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This paper examines the effectiveness of active labour market policies (ALMPs) in improving labour market outcomes, especially of low-skilled individuals. The empirical analysis consists of an aggregate impact approach based on a pooled cross country and time-series database for 31 advanced countries during the period 1985-2010. A novelty of the paper is that it includes aspects of the delivery system to see how the performance of ALMPs is affected by different implementation characteristics. Among the notable results, the paper finds that ALMPs matter at the aggregate level, both, in terms of reducing unemployment, but also in terms of increasing employment and participation. Interestingly, start-up incentives are more effective in reducing unemployment than other ALMPs. The positive effects seem to be particularly beneficial for the low-skilled. In terms of implementation, the paper finds that the most favourable aspect is the allocation of resources to programme administration. Finally, a disruption of policy continuity is associated with negative effects for all labour market variables analysed.

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The Skills Gateway for Adults incorporated a single access point for individuals seeking skills support in Wales. It was intended to identify the needs of an individual and provide advice and guidance on how to access the appropriate support to meet those needs. The evaluation aimed to establish the effectiveness and efficiency of the Skills Gateway for Adults in facilitating access to employment and skills support for individuals; and identify lessons learned to support the development and improvement of the service. Key findings include: (1) the Skills Gateway for Adults is generally a well-managed and delivered service that is meeting or exceeding its output targets; (2) the evaluation showed that Skills Gateway for Adults has been successful in building a strong degree of support from delivery staff and a strong sense of engagement and self-efficacy from clients in identifying improvements themselves from the engagement; and (3) there was inconsistency in approaches to tracking and follow-up. It is acknowledged by the evaluation team that post-engagement tracking is the hardest element of the service to deliver consistently by its very nature since clients may fall out of contact or not return calls, etc.

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This policy analysis identifies specific structural and cyclical causes of youth unemployment and underemployment in the US, and examines four policy alternatives with potential to address these causes and improve outcomes: (1) hiring credits; (2) career academies; (3) apprenticeships; and (4) college co-op programs. These alternatives are assessed relative to current policy using seven criteria, including improvement in earnings, employment effect, ability to address sources of the problem, cost-effectiveness, political feasibility, target population, and timeline of effectiveness.

All four alternatives were projected to have positive employment outcomes. Hiring credits were most effective at creating jobs in the short term, but had no long-term effects. In contrast, the other three alternatives had significant increases in earnings in the long-term, but mixed findings on reducing the level of unemployment. Each of these alternatives focuses on different segments of the population and therefore this paper recommends a holistic approach that implements all four alternatives at the national level to address short and long term issues for each segment of the population.

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This paper discusses the capability of vocational education in creating jobs to reduce unemployment among the Nigerian youths, which will result in sustainable economic development of Nigeria. It also defines vocational education within the provisions of the National Policy on Education. The philosophy of vocational education is also defined. In African states, including Nigeria, [not much emphasis is] given to vocational education, which is a major instrument for the nation's rapid and sustainable development with proper planning and implementation. Vocational education is capable of creating millions of jobs for Nigerian youths. This will lead to sustainable economic development for Nigeria in particular and the African continent in general.

The capability of vocational education for job creation is not doubted but constrained by several challenges among which are poor funding, lack of training personnel and facilities. In order to overcome these challenges, it is recommended that vocational experts, government officials and the business world work together for the purpose of job creation, poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development.

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Background: Youth comprise 40 per cent of the world's unemployed, a status associated with adverse wellbeing and social, health, and economic costs. This systematic review and meta-analysis review synthesises the literature on the effectiveness of interventions targeting young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Methods: Randomised and quasi-randomised trials with a concurrent or counterfactual control group and baseline equivalence are included. Cochrane collaboration tools are used to assess quality, and a narrative synthesis was undertaken. The primary outcome is employment; secondary outcomes were health, earnings, welfare receipt, and education.

Results: Eighteen trials are included (nine experimental and nine quasi-experimental), sample sizes range from 32 to 54,923. Interventions include social skills, vocational, or educational classroom-based training, counselling or one-to-one support, internships, placements, on-the-job or occupational training, financial incentives, case management, and individual support. Meta-analysis of three high-quality trials demonstrates a four per cent (CI 0.0-0.7) difference between intervention and control groups on employment. Evidence for other outcomes lacks consistency; however, more intensive programmes increase employment and wages over the longer term. Conclusions: There is some evidence that intensive multi-component interventions effectively decrease unemployment amongst NEETs. The quality of current evidence is limited, leaving policy makers under-served when designing and implementing new programmes, and a vulnerable population neglected.

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The Blind Foundation commissioned the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) to analyse the economic impact of improved access for people with disabilities (PWD). Two scenarios were considered: scenario one models the impact of increasing employment among PWD to show what might happen if the unemployment rate of PWD was equal to the national unemployment rate; and scenario two models the impact of an increase in productivity through improved educational outcomes for people with disabilities, which will enable them to increase their income levels. This report explores three key themes: (1) the economic impacts of increasing employment rates among PWD; (2) the impact of adopting new accessibility standards on markets like tourism; and (3) the cost of changes to accessibility standards.

The report does not consider the impact of increasing labour force participation for PWD that are not participating in the labour force. Improvements in accessibility may encourage greater labour force participation by PWD. The potential benefits of increasing the labour force participation rate are not included in the estimates.

