At a time when governments in the region face the dual challenges of creating quality jobs and safeguarding achievements in social inclusion and work quality, an ILO report highlights the need for a new approach based on active labor market policies to address the current economic slowdown.
This brief relies on an innovative approach that uses big data from online job boards and natural language processing (NLP) techniques to extract and analyze transferable skills from online vacancies and applicants' data. It demonstrates how this method can address key policy questions related to skills dynamics in low- and middle-income economies. By uncovering notable patterns in foundational and socio-emotional skills, the brief illustrates how policymakers and researchers can leverage these insights to develop targeted strategies for employment and skills development, fostering economic growth and sustainable development.
La presente Nota examina cómo la aplicación conjunta de las PAMT y el apoyo a los ingresos puede ayudar a los trabajadores ante la pandemia, y mejorar sosteniblemente sus empleos y la trayectoria de vida, en particular en los países emergentes y en desarrollo. Se identifica las características que determinaron el éxito de tales políticas en el pasado y se examina cómo pueden adaptarse estos conocimientos a la situación específica de la pandemia de hoy para contribuir a la creación y/o restablecimiento de las oportunidades de trabajo.
Active labour market policies have the potential to improve workers’ employability, but a key challenge in developing and emerging countries is that without income support to cover their basic needs, many workers simply cannot afford to participate in such policies. This column examines the examples of Uruguay and Mauritius and finds that approaches combining both active labour market policies and income support are more effective in improving the labour market perspectives of vulnerable workers than the same policies implemented in isolation. However, the success of integrated policies clearly depends on design and implementation characteristics.
This brief examines how income support and active labour market policies can come together to improve workers' prospects in times of COVID-19, particularly in emerging and developing countries. It identifies the characteristics that determined the success of such polices in the past, and discusses how they can be adapted to today’s pandemic to contribute to rebuilding employment opportunities.
Put yourselves in the shoes of a vulnerable worker in a developing or emerging country: You have a job but you don’t earn much, so you struggle to make ends meet. You know that if you had the chance to improve your skills you could get a better job, but you simply can’t take time off work because you need the money.
This vicious circle is the reality for the 630 million people worldwide who work but fail to pull themselves and their families out of poverty.
