This discussion paper offers a set of reflections on the key issues related to the intersection of climate change, the green and blue economy, and youth employment. It offers a set of discussion questions related to youth’s participation in the green and blue economy and their leadership in a just transition.

The H&M Foundation's Saamuhika Shakti project (2020-2026) tackles social inclusion in India's textile recycling industry. This initiative empowers informal waste pickers, a marginalized group, by integrating them into the recycling value chain. By treating waste as a valuable resource, Saamuhika Shakti aims to create a more sustainable and equitable circular economy in India's textile sector.

This paper includes key recommendations for and considers the role of industry leaders, governments, education and training providers and civil society in closing the skills gap and championing VET for the circular economy. 

This Note analyzes how Generative AI (GAI) will impact jobs, using a skills-based approach to categorize occupations as augmented by GAI, disrupted by automation, or minimally affected. While GAI is expected to enhance some jobs, a troubling gender gap emerges: women are more likely to hold jobs susceptible to disruption, while men are more likely to benefit from GAI-powered augmentation. This trend suggests GAI could widen the gender gap in the job market.

The knowledge product serves as an introduction to the strategies and approaches outlined within, offering practical guidance on facilitating access to finance for project beneficiaries. Developed through a transnational thematic working group on access to finance, the guide draws from the diverse experiences of the four country packages to provide policymakers and implementing organizations with valuable insights.

This how-to paper illustrates four innovative entrepreneurship trainings implemented within the 360° AgriJobs Approach that can help reach employment goals. The measures aim at enabling young men and women to gain a set of soft skills that allow them to identify and seize business opportunities, anticipate market changes, overcome barriers, and take initiative. Creativity, flexibility, resilience, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and finance management are learnable skills to become a successful entrepreneur.

This how-to paper focuses on the promotion of digitalisation within rural youth employment programmes. Digitalisation in rural contexts can be complicated and requires tailored responses to be able to support youth and women in gaining better access to knowledge, information and job opportunities. Through successful planning and implementation, digital tools can help provide these opportunities. At the same time, they create more interesting and accessible routes in discovering youths’ employment potential – both locally and globally.

This how-to paper pragmatically defines what green jobs are within the agricultural sector and how the 360° AgriJobs Approach can help promote Green Skills and Jobs. The addition of concrete activities and lessons learned give real-life examples of how this is done in countries around the globe. Take a look and learn about the potential of green jobs in the agri-food sector.

The Report explores the challenges of youth unemployment for people with disabilities in South Africa. The high rate of youth unemployment is highlighted, despite employers reporting unfilled vacancies. The social model of disability is used to frame the analysis, arguing societal barriers are the main obstacle. These barriers include inaccessible workplaces and a lack of accessible education, significantly disadvantaging young people with disabilities. The report acknowledges employer challenges in finding qualified candidates. Legislative efforts to promote disability inclusion are also outlined.

In this paper, Youth Business International (YBI) and Somo, YBI’s member organisation in Kenya, shine a light on the important role of informal businesses in sub-Saharan Africa and the barriers they face that prevent them from scaling up, with a particular focus on women-led informal businesses in Kenya. It includes recommendations for governments, financial institutions, and development agencies on ways to increase access to finance for informal businesses.

The indicator is part of the Circular Economy indicator set. It is used to monitor progress towards a circular economy on the thematic area of 'competitiveness and innovation'. Innovation and investments (on eco-design, on secondary raw materials, on recycling processes and on industrial symbiosis) are a key element of the transition to a circular economy. The circular economy can make a significant contribution to the creation of jobs and economic growth. Looking at jobs and growth of relevant sectors indicates whether the transition to a circular economy is delivering the expected results. Sectors that are closely related to the circular economy such as recycling, repair and reuse, are particularly job intensive, and contribute to local employment. 

