Jobs are a key engine for global development and a development goal itself. Usually representing the most important asset of the poor, they are central vehicles to lift millions of people to better livelihoods. Labor income is indeed the major contributor to poverty reduction: finding a job represents a key factor for exiting poverty on a permanent basis.

Expanding job opportunities and increasing returns to existing jobs is a top priority for policy makers worldwide, in both the developing and developed world. In this context, creating “good jobs” represent a policy priority: access to quality jobs is central to individual well-being and to broader social and economic advancement. Informed policies to expand quality job opportunities, especially for youth, are therefore central to achieving wider development goals in less-industrialized countries.