Thirteenth ILO African Regional Meeting High level dialogue on 'decent work in Africa in the Post 2015 context: Rights and social dialogue for inclusive and sustainable growth' : Talking Points for By Carlos Lopes UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA

Abstract

Talking Points for Dr. Carlos Lopes UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA at 13th ILO African Regional Meeting High level dialogue on ‘decent work in Africa in the Post 2015 context: Rights and social dialogue for inclusive and sustainable growth’. Situational context of employment in Africa: According to ILO estimates, three out of four jobs in Africa, excluding North Africa, can be labelled “vulnerable” due to workers working on their own-account or as unpaid family workers; Africa’s rapid growth has not created enough good jobs, thus pushing those seeking work into informal self-employment and family labor. In most countries youth unemployment rate is more than twice that for adults. In Botswana, Congo, and South Africa more than one in three young people are unemployed compared to the world average of 14%. Informal trade is the most important source of employment among self-employed women in Central, Eastern, Southern and West Africa, at 60 per cent of non-agricultural employment. Investment in education linked to technology and innovation and in skills development that boosts productivity and meets labor-market needs is rare. One example is the human resource strategy in Cabo Verde, which shows strong ties between universities and businesses.