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Skill achievement and returns in developing countries: evidence from adult skills surveys

Using novel adult skills surveys, this article analyses cross-country patterns in skill achievement and labour mark ... Show more
Using novel adult skills surveys, this article analyses cross-country patterns in skill achievement and labour market returns, comparing the outcomes for a subset of developing countries with the results previously found for high-income economies. Apart from displaying lower average cognitive skills, developing countries also exhibit wider disparities in levels of skills by subgroups of educational attainment, gender, and parental education. Meanwhile, baseline estimates of returns to skills reveal that a one-standard deviation increase in literacy skills is associated with an earnings increase of 14.6 per cent in developing countries, which is statistically indistinguishable from the average returns of 17.7 estimated for developed countries. Nonetheless, there is considerable heterogeneity in the returns across developing countries, with the lowest estimates found in Armenia and Ukraine at 2 per cent (not statistically significant) and 6 per cent, respectively, and the highest reported in Kenya at above 30 per cent. Differences in the type of employment opportunities and the degree of employment selection in these labour markets are important determinants of the observed gap in returns. International comparisons of returns should take this into consideration.
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Authors: Chua, Kenn

Date: 2017

Geographic subjects: Armenia; Bolivia; Colombia ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Article

Journal title: European journal of education: research, development and policy

Subjects: Skills and knowledge; Employment; Income
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Education, skills and labor market outcomes: results from large-scale adult skills surveys in urban areas in 12 countries

In recent years, skills development has become a priority among developed and developing countries alike. The data ... Show more
In recent years, skills development has become a priority among developed and developing countries alike. The data in this publication were gathered through the implementation of the the Skills Towards Employability and Productivity (STEP) Skills Measurement Program, which sponsored large-scale skills surveys of adult populations residing in urban areas in 12 low- and middle-income countries. STEP has been implemented in waves, the first surveys being implemented in seven countries in 2012 (Bolivia, Colombia, Ghana, Lao PDR, Ukraine, Vietnam, and the Yunnan Province in China), and the second in five countries in 2013 (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kenya, and Macedonia FYR). The data presented in this publication correspond to these countries. A third wave is currently under implementation in Serbia, Kosovo, Libya, and the Philippines.
This publication looks at the STEP household survey data through the lenses of educational attainment. It illustrates the similarities and differences among groups that have completed different education levels on a wide range of issues and outcomes. Section one analyzes the trajectory of skills acquisition: participation in early childhood education programs, educational attainment by gender, and participation in training and apprenticeship programs. Section two explores background conditions associated with educational attainment, including the socioeconomic status of survey respondents at age 15, the educational attainment of their parents, their households' asset levels, their health (as expressed by the presence of chronic illness), and their overall satisfaction with life. Sections three to five look at skill levels as reported by survey respondents. Section three covers cognitive skills: writing, numeracy, and reading (which is also evaluated through a direct reading assessment). Section four covers job-relevant skills, which are task-specific and which respondents possess or use on the job. Section five covers socio-emotional skills, using established metrics to measure personality and behavior. Finally, section six covers the status of survey respondents in the labor market: whether they are employed, unemployed, or inactive. For the employed, this section also includes information on respondents' opinions regarding the usefulness of their studies in their current job as well as information about those who own a business.
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Authors: Roseth, Viviana V.; Valerio, Alexandria; Gutierrez, Marcela

Date: 2016

Geographic subjects: Bolivia; Colombia; Ghana ... [+] Show more for Georgia (Republic)">Georgia (Republic); for Macedonia (Republic)">Macedonia (Republic); Macedonia">North Macedonia; America">South America; [-] Show less

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Skills and knowledge; Outcomes; Research ... [+] Show more
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Labor market exposure to AI: cross-country differences and distributional implications

This paper examines the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on labor markets in both Advanced Economies (AEs) an ... Show more
This paper examines the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on labor markets in both Advanced Economies (AEs) and Emerging Markets (EMs). We propose an extension to a standard measure of AI exposure, accounting for AI's potential as either a complement or a substitute for labor, where complementarity reflects lower risks of job displacement. We analyze worker-level microdata from 2 AEs (US and UK) and 4 EMs (Brazil, Colombia, India, and South Africa), revealing substantial variations in unadjusted AI exposure across countries. AEs face higher exposure than EMs due to a higher employment share in professional and managerial occupations. However, when accounting for potential complementarity, differences in exposure across countries are more muted. Within countries, common patterns emerge in AEs and EMs. Women and highly educated workers face greater occupational exposure to AI, at both high and low complementarity. Workers in the upper tail of the earnings distribution are more likely to be in occupations with high exposure but also high potential complementarity.
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Authors: Pizzinelli, Carlo; Panton, Augustus J.; Tavares, Marina M.; Cazzaniga, Mauro ... [+] Show more

Date: 2023

Geographic subjects: United States; North America; Great Britain ... [+] Show more

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: IMF working paper

Subjects: Labour market; Employment; Technology ... [+] Show more

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Skill achievement and returns in developing countries: evidence from adult skills surveys

Education, skills and labor market outcomes: results from large-scale adult skills surveys in urban areas in 12 countries

Labor market exposure to AI: cross-country differences and distributional implications