Employment and Labour Market Policies

Regional and sub-regional levels

Study: "Strategies to combat youth unemployment and marginalisation in anglophone Africa"

By Godfrey Kanyenze, Guy Mhone and Theo Sparreboom

ILO/SAMAT Draft Document, May 1999

This study was prepared as a contribution to the ILO's Action Programme on Strategies to Combat Youth Marginalisation and Unemployment that was carried out during 1998-99. The paper is structured as follows. Section 2 relies on available empirical information to assess the nature and extent of youth unemployment and marginalisation in anglophone Africa. Section 3 is concerned with the general economic policy framework in the 1990s and how it has affected the labour market and the youth. The limits of the current economic reforms is discussed, followed by a review of structural features that account for the persistence of the (youth) unemployment problem. Particular attention is given to the marginalised status of youth in the labour market. Section 4 considers the overall employment policy and institutional frameworks that have been put in place in selected anglophone African countries to develop and implement employment and labour policies, and how these have been affected by the economic policy framework discussed in Section 3. A brief review of labour market policies directed at the formal sector and their implications for youth is also presented in this section. Section 5 presents a typology of interventions and programmes concerned with the promotion of youth unemployment. Examples of various types of interventions and programmes are discussed with a view to assessing their success or lack thereof and drawing lessons from them. Section 6 contains conclusions and policy recommendations. It starts by elaborating on the necessary broader enabling policies within which specific polices to promote youth employment may be located. Subsequently, the main lessons from the examination of programmes and projects are highlighted.

 

Publication: Enclavity and constrained labour absorptive capacity in Southern African economies - 

By Guy C.Z. Mhone  

ILO/SAMAT Discussion Paper No. 12, June 2000

This discussion paper is concerned with the twin questions of why it is that a majority of the labour force in African countries continues to be unemployed or underemployed, and why it is that the response of employment to increases in gross domestic product and investment is low. This is what the author terms the problem of low labour absorptive capacity of African economies.

The essay argues that there are historical structural factors that result in the exclusion and marginalisation of the majority of the labour force from engaging in productive activities of a sustainable nature. These factors are attributed to the enclave and dualistic legacy of African economies. This legacy was initially a consequence of the fact that the formal sector emerged as an exogenous implant whose modus operandi was generally linked to external factors, thereby obviating the need for an internal accumulation and transformation process to emerge that would have captured the majority of the labour force into the capitalist process of accumulation. It is argued that the problem persists as a consequence of the uncritical acceptance of the enclave formal sector as the engine of growth, as well as of the belief that trickle down effects from formal sector growth would eventually absorb the rest of the labour force into productive activities.

The paper concludes that pro-active measures by the state are necessary to restructure the productive base of the economy by making it more inclusive of the majority of the labour force. This could be accomplished through a number of interventions that broaden the asset and income entitlements of the majority of the labour force, in particular through policies that are decidedly biased toward those activities that would absorb such people more. What is needed is a shift in paradigms from the trickle down assumptions of current conventional economic policy regimes to one informed by the structural limits of the enclave model of growth and guided by the need to pro-actively restructure this legacy in order to launch a basis for more inclusive development.

This paper was prepared by Professor Guy C.Z. Mhone, Director, Graduate School of Public and Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Botswana

Lesotho

Malawi

 

Report: "The challenges of promoting productive jobs in Malawi, Vols. 1 & 2"

By ILO/SAMAT Study Team

February 1999

Publication: "The challenges of promoting productive jobs in Malawi: A synthesis report"

By ILO/SAMAT  

October 1999

This UNDP/ILO Malawi Employment Study is a comprehensive review of the state of economic growth and employment creation in Malawi and the prospects in the near future. It examines the impact of past economic policies and performance on employment, unemployment, underemployment, real wages and poverty; and the lessons learnt from that experience. It also addresses recent economic developments and the necessary conditions for faster overall and sectoral economic growth and job creation. Furthermore, it reviews government policies regarding industrial relations, education and training, occupational health and safety and worker protection, and suggests how these features of the labour market can be improved.

The study was conducted by a team of international experts and national consultants who worked under the direction and supervision of the International Labour Organization’s Southern African Multidisciplinary Advisory Team (ILO/SAMAT). The UNDP provided financial assistance. The study was discussed in detail in the course of a two-day workshop that was held in July 1999 in Lilongwe. The workshop brought together participants from a broad range of institutions, in particular ILO’s social partners. For the report of the workshop, click here.

The synthesis report presents in brief the trend and situation analysis of the economy (at macro and sectoral levels) and the labour market, the main challenges, and the recommendations made to tackle the challenges.

 

Publication: Agriculture, employment and poverty in Malawi 

By Thandika Mkandawire  

ILO/SAMAT Discussion Paper No. 9, 1999

The objective of this paper is to review the evolution of agriculture in Malawi in a historical perspective and consider policy measures that have recently been effected, or options that are available to promote growth and equity in the rural sector. The author emphasises, in particular, the need for land reform, improvements in productivity, diversification, and a variety of other types of reforms as well as conditions under which such reforms are likely to lead to desired outcomes. The paper was prepared in the context of a larger exercise that studied the challenges of promoting productive jobs in Malawi.

The paper was written by Dr. Thandika Mkandawire, Director, United Nations Research Institute for Social development, Geneva, Switzerland.

