Liberia - Employment and Pro-Poor Growth

Fourteen years of civil conflict
(1989-2003) have destroyed Liberia's social and
economic infrastructure and brought the economy nearly to a
halt. Workers who came of age during the conflict are
largely unskilled, and the supply of workers exceeds demand
by a substantial margin. The negative effects of
unemployment, underemployment, and low productivity on
economic growth have made employment the most urgent demand
of the population and the top priority for Government
action. This report offers guidance to the Government of
Liberia in its development of a more strategic approach
toward increasing productivity and employment, in order to
achieve its pro-poor growth objectives. This report includes
seven sections: employment is key for poverty reduction; one
in five workers is unemployed or underemployed; the
structure of Liberia's economy limits prospects for
formal sector employment; transformation of the agriculture
sector is essential for pro-poor growth; investment and job
growth in the formal sector are constrained by three main
factors; labor-intensive public works programs are necessary
for the very poor; and education and training must be
improved to enhance employability.