Contributing to the global debate on employment promotion.
Blog
Welcome to our blog! On this page you will find opinion pieces, highlights of our current work, and interesting contributions from a range of guest bloggers. Please get in touch to share your thoughts, comments, or ideas. Happy reading…
Beyond regulation: Reducing domestic workers’ vulnerability through economic empowerment
Efforts to reduce the vulnerability of domestic workers should not be limited to expanding legal protections and formalization, but also focus on their economic empowerment.
A curated list of global surveys on workforce dynamics
A growing number of private sector companies have initiated global surveys on workforce trends and dynamics. While caution is needed in interpreting the data, these surveys can be a useful resource for development practitioners.
Lifelong Learning: Who is Left Behind?
Lifelong learning is considered crucial for workers to adapt to an ever-changing labor market. However, access to lifelong learning is not distributed evenly. Women, older, low-income and less educated workers are at risk of being left behind.
10 Key Takeaways from the OECD Conference “Disrupted Futures 2023”
The OECD “Disrupted Futures” conference brought together leading researchers and practitioners in the field of career guidance. What are the major trends, issues, and future directions?
From idea to system transformation: Enhancing project maturity one step at a time
While it is common practice in the private sector to have a structured process for product testing and development, such an approach is still rare in public policy and international development.
University Career Services in MENA: Challenges and Way Forward
Despite several initiatives to strengthen career services in MENA, career services in the region often remain fragile. Future efforts must address a range of priority areas, such as leadership support, quality management, and employer engagement.
Improving the labor market integration of Roma in Serbia and beyond
Roma minorities face a wide array of barriers to employment. Comprehensive approaches combining general social support with labor market services are therefore needed.
Key readings on employment and labor markets in 2022
What were some of the most interesting readings this year on employment and labor markets? Here is our list of curated resources on labor market oriented education, ALMPs, MSME development, labor migration, JobTech, and more…
Labor market policies must consider the complexity of poor people’s lives
Poor people’s lives are complex. To be successful, labor market policies targeting the poor must be designed and implemented differently than for other target groups.
The Future of Work Meets Africa’s Youth Employment Puzzle
JobTech can fill in pieces of the youth employment puzzle in Africa, with a wide range of applications. This includes facilitating access to job experience, supporting job search, and promoting remote work opportunities.
We should use the term “employability” more carefully
There is no commonly accepted definition for “employability” in the literature, leaving ample room for contradictory interpretation across projects and making it difficult to measure success in a consistent way.
My 5 key take-aways from Covid-19 employment diagnostics
Countless studies have been conducted to analyze the employment related impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. What lessons can we learn from those assessments for future employment diagnostics in crisis and non-crisis times?
Does Solar Energy Create Inclusive Job Opportunities?
Many developed countries struggle to make their energy transition socially inclusive, leaving women and other groups behind. What can we expect in LMICs where gender inequalities are often more severe to begin with?
Supporting disadvantaged NEETs: Is a combination of active measures and cash transfers the answer?
What is the benefit of offering active and passive labor market policies in combination? An evaluation of the French “Garantie Jeunes” program found positive effects on employment.
Phineo’s „Wirkt-Siegel“ muss rigorose Wirkungsmessung stärker berücksichtigen
Phineo’s „Wirkt-Siegel“ bezieht sich in der Analyse nur unzureichend auf rigorose Wirkungsmessung. Einige Änderungen können aber schon helfen hier mehr Transparenz zu schaffen.
Why employment programs need Human-Centered-Design
Good customer experience is not just important for private sector companies. Employment promotion interventions can leverage Human-Centered Design to tackle implementation challenges such as low attendance or high dropout rates.
Leveraging rapid learning evaluations for German development cooperation
Rigorous impact evaluations remain rare in German development cooperation. We introduce rapid learning evaluations as a tool to improve programs by testing design and implementation alternatives.
Can We Use Big Tech’s Big Ideas to Help Entrepreneurs Succeed?
Big tech has figured out how to use human decision-making processes to keep its workforce engaged. Can we use the same tricks to help entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries improve their business practices?
Managing a Business or Managing a Mind?
Starting and growing a business is a messy process with many decision points along the way. To be successful, entrepreneurship programs must account for the psychological and social context in which entrepreneurs operate.
Think again: Don’t freeze hiring of interns in times of COVID-19
COVID-19 is pushing businesses and other organizations to lay off staff or at least freeze hiring—including of interns. To minimize the negative impact on young people, remote internships and other options should be considered.
Interested in contributing a guest post?
Are you a researcher, practitioner or policymaker and would like to share lessons learned from your work? Send us an email. We also have an open call for guest posts by PhD students/graduates.
Prospera Consulting
Solutions for effective employment promotion.