This Note is part of the Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) Knowledge Brief series that focuses on integrating a youth employment dimension and identifying opportunities in emerging sectors. Building upon S4YE’s Discussion Note on the Circular Economy, which aims to integrate the jobs agenda within the environment agenda, and the World Bank publication, "What a Waste 2.0”, this note focuses specifically on the waste sector. It emphasizes that the waste sector jobs agenda can lead to a triple win: creating employment opportunities, contributing to environmental protection, and improving public health. With a focus on the role of youth, the Note provides a global overview of waste generation and management and maps key actors along the waste value chain. It analyzes recent trends in the quantity and quality of jobs in the sector and discusses opportunities for job creation and improvements to working conditions with examples of policies and initiatives from diverse contexts.

This short note explains how the Biscate app addresses the challenge of connecting informal workers with local clients through a user-friendly platform that does not require internet access or smartphones. In partnership with GIZ, Biscate is expanding its reach to rural areas, enhancing job prospects for informal workers and stimulating economic growth in remote regions.

Social insurance schemes, traditionally built for stable, employer-employee jobs, often do not fit the reality of gig or self-employed workers with fluctuating incomes. This S4YE short note offers key design insights for reimagining social insurance products for self-employed, low-income, and/or gig workers. inspired by the "sachet revolution."

This Short Note focuses on violence and harassment in the workplace. It explores how these issues can be managed through occupational safety and health (OSH) measures. The report examines regulatory frameworks, policies, programs, and improved OSH management systems as potential solutions to address violence and harassment. It also highlights specific situations where workers might be more vulnerable, such as those in contact with the public.

This Short Note is part of a series building on the report Working without Borders: The Promise and Peril of Online Gig Work. While local/regional platforms may not have received as much attention as global platforms, they play an important role for the local labor market and the local private sector ecosystem in many developing countries. This note addresses the following questions: What are the distinguishing features of local/regional gig online platforms, compared to global ones? What role can local/regional online platforms play on both the supply side (in supporting inclusion in developing countries) as well on the demand side (in addressing needs of local firms)? What challenges do local/regional platforms face in building a sustainable business model, and how can these challenges be addressed?.

This Short Note is part of a series building on the report Working Without Borders: The Promise and Peril of Online Gig Work. This note aims to provide some practical tips for practitioners like World Bank task team leaders in implementing online gig work programs to enable vulnerable populations - such as youth, women, persons with disabilities - to access online gig jobs to support their social and economic inclusion. Governments can use the potential of online gig work to build human capital, develop the nation’s digital skills, and provide opportunities to supplement household income.

This Short Note is part of a series building on the report Working Without Borders: The Promise and Peril of Online Gig Work. This short note is based on a survey conducted in one of the largest microwork platforms and supplemented by data scraping from the same platform. Using descriptive statistics, network analysis, constrained linear optimization, linear regressions, and case studies, the note attempts to shed light on the world of microwork, which presents a low entry barrier opportunity for low-skilled people to supplement their incomes and participate in the digital economy. Microworkers are more likely to be young, male, possessing a range of skills, and residing outside capital cities.

This Short Note is part of a series building on the report Working without Borders: The Promise and Peril of Online Gig Work. flexibility of working hours and location associated with online gig work uniquely positions it as an avenue to boost female labor force participation, especially in regions with limited local job opportunities. This short note takes a deep dive into gender-based disparities in access to these new forms of work, especially asking whether there is a gender gap in hourly rates that online gig workers ask for and earn from online tasks. The analysis uses data from over 19,000 profiles on one of the largest English-language freelancing platforms. Data from one of the largest global freelancing platforms shows that women quote approximately 10 percent lower hourly rates than men, likely reflecting a difference in confidence.

The Jeans Redesign (2019-2023) aimed to revolutionize jeans production for a circular fashion economy. Partnering with industry experts, the project created guidelines for brands to design jeans that are durable, recyclable, and made with minimal environmental impact. Launched in 2021, these guidelines have been adopted by over 100 organizations, leading to the creation of more sustainable jeans and a significant step towards a more responsible fashion industry.