Activation Policies for the Poor in OIC Member States
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specifically at people with disabilities and who are therefore likely to require more support to find
work.
Lack of funding for projects in lower-middle income and low income countries can affect the
sustainability of projects and therefore the extent of their impact. The use of loans, rather than
grants, in the case of one project identified in Cameroon, however, was shown to improve the
project’s financial sustainability.
Programmes’ impact was also shown to improve when programmes contain an element of
continuous improvement. Regular reviews and evaluations have identified unintended
consequences and ensured that corrective measures can be introduced. In low income countries
such as Uganda, reviews of past projects have informed the design of new projects, such as the Youth
Livelihoods Programme. In countries with resources for more regular reviews, such as Saudi Arabia,
reviews have led to improvements in existing programmes such as Saudization.
Cross cutting recommendations
The capacity of the PES could be increased, supporting both activation and the dissemination of
labour market information.
The insight the PES has into different areas of activation means it could be well suited to acting as a
lead institution for activation. In higher income Member States which have both a developed PES
and social safety net programmes, jobseekers can be encouraged to use the support available
through the use of conditionality in the social safety net system. In this instance, unemployed
recipients of social assistance could be tasked with engaging with the PES. Where Member States do
not have a developed PES or social assistance, consideration could be given to elevating the status of
the PES by increasing the incentives for jobseekers and employers to use it. Partnerships with other
organisations delivering activation measures could also be used to extend the outreach of the PES.
Employer involvement can improve the design of activation programmes.
Employers can provide valuable insight into what would make individuals employable. Furthermore,
involvement in the design of activation measures can encourage employers to support their
implementation. There are different ways employer engagement can be achieved. For example,
when designing skills training measures, an organisation such as a Skills Development Authority
could be responsible for engaging with employers. Employer surveys are also useful tools to identify
the skills needs in the labour market.
The status of vocational skills training could be raised, whilst ensuring the delivery of training
matches employers’ needs.
In many Member States, skills gaps and strategies are in place to raise the status of vocational skills.
Efforts in this area should continue across income groupings. For example, the quality of the training
available could be improved where needed. More value could also be placed on vocational skills if
regulations were in place in industries requiring workers to have vocational skills training. Although
activation measures are not traditionally targeted at children, in the context of skills training more
information and careers guidance could be delivered in schools to encourage students to develop the
skills required by employers.
Improved targeting of activation measures can increase their effectiveness for alleviating poverty.
If the aim of activation measures is to address poverty, programmes should be accessible by the
poor. This may mean prioritising implementation of projects or programmes in regions with high
poverty rates or targeting measures at individuals with certain characteristics that make them more
at risk of poverty. In high income countries, activation measures may not be targeted at the poor
because poverty is not recognised as a salient issue, meaning there does not appear to be a need for
this type of targeting. Improving the availability of data on poverty rates in these countries could
support an assessment on whether measures should be targeted at the poor.