Mozambique

Study: "Feminisation of Poverty in Mozambique"

Forthcoming

Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. Over two-thirds of its population are estimated to have lived in absolute poverty in 1996-97, 82 per cent of them in rural areas. With a view to informing the formulation of policies, programmes and projects aimed at poverty reduction among women, the UNDP has sponsored a research study on the feminisation of poverty in Mozambique that is being executed by ILO/SAMAT. The objective of the study is to provide an analysis of the current state and causes of poverty among women, their vulnerability to poverty, their coping mechanisms, and the ways in which their poverty may be alleviated. It will complement the existing literature on poverty in Mozambique, which, although not scant, lacks an adequate analysis of the gender dimension. A subsidiary aim of the study is to contribute to enhancing national capacity in assessing the gender dimensions of poverty by involving local consultants as much as possible.

Namibia

South Africa

Swaziland

Zambia

Programme: "Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods"

The overall objective of the Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (ESLP) in Zambia, which will operate within the National Poverty Reduction Strategic Framework in that country, is “to contribute to a sustainable poverty reduction through creation of employment opportunities and strengthening the productive capacity of the poor with a people centred approach”. In this way, the ESLP aims to contribute to an equitable economic and social restructuring of Zambia. The Programme consists of a number of mutually reinforcing components, including the promotion of sustainable livelihoods through the development of agriculture, and promotion of sustainable livelihoods through the development of micro and small enterprises. Another component involves the development of a comprehensive national employment and labour policy (NELP) as well as a labour market information system.

Zimbabwe

Project: Zimbabwe Employment Creation Act (ZECA)

The main purpose of the Zimbabwe Employment Creation Act (ZECA) project is to assist the Government in developing a draft Employment Creation Act for consideration and eventual approval by the Cabinet and the Parliament. The draft Act will define a national strategic policy and programme framework for employment creation and identify the roles and responsibilities of the main institutions and stakeholders involved. Recommendations will also be made on appropriate institutional structures for the implementation of the Act. While the project has the primary aim of preparing a draft Employment Creation Act, it is in effect an umbrella project (programme) that includes a number of sub-projects or components whose outputs will feed into the preparation of the draft Act, although they are also of crucial importance in their own right. These components fall under two different phases of programme implementation. They comprise the following:

 

 Phase One

• Development of a National Employment Policy

• Strengthening the National Economic Consultative Forum

• Annual report on the state of employment and labour in Zimbabwe

• Policy framework for small enterprise development

Phase Two

• Capacity building

• Development/upgrading of the labour market information system

• Promotion of employment-intensive methods

• Incentive structures to promote involvement of the private sector.

Strategies to Combat Youth Unemployment and Marginalisation in Zimbabwe

In collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, ILO/SAMAT organised a one-day seminar on Tuesday 20 June 2000 on strategies to combat youth unemployment and marginalisation in Zimbabwe. The seminar, although not a part of the on-going Programme on the Development of an Employment Creation Act for Zimbabwe (ZECA), provided conclusions and recommendations that would feed into the draft National Employment Policy that is now being prepared under the umbrella of the above Programme. Download programme of the seminar, background document  and the report of the seminar.

Publication:  The impact of globalisation on local communities: A case study of the cut-flower industry in Zimbabwe

By Robert Davies

ILO/SAMAT Discussion Paper No. 13, June 2000 

Many developing countries are attempting to diversify their export base with a view to gaining new sources of income and reduce their exposure to price volatility in international markets. African countries are amongst the forefront of these, particularly because a handful of primary products often constitute over three-quarters of countries’ total exports. Flower-growing is being targeted in many such countries with the objective of reducing this dependence. As an agricultural activity, it has the attraction of being a natural adjunct to the more traditional exports, while the availability of ready markets in the developed countries is a powerful financial draw.

This study of how Zimbabwe has taken advantage of the opportunity afforded by export diversification examines the positive and negative aspects of flower-growing. While documenting cut-flower exports as an example of a sector that copes successfully with globalization, the study examines many aspects of its social impact, in particular employment, income, and working conditions.  

The research shows that the main influence of floriculture has come through the impact of quality requirements. In order to market their produce, producers have to meet high international standards regarding both the quality of the flowers themselves, and the methods used to produce them. International labelling programmes governing waste management, occupational safety and employment conditions create a “market incentive” for farmers to meet environmental and ethical guidelines in their cut-flower production. Meeting these requirements has required higher worker training, which has in turn promoted greater job security and better working conditions for some workers, while decreasing demand for seasonal workers.

This study was prepared within the context of ILO’s Action Programme on Local Responses to Globalisation.

This report was written by Dr. Robert Davies, Associate Professor and Chairperson, Department of Economics, University of Zimbabwe.

Programme: "Jobs for Africa"

Zimbabwe is one of the beneficiaries of the Jobs for Africa Programme. The Programme aims at developing and strengthening the capacity of national institutions and networks in Zimbabwe to be able to assess, design and advocate policies for poverty reduction through job creation. The beneficiaries of the Programme include the youth, women, the long-term unemployed, subsistence farmers, urban informal workers and persons with disabilities. Zimbabwe has identified the JFA components relevant to its needs as follows:

• Training Policies and Systems;

•  Micro-finance; Small and Medium Enterprise Development;

• Enhancing Women’s Employment;

• Urban Informal Sector Employment;

• Cooperative Employment;

• Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme; and

• Strengthening the role of Social Partners in Job Creation.