Jobs are increasingly taking centre stage in national and international policy debates, in recognition of the importance of productive employment and decent work for poverty reduction, development and social stability. While the majority of chronically poor people are economically active, the poor quality of that work, including its low pay, dangerous conditions, insecurity and irregularity means that this work frequently maintains people in poverty. ‘Decent work’ is a long way off for most people living in chronic poverty.

The challenge of improving the quality and quantity of work for chronically poor people is too important just to be left to Ministries of Labour and related institutions. This guide examines the range of policies which can be instrumental to address this challenge.

Lucy Scott, Andrew Shepherd, Pedro Martins, Dominik Bulla, Martha Chen, Davuluri Venkateswarlu, Jill Wells