Unemployment rose to 10.3 per cent in 2012, among the highest levels of all regions.
In 2012, the male youth unemployment rate was more than three times that for male adults and the female youth rate was more than six times that for adult men.
Almost 20 per cent of workers live with the families on less than US$2 a day.
A high proportion of workers are in the informal sector without adequate social protection.
For 2011-17, workers are projected to move from high-to low-productivity sectors rather than the other way round, thereby contributing negatively to growth. (See 2nd chart below)
