The Future of Work in Sub-Saharan Africa

Departmental Papers, December 17, 2018

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The Future of Work in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Bibliographic details

• Authors: Aidar Abdychev, Cristian Alonso, Emre Alper, Dominique Desruelle, Siddharth Kothari, Yun Liu, Mathilde Perinet, Sidra Rehman, Axel Schimmelpfennig, Preya Sharma
• Published: December 17, 2018
• Series: Departmental Papers
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781484383094.087

Overview

• Authors: Aidar Abdychev, Cristian Alonso, Emre Alper, Dominique Desruelle, Siddharth Kothari, Yun Liu, Mathilde Perinet, Sidra Rehman, Axel Schimmelpfennig, Preya Sharma
• Publication date: December 17, 2018
• Core premise: Far-reaching changes in technology, climate, and global economic integration are transforming the world of work in ways that are not yet fully understood, intersecting with rapid population growth and labor force expansion in sub-Saharan Africa.

Key uncertainties and scenario questions highlighted

• Technological change
  • Will the swift technological advances of the Fourth Industrial Revolution raise the standards of living for everyone?
  • Or will robots massively displace workers leading to a jobless future where only a few benefit from the fruits of innovation?
• Climate change and migration
  • Will mitigation efforts be able to cushion the adverse effects of climate change, including food shortages and mass migration, which would place extra pressure on urban labor markets?
• Global economic integration
  • Will countries continue to integrate commercially and financially, fostering growth and employment?
  • Or will trade wars become a norm in a world increasingly fragmented and inward-looking?
• Regional demographic and labor trends
  • In sub-Saharan Africa these global uncertainties meet a dramatic increase in population and a rapid expansion in the labor force, which is becoming increasingly urban.

Summary findings (as presented)

• The future of work in sub-Saharan Africa is shaped by interacting forces:
  • Technology (Fourth Industrial Revolution)
  • Climate (mitigation and adverse effects like food shortages and migration)
  • Global economic integration (trade and financial linkages versus fragmentation)
  • Demographics (dramatic population increase, labor force expansion, urbanization)

Subject areas and keywords

• Subject: Climate change, Digital economy, Economic sectors, Environment, Labor, Population and demographics, Technology
• Keywords: Africa, Climate change, country, country investment plan, Digital economy, DP, DPPP, East Africa, employment in sub-Saharan Africa, Global, government policy, integration in sub-Saharan Africa, investment plan, land market, poverty trap, Sub-Saharan Africa, sub-Saharan Africa's convergence, sub-Saharan Africa's export, sub-Saharan Africa's integration, sub-Saharan Africa's population, urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa, work, worker

Content in this bundle

• The Future of Work in Sub-Saharan Africa; IMF Departmental paper No. 18/18; December 2018
  • The Future of Work in Sub-Saharan Africa; IMF Departmental paper No. 18/18; December 2018 (Markdown version)
  • The Future of Work in Sub-Saharan Africa; IMF Departmental paper No. 18/18; December 2018 (PDF)