Tag Archives: World Bank Group

Better Jobs: Evidence from the Life in Transition Survey

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Jobs are the surest path out of poverty, but not all jobs are the same. “Good jobs” provide not only income but also stability, security, and benefits that enhance well-being and strengthen communities.

These distinctions became evident in the latest Life in Transition Survey (LiTS) conducted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in collaboration with the World Bank. More than half (54%) of respondents identified sufficient income as the most important characteristic of a good job, followed by job stability (23%), good working conditions (11%), and benefits (5%). Yet these features are often missing in the widespread informal employment found across Europe and Central Asia (ECA), and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

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Three barriers to municipal finance—and how to overcome them to create jobs and growth

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Cities in low- and middle-income countries are growing fast—but their ability to finance the infrastructure and services needed to support people and jobs is lagging behind.

The consequences are real: without better roads, transit, water, energy, and housing, cities struggle to deliver basic services or attract investment, limiting job creation and economic opportunity. That’s because urban infrastructure lays the foundations for employment, business development, and economic growth.

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Global Carbon Pricing Mobilizes Over $100 Billion for Public Budgets

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Over one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions are covered by carbon pricing

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2025—Carbon pricing revenues exceeded $100 billion in 2024, according to a new World Bank report released today. Over half of this revenue generated for public budgets was earmarked for environment, infrastructure, and development projects, representing a slight increase from previous years.

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State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2025

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The World Bank’s annual State and Trends of Carbon Pricing report is aimed at providing an up-to-date overview of existing and emerging carbon pricing instruments around the world, including international, national, and subnational initiatives. It focuses on identifying key developments relating to all forms of direct carbon pricing – emissions trading systems, carbon taxes, and carbon crediting mechanisms. This year’s report will be the twelfth (in its current format) – building on many decades of World Bank Group’s work in this space.

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Global Economy Faces Trade-Related Headwinds

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The global economy is facing substantial headwinds, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the weak outlook limits their ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty. This challenging context is compounded by subdued foreign direct investment into EMDEs. Global cooperation is needed to restore a more stable global trade environment and scale up support for vulnerable countries, including those in fragile and conflict situations. Domestic policy action is also critical to contain inflation risks and strengthen fiscal resilience. To unlock job creation and long-term growth, reforms should focus on raising institutional quality, attracting private investment, and strengthening human capital and labor markets. 

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Beyond the numbers: Key trends reshaping Latin American jobs

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Jobs are the main driver of poverty reduction. They help build more resilient and self-sufficient societies, reduce the need for humanitarian aid, and address the root causes of unrest and migration. Jobs were the key to fighting poverty in Latin America during its last period of sustained poverty reduction (2009-2014): strong employment creation and wage growth drove two-thirds of the decrease in poverty rates. After this prosperous timeframe, both poverty and labor market conditions have remained largely stagnant across the region (COVID-19 aside).

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Seizing the Moment: Four Priorities to Unlock Job Creation in South Africa

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Originally published in South Africa’s Sunday Times

Governments do not create many jobs—globally, they employ about 10%, and in South Africa only 6-8%, of the workforce. Instead, governments’ role is to create an environment where the private sector can drive employment. However, it is fair to say that South Africa has struggled to create such an environment over the past 15 years, with limited economic growth and job opportunities for its expanding labor force. With unemployment over 30% (excluding discouraged work seekers) and two-thirds of young workers jobless, improving conditions for private sector growth is more urgent than ever. These challenges have kept poverty and inequality entrenched, with nearly 39 million people surviving on less than R127 a day, equivalent to the $6.85 poverty line for upper-middle income countries.

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Further strengthening how we measure global poverty

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For 35 years, the World Bank Group has measured global poverty to track progress toward eradicating what is considered the most severe deprivation of basic human needs—extreme poverty. This goal is at the very heart of our organization’s mission.

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Harnessing the private sector for better development data

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Data is at the heart of development, powering the decisions and investments that help to reduce poverty and build a sustainable future. Yet most national statistical systems in low- and middle-income countries are under-resourced and ill-equipped to provide the timely, granular, and policy-relevant data needed for sound decision-making. Traditional surveys, which are often cross-sectional, infrequent, and costly, struggle to keep up with the blistering pace of economic and social change.

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Small Grants for Big Global Impact

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The world faces a collective action problem: countries naturally prioritize domestic investments while global challenges like climate change, pandemics, and food crises demand joint action. This creates systemic underinvestment in global public goods. Join country and development leaders at the 2025 Hamburg Sustainability Conference, as they explore ways to reshape the international finance to unlock transformative solutions. Discover the World Bank’s Framework for Financial Incentives and IDA’s Global and Regional Opportunities Window—innovative mechanisms that reward countries for projects with cross-border benefits. From energy transformation to water management, learn how small grants through the new Livable Planet Fund make big global impact possible.