World Data Lab and the Mastercard Foundation announce launch of the Africa Youth Employment Clock

World Data Lab (WDL), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is pleased to announce the Ghana launch of the Africa Youth Employment Clock on June 11, 2024.

According to WDL projections, Africa will experience its highest-ever youth population growth in this decade (2021-2030), with the population projected to increase by almost 100 million between 2023 and 2030. Against this backdrop, enabling young people in Africa to access dignified and fulfilling work is more important than ever and a collective, renewed impetus underpinned by credible data is needed to achieve this.

The Africa Youth Employment Clock will support and inform the journey to more inclusive African labour markets through cutting-edge data modeling and visualization. This labour market model monitors real-time job growth and forecasts employment trends in Africa, disaggregated by key variables such as employment status, age, gender, and sector up to 2030.

The first of its kind, the Clock is poised to become a go-to place for comprehensive youth employment data in Africa. It is intended to inform the strategic decision-making of policymakers, development actors, and other youth and labor ecosystem stakeholders.

The Clock draws from surveys and datasets made available by national statistics offices, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)."

The Clock is a user-friendly, publicly available digital tool that can be accessed at www.africayouthjobs.io. Country-level youth employment data is available for all 54 African states, while sub-national data is currently available for Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda. Over time, access to sub-national data will expand to include Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal, and Ethiopia, countries where the Mastercard Foundation supports country-based programs.

The Clock’s data analytical model draws from surveys and datasets made available by national statistics offices and international sources. WDL’s methodology is peer-reviewed and enables consistent, comparable data across countries.

“The Africa Youth Employment Clock is a first of its kind providing consistent, comparable labour market statistics forecasting till 2030 for youth employment in Africa. We aim to ensure that decision-makers are equipped with the right information to effect change for the youngest workforce in the world. We are proud to be partnering with the Mastercard Foundation to shape a better understanding of youth employment.” said Dr. Reshma Sheoraj, Vice President of Strategic Engagements, World Data Lab.

“The Africa Youth Employment Clock aligns with our mission to enable 30 million young Africans to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030. As we witness unparalleled growth in the continent’s youth population this decade, we recognize young women and men of Africa as the dynamic workforce and leaders capable of solving local and global problems. This tool will play a key role in delivering precise labour market insights to support our youth empowerment efforts,” said Rica Rwigamba, Country Director Ghana, Mastercard Foundation.