Decent work is a cornerstone to a life in dignity.  Not only is it a source of income, it is also a source of pride and driver of economic, social as well as individual professional development. Decent work is essential for making progress on the sustainable development agenda, especially for further poverty reduction and social inclusion.

Employment creation is a key concern of economic and social policies in the Arab region. Certain challenges persist, including a still relatively narrow economic base and especially the deep segmentation of national labour markets into rather small formal and much larger informal sectors. Additional divides among other social groups (national and migrant, female and male, skilled and unskilled workers), as well as high rates of youth unemployment, are causes for concern. Labour force participation is persistently low throughout the region. Several governments have made significant progress in generating adequate and timely statistical information to inform labour market policy. However, developing a policy infrastructure as well as labour market programmes that can reach beyond the urban middle classes and integrate the more vulnerable and marginalized parts of population is still an important policy priority.

Objectives:

• Providing technical support to member countries on expanding their policy infrastructure to informal sector workers as well as other vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities;
• Assisting governments in monitoring labour market trends and researching the trajectories of vulnerable groups in the labour market; and
• Serving as a regional platform for exchange of knowledge and experience.