Activation Policies for the Poor in OIC Member States
7
Introduction
Based on a poverty line of US$1.25 a day, nearly 350 million people in OIC Member States live in
poverty, according to available data for the period 2003-2011.1 Earned income through employment
is usually necessary to avoid poverty. In this respect, activation of the poor is an important tool to
move out of poverty. The success of activation in addressing poverty alleviation hinges, however, on
the provision of quality, decent work to avoid working poverty and vulnerable employment. To
ensure the possibility of employment in quality work, consideration must be given by governments
to creating quality jobs, providing workers with the skills needed by employers, and supporting
workers in finding employment.
Activation measures target disadvantaged individuals to one extent or another. In other words, in
the last instance the aim of the activation measures is to support the people who fell into poverty as
well as to protect to people against falling into poverty. Within the target group, however, there are
certain individuals who require more extensive support to enter employment.
In low and lower middle income countries, where social safety net (SSN) systems are tend to be less
developed, activation policies towards the poor gain more importance since the SSN systems in
these countries might provide limited protection for the poor. In OIC Member States with higher
income levels and low poverty rates, social safety net systems are more developed, but activation
policies is still required. This is because a strong reliance on social assistance by jobseekers can
disincentivise employment. To one extent or another, all activation measures target disadvantaged
individuals. Activation is therefore required in Member States across income groupings.
Many OIC Member States are making a significant effort to develop their activation policies and
programmes. However, there is little research available on activation policies in Member States. This
study has therefore been carried out to report on labour market activation policies for the poor with
the aim of making recommendations regarding best practice for OIC Member States.
In terms of activation, the study considers three tools:
1 Job search support
2 Training
3 Job creation
Job search support, in the context of this study, largely refers to the services provided by the public
employment service (PES). This is because private job placement companies do not tend to offer the
same degree of tailored support as the PES, and do not tend to target the poorest. Where applicable,
private job placement companies have been referred to. However, for the most part, we have
considered it more appropriate to focus on the support available from the PES.
The report is structured as follows:
 Scope – Setting out the key concepts and definitions of activation to provide the conceptual and
policy framework for the rest of the report. The methodology used to carry out the research is
also set out.
 Overview of activation in OIC Member States – Reporting on the use of activation in OIC
Member Countries
1 COMCEC Poverty Outlook 2014, available at:
[accessed 10th December 2014].
Note: data for some low and middle-lower income countries is not available and so this number would be expected to rise slightly
when the missing data is included.