The employment problem and World Bank activities

The employment problem is likely to be a key question in development strategy throughout the 1970s, as rapid rates of population are increasingly felt in the labor market through greater numbers of young people seeking work. Reexamination of basic concepts of development, particularly the propriety of focusing the developmental effort primarily on increases in output (as measured by the GDP) is in order. Concepts of employment and unemployment that are germane to the Western countries are not always applicable to developing countries. Very low-income countries are often most severely disadvantaged, and more effective rural development may be the only approach to improving the economic position of the mass population. Countries at higher developmental levels have greater opportunities, but may also experience special problems in raising standards of living. New strategies are needed that require a more active role by government and possible radical changes in policies towards population growth, infrastructure investment, industrial promotion, and agricultural policies, including land reform. Demographic, economic, and statistical data are included.