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Tables and Figures for: Jobs For Growth

By Social Protection and Labor Markets Division (VPS/SCL/SPL)

This dataset provides the tables and figures underlying the book Jobs for Growth, which examines the performance of the labor market in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and proposes an integrated package of measures for both personal growth (through successful career paths) and economic growth (through more high-quality jobs and higher productivity).

Jobs for Growth rests on a dual vision: jobs are essential for the growth of individuals and countries alike. From the individual perspective, finding a good job is a legitimate aspiration for anyone who wishes to support oneself and one's family; from the societal perspective, creating more and better jobs is essential to achieving lasting and equitable growth.

Context

Over the past two decades, the bullish economic cycle yielded undeniable gains for LAC labor markets, among them lower unemployment, improved job creation, and a substantial increase in wages. However, the stagnation of the region's growth and weaknesses in the global macroeconomic outlook have increased the urgency to find solutions to today's most pressing labor problems. The book shows that, despite still-low unemployment rates, the region may find itself trapped in a vicious cycle of poor-quality jobs—a phenomenon especially visible in the high percentage of informal jobs (defined in the publication as those without access to social security benefits) and in the high proportion of very short-lived jobs. As the title indicates, breaking this cycle will require comprehensive policies that boost productivity.

What's included

The dataset bundles the source tables and figures as a set of XLSX files, allowing readers to access the underlying data behind the book's labor-market analysis.

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Metadata & use

Identifier https://doi.org/10.60966/q3fmfn1r
License Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivs 3.0 IGO
Related Knowledge Product
Citation

Alaimo, Veronica (2016). Tables and Figures for: Jobs For Growth. IDB Open Data. https://doi.org/10.60966/q3fmfn1r
Published date 2016-09-12
Modified date 2026-06-25
Tags/Keywords Job Creation · Labor Market · Labor Productivity · Workforce and Employment
Language
  1. English
Temporal coverage 1990-2013
Country
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela
Region Latin America and the Caribbean
Publisher
Inter-American Development Bank
Author
Alaimo, Veronica
Data collection type Observational Data
Data structure Semistructured Data
Data notes

What is this dataset?

It contains the tables and figures underlying the book Jobs for Growth, which examines the performance of the labor market in Latin America and the Caribbean.

What is the central argument of Jobs for Growth?

It rests on a dual vision—that finding a good job is a legitimate individual aspiration and that creating more and better jobs is essential to lasting and equitable growth—and proposes an integrated package of measures for both personal and economic growth.

How does the publication define informal jobs?

In this publication, informal jobs are defined as those without access to social security benefits.

What labor-market gains and risks does the analysis highlight?

It highlights gains over the past two decades—lower unemployment, improved job creation, and a substantial increase in wages—but warns the region may be trapped in a vicious cycle of poor-quality jobs, visible in high informality and a high proportion of very short-lived jobs.

Which region does the data cover?

The data covers Latin America and the Caribbean, spanning countries including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, among others.

What time period does the data span?

The data spans the period 1990 to 2013.

What file format are the tables and figures in?

The tables and figures are provided as a set of XLSX files.

How do I cite this dataset?

Alaimo, Veronica (2016). Tables and Figures for: Jobs For Growth. IDB Open Data. https://doi.org/10.60966/q3fmfn1r

Dataset files

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