interventions (producer organizations, livestock development, irrigation, and others) Build skills through rapid improvements in education systems in rural areas
15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-65 66+ Percent Percent Household Enterprises are not SMEs they need their own approach, and youth need support to seize opportunities Most enterprises are family operations Youth struggle to start a business 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 Self Employed Self Employed with Family Helpers With 1-4 Employees 5 + Employees Distribution of HE owners Share of age group being in HE owners
Priorities for productivity in household enterprises Do now, for now Develop a national strategy that reflects the voice of youth and household enterprise owners Ensure access to workspace and infrastructure for household enterprises through improved urban policy Leverage NGOs to deliver interventions that support disadvantaged youth to enter the sector by addressing multiple constraints (building a range of skills together, building skills along with providing access to finance) Do now, for later Build foundational skills through rapid improvements in education systems Address infrastructure needs of household enterprises in urban development planning
Percent Financial inclusion for family farms and enterprises, as well as households 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 African youth save, but not in banks (Youth 15-24 who save) Low income Lowermiddle income SSA Uppermiddle income Low income Formal Informal/Club Other Lowermiddle income Rest of the World Uppermiddle income Households, and farm or business finances comingled Households need place to save and to get credit Youth need savings to start a business or buy inputs for the farm, and a place to safeguard profits Mobile money shows promise but need better regulations Informal savings groups are filling the gap, especially in rural areas
Ethiopia 1990 2007 Kenya 1990 2007 Ghana 1980 2003 Cameroon 1990 2007 Malawi 1990 2007 Senegal 1990 2000 Tanzania 1990 2007 Manufacturing Employment ( 000 of workers) Percent A manufacturing strategy won t solve today s youth employment, but it will help the next generation Manufacturing employment has grown slowly 300 250 Game changer scenario takes time to have an effect 100 80 200 150 100 50 0 60 40 20 0 Original Alternative Original Alternative Low Income 248 m) Lower-middle income (52 m) Agriculture Wage services Unemployed Household enterprises Wage industry
Priorities for productivity in the modern wage sector Do now, for now Reduce the cost of infrastructure services by addressing quality and efficiency Address logistics bottlenecks Reduce corruption and the cost of business start-up Reform technical vocational education and training and pursue public-private partnerships for delivering demand-driven training Do now, for later Increase the quantity of infrastructure services Expand regional markets for products Build foundational skills through rapid improvements in education systems Improve access to credit through financial sector reform
Cross-cutting priorities Do now, for now Use safety net programs as a platform to deliver interventions to disadvantaged youth Increase awareness of opportunities and pathways to self-employment, especially for young women Consider second-chance education for basic skills Do now, for later Promote ECD and nutrition to build a stronger foundation for skills development Build socioemotional and behavioral skills (consider reforms within the school system) Reduce fertility rates to lower the size of future youth cohorts Build better employment data and a stronger evidence base to identify country constraints, priorities, and opportunities
Some evidence from recent impact evaluations in Africa Addressing capital constraints: Cash Grants delivered to youth groups led to investments in capital and training and large increases in income. Building a range of skills: Training providing either business and life skills, or technical and life skills increased employment and income among adolescent girls. Provision of training in technical and life skills targeting adolescent girls was highly effective in reducing risky behavior and increased selfemployment. Integrated intervention addressing multiple constraints: Graduation model including cash transfers, assets and training being piloted in 10 countries (including in Ghana and Ethiopia) is showing promising early results. 30
Strategic efforts to build the evidencebase through impact evaluations Optimal design of integrated employment programs In Kenya, what is the relative effectiveness of internship and skills training in improve young people s employment prospects? Is training in technical, business and life skills more cost-effective than training in technical skills only to foster employment and earnings among urban youth In Sierra Leone? In Nigeria, is it cost-effective to add an apprenticeship to a package of technical skills training and capital delivered to vulnerable youth? Graduation from safety nets targeted to the poor: In Cote d Ivoire, can training in business skills or sensitization to wage employment opportunities help disadvantaged youth graduate from public works into self-employment or wage employment? In Cameroon, can accompanying measures to cash transfers program foster household enterprises? Leveraging private skills training In Benin, what are effective strategies to help young apprentices graduate and enter self-employment faster? In Cote d Ivoire, does the public provision of apprenticeship displace private apprenticeships?
Governments need to own the whole problem YE is about building skills through improving the quality of education, as well as behavioral and business skills A wide ranging agenda with no silver bullets YE is about agriculture where strategies exist but have not been implemented, and could benefit from a youth lens YE is about household non-farm enterprises where few strategies exist YE is about creating more labor intensive enterprises as fast as possible to absorb the supply of new entrants with education who want wage jobs YE is about female empowerment and focus on the poor
Thank you