POLICY BRIEF - Africa’s Decent Jobs Problem – Some Policy Options - 1.0 Introduction

Data from the ILO, which examines the share of the population with at least one social protection benefit, shows that less than 30 percent of the population in selected countries have access to any form of social protection. [...] Despite the acknowledgment of the importance of EE programs, there is still a lack of consensus on their content and the specific entrepreneurial competencies that should be imparted. [...] Induced Informality: One of the ongoing debates about the nature of workers in the informal economy is whether their participation in it is a matter of choice or a consequence of the lack of formal sector alternatives. [...] Evidence on the working poor and vulnerable employment suggests that most people in the African informal economy experience induced informality—they enter the informal economy due to limited opportunities in the formal economy rather than by choice. [...] Regular surveys of employers and higher education institutions can provide insights into the current needs and expectations of employers, facilitating the absorption of the youth into the labor force.