EMPLOYMENT Seminar Series
Does providing digital skills and improving digital jobs lead to better labour market outcomes in low- and medium-income countries?
This Seminar will discuss the impact of providing digital skills and improving digital jobs on people’s employment outcomes in LMICs based on a series of recent studies from the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), a global research network.
Background:
Access to quality jobs is a pressing concern in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with high unemployment and underemployment. An increasing number of low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) see the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector as having the potential to generate a large expansion in well-paying formal-sector jobs and rapid economic growth.
This Seminar will discuss the impact of providing digital skills and improving digital jobs on people’s employment outcomes in LMICs based on a series of recent studies from the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), a global research network. In one programme, the technology company Sama provided digital skills and job referrals for youth from underserved communities in Kenya. Using randomised evaluation (RCT), the research showed significant benefits of combining digital skills training with job referrals, resulting in a 37 per cent increase in earnings and a 10-percentage point reduction in unemployment. The training and referral combination notably improved life satisfaction and financial security, and income resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other evaluation studies found that digital jobs improved women’s labour force participation in Bangladesh but led to unequal effects on productivity in India, while supporting workers on digital job platforms sometimes did not lead to intended outcomes. We will conclude by discussing the findings’ broader implications for anticipating and evaluating the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on employment in LMICs. For more information on J-PAL’s relevant research, click here.
Objective of the seminar:
To discuss the interrelationship between new and emerging technologies and employment outcomes based on the main findings of rigorous impact evaluations, extract lessons for future employment policymaking and policy-relevant research questions.
AGENDA
Chair: Sangheon Lee (Director, ILO/EMPLOYMENT)
Presenter: Professor David Atkin, Department of Economics, MIT and Firms sector co-chair, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT
Discussants:
- Niall O Higgins, Employment Specialist/Employment Department
- Juan Ivan Martin Lataix, Skills Specialist/Employment Department