Labour market transitions of young women and men in sub-Saharan Africa

This report presents the results of the School-to-work transition surveys (SWTS) implemented in eight sub-Saharan African countries – Benin, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, the United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia – in 2012 or 2013. The indicators resulting from the surveys and analysed in this report provide a detailed picture of the youth in the labour market in a part of the world where labour market information is sparse and sporadic. Results show that unemployment of young people remains a matter of concern, but that issues relating to the quality of work available to young people are of even greater relevance to the design and implementation of policy interventions. The report also draws attention to the path and length of the school-to-work transition for young people who are currently employed and draws some conclusions about the characteristics or experiences that can help to achieve a smoother transition. The SWTSs are made available through the ILO “Work4Youth” (W4Y) Project. This Project is a five-year partnership between the ILO and The MasterCard Foundation that aims to promote decent work opportunities for young men and women through knowledge and action. The W4Y Publications Series covers national reports, with main survey findings and details on current national policy interventions in the area of youth employment, regional synthesis reports and thematic explorations of the 28 datasets from the target W4Y countries. No. 9