Data & Insights

The piece argues that newly emerging Asian economies will have to fashion a new 21st century model of economic growth that is characterized by a diverse manufacturing sector, skilled workforce and a new deal between business and labor.

Rising inequality is directly tied to waning rates of unionization, says a groundbreaking report released recently by the International Monetary Fund.

A new report by the IMF and Economist Intelligence Unit acknowledges the importance of quality jobs, calling the JustJobs Index a "valuable look at income and employment security and working conditions."

Bama Athreya, Senior Specialist, USAID, points out ways in which the JustJobs Index contributes to the debate regarding the relevance of workers' rights in the discussions of "job-rich" growth.

Knut Panknin presents the views of a top industrialist and a union leader on Germany's economic success, both of whom agree that a well-paid workforce is essential to strong economic growth.

In her latest blog post, JustJobs Network's Tanja Verena Matheis draws attention to the vulnerability of workers in global value chains as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing a parallel to the climate crisis, she explains how –forces majeures' have become more frequent, impacting livelihoods in South and Southeast Asia.

In recent decades, megacities in India and Indonesia– the world's largest developing country democracies' have grown increasingly inaccessible to rural-urban migrants. For anyone who hasn't obtained higher levels of education, the potential wage boost in moving from a rural area to a big city has been eroded by increasing skill demands in the labor market and higher costs of living. Small cities, meanwhile, pose fewer barriers for rural-urban migrants.

Cities are often seen as sites of emancipation and freedom for women, as compared to the social restrictions of the village and the hard manual labour of working on the farm. Small cities might not offer the level of freedoms women experience in the metropolis, they do, however, create specific opportunities for young women to access non-farm work. A gender inclusive planning and governance framework is urgently needed to leverage the potential for improving women's work outcomes in these places.

It is already commonly acknowledged in migration studies that instead of one-time long-term movements from one place to another, migration is increasingly complex in pattern and duration. We find that small cities lie at the cusp of multiple mobilities, acting as origin points, destinations as well as transit points for migrant youth.

Lately, policy makers and commentators have questioned whether the "demographic dividend" could turn into a "disaster" as countries struggle to create enough productive jobs for their ballooning youth populations. So far, research has focused less on the geography of the demographic dividend. Where are these young people who seek productive work? Where can their economic potential be fulfilled?