Job Training and Job Search Assistance Policies in Developing Countries

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4913628
AutoresEliana Carranza (Eliana Carranza is a Global Lead for Labor Markets and Skills in the Social Protection and Jobs Unit, at the World Bank, Washington, DC.), David Mckenzie (0000-0002-1885-2426, David McKenzie is a Lead Economist in the Development Research Group, at the World Bank, Washington, DC. .)
Año2024
Volumen38
Número1
Páginas221-244
Fecha de publicación2024-02-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaThe Journal of Economic Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0895-3309 • E-ISSN: 1944-7965
EditorialAmerican Economic Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1257/jep.38.1.221
OpenAlexW4391654120
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas15
Referencias citadas4

Governments around the developing world face pressure to intervene actively to help jobseekers find employment. Two of the most common policies used are job training, based on the idea that many of those seeking jobs lack the skills employers want, and job search assistance, based on the possibility that even if workers have the skills demanded, search and matching frictions make it difficult for workers to be hired in the jobs that need these skills. However, reviews of the first generation of evaluations of these programs found typical impacts to be small, casting doubt on the usefulness and cost-effectiveness of these programs. This paper re-examines the arguments for whether, when, and how, developing country governments should undertake job training and job search assistance policies. We use our experience with policy implementation, and evidence from recent impact evaluations, to argue that there is still a role for governments in using these programs. However, success depends critically on program design and delivery elements that can be difficult to scale effectively, and in many cases the binding constraint may be a lack of firms with job openings, rather than a lack of workers with the skills to fill these openings

Business · Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Internship · Job loss · Job training · Labour economics · On-the-job training · Unemployment · Vocational education · Employment and Welfare Studies · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Migration and Labor Dynamics