Labour Markets

The New Deal’s youth employment programme, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), had significant long-run benefits, increasing the lifetime earnings and longevity of its participants, despite having few effects on short-term labour market outcomes.

Which forms of vocational training and apprenticeships can help young people find productive work in the global south?

Jobs in Peru use a larger number of skills than comparable jobs in the US. This lack of specialisation is consistent with firms’ hiring of "toderos" (workers with many skills, do-it-alls), given the high levels of worker reallocation.

Women in Latin America experience a substantial 35% reduction in income after becoming mothers

Minimum wage increases in China are spent rather than saved, and are not associated with increased unemployment. In households with children, a significant portion of the additional income is allocated to healthcare and education.

Flexible work arrangements can both attract women to the labour force and provide a gateway to outside-the-home jobs. In India, where gender norms keep women out of the labour force, home-based jobs may represent the most immediate path to increase women’s labour force participation.

Employers under-invest in training their employees in general skills. Evidence from rural Burundi shows that while there are large returns to providing training, these are not captured by the employer who invested in it due to short contract durations.

Stark gender disparities are evident on a Chinese online healthcare platform, with algorithms disproportionately favouring male physicians.

Ethnic politics in Africa shapes employment patterns, boosting agricultural jobs when ethnic groups gain political representation