The Mauritanian labor market through the lens of the 2004 national household survey

This paper provides a snapshot of Mauritania s labor market using data from the 2004 national household survey. The results show that the labor market is characterized by lower participation rates, lower employment-to-population rates, and relatively higher unemployment rates than in neighboring countries. The non poor fare better in the labor market than the poor. Although the labor force participation of the poor is higher than that of the non poor, the poor display a higher unemployment rate and a lower employment rate than the non poor. The data also suggest a negative correlation between wage employment and poverty. Substantial differences in labor market indicators emerge when disaggregating the analysis by gender and age-group. Female non-participation is extremely high. Women systematically earn less than men independently of their sector and type of employment and controlling for other factors, such as education. Young adults face considerable difficulties in entering the labor market: more than half of the population aged 15-24 is neither studying nor participating in the labor force. As gender disparities remain important for similar levels of education, more work is needed to understand whether cultural factors may prevent women from entering the labor market. Concerning young adults, future poverty reduction strategies need to pay more explicit attention to the promotion of employment through informed labor market policies.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Rajadel, Tania, Pontara, Nicola, Sanchez Puerta, Maria Laura
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	2009-06-01
Subjects:	ACCESS TO EDUCATION, ADULT WORKERS, AGE GROUP, AGE GROUPS, AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, AVERAGE EARNINGS, AVERAGE WAGES, BANKS, CALCULATIONS, CHILDBEARING, CONTRIBUTION, CONTRIBUTIONS, DAY LABORERS, DEPENDENCY RATIO, DEPENDENCY RATIOS, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, DROUGHT, EARNING, EARNINGS, ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT, EMPLOYMENT, EMPLOYMENT GENERATION, EMPLOYMENT INCREASES, EMPLOYMENT PATTERNS, EMPLOYMENT SOURCE, EMPLOYMENT STATUSES, EXCHANGE RATES, EXTREME POVERTY, EXTREMELY POOR HOUSEHOLDS, FAMILY LABOR, FARMERS, FEMALE EMPLOYMENT, FEMALE LABOR, FEMALE LABOR FORCE, FEMALE PARTICIPATION, FEMALE WORKERS, GENDER DISPARITIES, GENDER GAP, GENDER GAPS, GENDER ISSUES, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, GROSS NATIONAL INCOME, HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX, INCIDENCE OF POVERTY, INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES, INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLDS, INEQUALITY, INFLATION, INFORMAL SECTOR, JOBS, LABOR DEMAND, LABOR FORCE, LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKET EXPERIENCE, LABOR MARKET INDICATORS, LABOR MARKET ISSUES, LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES, LABOR MARKET POLICIES, LABOR MARKET POLICY, LABOR OFFICE, LABOR SUPPLY, LABOUR, LABOUR MARKET, LABOUR MARKETS, LACK OF INFORMATION, LEVEL OF EDUCATION, LEVELS OF EDUCATION, LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, LOW-INCOME, LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES, LOW-INCOME COUNTRY, MALE WORKER, MALE WORKERS, MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, MINIMUM WAGE, NATIONAL POPULATION, NATURAL RESOURCES, NUMBER OF PEOPLE, OLD-AGE, OLDER WOMEN, PENSION, PENSION RIGHTS, POLICY MAKERS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POOR, POOR FAMILIES, POOR HOUSEHOLD, POOR HOUSEHOLDS, POOR INDIVIDUALS, POOR PEOPLE, POOR WOMEN, POPULATION INCREASES, POPULATION INDICATORS, POVERTY INCIDENCE, POVERTY LINE, POVERTY PROFILE, POVERTY REDUCTION, POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES, POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY, POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY PAPER, POVERTY STATUS, PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS, PRESENT ANALYSIS, PRIMARY EDUCATION, PRIMARY SCHOOL, PRIMARY SCHOOL EDUCATION, PRIMARY SCHOOLING, PRIME AGE, PRIVATE COMPANIES, PRIVATE COMPANY, PRIVATE SECTOR, PROGRESS, QUESTIONNAIRE, QUESTIONNAIRES, RURAL, RURAL AREAS, RURAL EMPLOYMENT, RURAL HOUSEHOLDS, RURAL LABOR, RURAL LABOR MARKETS, RURAL PHENOMENON, RURAL POOR, RURAL REGIONS, RURAL SECTOR, RURAL WOMEN, SALES, SAVINGS, SECONDARY EDUCATION, SECONDARY SCHOOL, SECONDARY SCHOOLING, SELF-EMPLOYMENT, SENIORS, SOCIAL PROTECTION, SOCIAL SECURITY, SOUND LABOR MARKET POLICY, TOTAL EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYED, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, UNPAID FAMILY WORKERS, UNPAID WORKERS, URBAN AREAS, URBAN CENTERS, URBAN EMPLOYMENT, URBAN POPULATION, URBAN UNEMPLOYMENT, URBAN WOMEN, URBAN WORKERS, WAGE DETERMINATION, WAGE DIFFERENTIAL, WAGE DIFFERENTIALS, WAGE DISTRIBUTION, WAGE EARNER, WAGE EMPLOYMENT, WAGE LEVELS, WELFARE INDICATORS, WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE, WORKER, WORKERS, WORKING AGE, WORKING AGE POPULATION, WORKING POPULATION, WORKING-AGE POPULATION, YOUNG ADULT, YOUNG ADULTS, YOUNG MEN, YOUNG PEOPLE, YOUNG WOMEN, YOUNG WORKERS,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090604085727 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4146
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