Labour Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa

7 December 2015

A workshop on matters such as urbanisation and labour regulations, in the particular context of labour markets in SubSaharan Africa, took place in Cape Town.

The event was hosted by The Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) – a regional partner of the World Bank’s Network on Jobs and Development (NJD) programme. The workshop focused on the following topics:

demographic shifts taking place in SubSaharan Africa (SSA) and how these impact on labour markets;
the informal economy and how it links to urbanisation in the region;
different forms of labour regulation in SSA and how these influence informality and firm behaviour.

A set of country-level case studies was also presented, examining both current trends as well as emerging growth and employment challenges in SSA labour markets. Keynote Speakers included: Shanta Devarajan (Chief Economist – Middle East and North Africa, World Bank) and Kathleen Beegle (Lead Economist, Africa Region, World Bank). Below is a list of all presentations given during the workshop:

Kathleen Beegle: “What do we know about labour markets in Africa: Some of the Gaps”
Ahmadou Aly Mbaye: “Labour Market Regulations in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a Focus on Senegal”
Lucas Ronconi: “Enforcement and the Effective Regulation of Labour”
Jaivir Singh: “Who is a Worker? Seeking Answers from Economics and the Law”
Nancy Benjamin: “Jobs and The relations of formal and Informal firms: case study of Senegal and Benin”
Piotr Lewandowski: “Reflections on informality and casualisation from Eastern Europe”
Morné Oosthuizen: “Public Spending and Demographic Change in Southern Africa”
David Margolis: “Poverty, Employment and Education in Southern Africa, 2020-2100”
Sara Troiano: “Forever young? Socio-economic implications of the demographic transition in Southern Africa”
Shanta Devarajan: “The trade-off between employment and cronyism in the Middle East and North Africa"
Haroon Bhorat: “Minimum Wages in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Primer”
Sam Jones: “Understanding Mozambique’s growth experience through an employment lens”
Olufunke Alaba: “Growth of Nigeria’s economy: a paradox”
William Baah-Boateng: “Strong growth amidst job creation concerns: Insight from Ghana”