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OVERVIEW
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Em ploym ent and its reverse thrust, unemployment, particularly among young people, are among the major issues of development which Cote d'Ivoire faces like many other countries in Africa. Statistics based on shifting concepts and definitions do not always reflect the magnitude of problems. What would an unemployment rate of 10% of the labor force in a country where one in two people live below the poverty line mean? Employment must go hand in hand with its ability to provide sufficient income to people who work and their family members. Work must be decent as recommended by the International Labor Organization. Decent work takes into account the working conditions and a socially acceptable level of compensation. Job creation stems from social and economic transformation processes that need to clearly identify the national context to lead to relevant recommendations. A whole set of problems to which em ployment policy cannot provide adequate answers because it is most often directed towards measures that are rather cyclical. The Human Developm ent Report 2013 for Cote d'Ivoire has been dedicated to the debate on em ployment in a long-term perspective while taking into account structural changes that affect employment and populations' welfare trends. Hence, the report was entitled Employment, Structural Changes and Human Developm ent in Cote d'Ivoire. This report aims at pointing out that though the analysis of em ployment issues has a short-term interest, it should be included in a perspective of structural changes and human development. The inclusion of structural changes was strongly requested by the National Employment Council through its terms of reference which stated: "wherever the situation required structural response, incidental solutions have so far been provided as part of other growth and development policies. Such solutions are only limited to a little aid to support specific social groups to gain a foothold in active life. As long as things would remain as they are, the employment issue would not be solved. There might even be the risk of exposing Cote d'Ivoire to the depletion of its human and social capital, and to economic decline. " This report exam ines the structural and institutional factors that have hindered job creation in Cote d'Ivoire and sets out recommendations combining employment, poverty alleviation and sustainability. So the report goes very far beyond the m ilitary and political crisis triggered in 2002 often underlined
to explain the various upheavals that affected Cote d'Ivoire in recent years. The review of the accumulation process as well as population size and the behavior of actors are at the heart of reflection in the labor market. At the same time, job characteristics are highlighted, in particular sectors of activity (fields and formal or informal status), the participation of women, labor productivity and registration of workers for a social protection scheme. The report highlights the slowdown of human development and the concomitant increase in deprivation. It also examines the regulatory fram ework and the functioning of the labor market. O pportunities for green jobs are addressed to emphasize the search for solutions for em ployment issues, especially for the youth, in a sustainable manner. Meanwhile, the inclusion of informal sector workers in a decent job through social security is tackled in order to give to em ployment a real decent character.
Wherever the situation required structural response, incidental solutions have so far been provided as part of other growth and development policies.
The report highlights the
SLOWDOWN OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, INCREASE IN DEPRIVATION, AND DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT
slowdown o f human development and the concomitant increase in deprivation.
The report starts with an analysis and the mapping of human development trends and multidimensional poverty assessment in Cote d'Ivoire. The estimates of indicators made are based on refinements introduced in the context of the 2010 and 2011 UNDP's Human Development Report. The analysis goes beyond national averages and reviews indicators of human development and multidimensional poverty at the regional level too, thus providing some light on development disparities by regions and their evolution between 2002 and 2011. This approach supplements the overall analytical framework used for global human development reports, giving it an intra-territorial nature. OVERVIEW