Jobs and Welfare in Mozambique
Examines the nature and functioning of the labour market in Mozambique
Abstract
This study examines the nature and functioning of the labour market in Mozambique. There is little disagreement that the country has achieved remarkable success over recent decades, particularly when viewed at the aggregate level. Over nearly 20 years, Mozambique has boasted one of the world’s highest rates of GDP growth and has successfully moved from post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction into a more mature developmental phase.
However, the country’s development record in not unblemished. In particular, there is growing evidence that macroeconomic success has not delivered unambiguous socio-economic benefits at the household level. Mozambique remains one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked on the UNDP’s 2011 Human Development Index at 184 out of 187 countries, below so-called failed states such as Haiti, Afghanistan and the Central African Republic. It is also increasingly recognized that Mozambique’s growth has become less pro-poor over time, meaning that consumption poverty rates have remained persistently high. It is precisely this tension between growth and inequality that motivates a closer examination of trends in Mozambique’s labour market.
Citation
Jones, S.; Tarp, F. Jobs and Welfare in Mozambique. The World Bank, Washington DC, USA (2012) vi + 81 pp.