According to the UNECA Economic Report on Africa 2010, African countries must prioritize the creation of decent jobs as a central pillar of macroeconomic policy in order to attain the millennium development goals and eradicate poverty. Few countries for instance have a ministry of job creation like Jamaica. For most people, gainful employment is the only way out of poverty. This is especially the case for youth and other disadvantaged groups. Unfortunately, unemployment and underemployment rates in Africa are high and continued to rise even during the period of rapid economic growth that came to an end with the global economic crisis in 2008. In addition, Africa’s growth rates have not been accompanied by employment growth and as a result unemployment rates have remained stubbornly high and in double digits.
The Report also calls for appropriate investment in infrastructure and human capital, renewed and creative efforts at domestic resource mobilization, factor market reforms, incentives to support private-sector employment and efforts to increase productivity and incomes in the informal sector.
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