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Given that countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region face many labor market challenges - notably high unemployment, prevalence of skills mismatches, low labor market mobility, and lack of formal employment networks - employment services could be a relevant policy instrument to help unemployed individuals find jobs. Despite high and increasing unemployment rates, employers in the region have a hard time finding workers whose competencies and skills fit their employment needs.

This book first surveys international best practices for the delivery of employment services and then reviews the provision of those services in a selected group of countries in the MENA region, with a focus on public provision through existing public employment agencies. Findings indicate that public agencies in the region face many challenges to the effective delivery of employment programs, namely insufficient administrative capacity, system fragmentation, lack of governance and accountability, regulation bottlenecks, and flaws in program design.

In order to help unemployed workers obtain the competencies required by available jobs, this study proposes a reform agenda based on the development of strong partnerships among public agencies, public providers, and employers for the design and implementation of flexible employment programs that respond to real employment needs. These partnerships will need to be developed with strong governance mechanisms that make beneficiaries, private providers, and firms accountable for making sure that investments in employment programs lead to employment insertion.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The chapters are as follows: Overview / Diego F. Angel-Urdinola and Rene Leon-Solano; Public employment agencies in the Middle East and North Africa region / Diego F. Angel-Urdinola, Arvo Kuddo, and Amina Semlali; Public employment programs in Egypt / Amina Semlali and Diego F. Angel-Urdinola; Public employment programs in Jordan / May Wazzan and Diane Zovighian; Public employment programs in Lebanon / May Wazzan and Diane Zovighian; Public employment programs in Morocco / Saad Belghazi; Public employment programs in Syria / May Wazzan and Diane Zovighian; Public employment programs in Tunisia / Diego F. Angel-Urdinola, Anne Hilger, and Rene Leon-Solano; Public employment programs in the Republic of Yemen / Diane Zovighian. Show less

Creating economic opportunities for Arab youth has long been a leading policy priority in a region facing economic and political challenges. In recent years, international organizations, governments, non-governmental organizations, and social entrepreneurs have responded to this challenge with a wide range of approaches, including interventions focused on skills development, career guidance, job search support, entrepreneurship promotion and various types of active labor market programs. However, there remains little evidence across the region as to whether such programs have had a positive impact on the economic lives of young people or how to expand successful programs and implement them at the scale needed to resolve the economic challenges facing the region's youth.

In response to this lack of evidence, the ILO joined with partners, including Silatech, the World Bank, the Jacobs Foundation and the Swedish International Development Foundation in 2009 to establish the Taqeem Initiative. Taqeem supports youth employment policy-makers and practitioners in the Arab world in enhancing the monitoring and evaluation of their programs. This collection of case studies documents the evolution of monitoring and evaluation systems in seven youth serving organizations. The volume seeks to contribute to the knowledge and learning around 'what works' in youth employment and how organizations can contribute to this knowledge base and to provide important insight on how the knowledge base can be expanded by strengthening learning and accountability across organizations and programs, large and small.

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This paper examines the impact of labour market and sectoral policies in India on employment creation and decent work objectives. In spite of high levels of economic growth, India has not undergone structural transformation and more than half the work force remains concentrated in agriculture, where productivity is low. Other noteworthy trends are the declining workforce participation rate of women, along with significant youth unemployment and underemployment. The paper assesses the effectiveness of two employment strategies: (i) the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) public works programme; and (ii) the Make in India sectoral policy. It also discusses issues arising from the persistence of the informal economy, and challenges the prevailing views about the nature of the labour market and skills mismatch problems in India. It concludes with policy recommendations to address the decent work deficit, notably by (i) tackling informal working conditions; (ii) adopting active labour market policies; (iii) strengthening social protection floors; and (iv) providing financial inclusion for small producers.

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The aim of the current Traineeships programme is to reduce the proportion of 16-19-year olds in Wales classified as not in employment, education or training (NEET) and to facilitate progression into employment or further learning and increase participants' confidence and motivation. This final report contains the findings from the research undertaken by Learning and Work Institute (L&W) and Wavehill Research to evaluate the Welsh Government's Traineeships programme between 2015-2019 which was part funded by European Social Funds.

The evaluation aims to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the Traineeships programme for the funding round of January 2015 to March 2019. It focuses on the performance and impact of the programme, with some review of the programme design and delivery processes. In particular, this evaluation explores: (1) The impact the programme has had in both its hard and soft outcomes; (2) The overall value the programme has added through a cost-benefit analysis; and (3) Lessons learned for the future delivery of similar programmes and how good practice can be replicated and benefited from.

Key findings include: Most officials, partners, and providers agree that the overall structure and approach for the Traineeships programme is the correct one; Employers who have participated in the programme generally consider its key strengths to be the opportunity for young people to gain work experience and skills through the programme, and that it provides an alternative option for individuals who have not had their needs fully met by mainstream provision; Officials and partners felt that the Traineeships programme aligns well with Welsh Government policies and priorities and is important in helping to prevent young people falling into long term NEET status and keeping people out of poverty; the support typically provided through a Traineeship enabled a young person to develop a broad platform of enhanced skills, especially in relation to employability and soft skills, such as confidence, aspirations, social interaction and maturity in particular; In terms of delivery approach, several providers referred to increasingly moving away from the traditional classroom approach, instead finding and offering experiences that were vocationally orientated (often located in a workplace) to help trainees identify what they want to do and the career they wish to pursue; Several providers suggested that widening the age group eligible for the programme would be beneficial for supporting a wider group to access training and employment.

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