In 2020, the global workforce lost an equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs, an estimated $3.7 trillion in wages and 4.4% of global GDP, a staggering toll on lives and livelihoods. While vaccine rollout has begun and the growth outlook is predicted to improve, an even socio-economic recovery is far from certain.
The choices made by policymakers, business leaders, workers and learners today will shape societies for years to come. At this critical crossroads, leaders must consciously, proactively and urgently lay the foundations of a new social contract, rebuilding our economies so they provide opportunity for all.
In this context, the Forum remains committed to working with the public- and private sectors to provide better skills, jobs and education to 1 billion people by 2030 through initiatives to close the skills gap and prepare for the ongoing technological transformation of the future of work.
These are the best universities in the MENA region
As the latest university rankings are released, here’s how the top universities in the MENA region stack up.
Five ways to increase gender parity in the MENA region
As the role of women in Middle Eastern workplaces changes, here are five pragmatic steps that organizations can take to help ensure diversity is not simply another corporate buzzword, but...
Beth Comstock's Imagine It Forward: An excerpt
Beth Comstock's book 'Imagine It Forward' has been chosen as April's book for the World Economic Forum Book Club.
Pad Women - the all-female business easing period poverty in Sri Lanka
Commercially produced towels typically sell for between 100 and 140 rupees, putting them out of reach of most Sri Lankan women.
To feel happier at work, share 'the real you'
According to a new study, people with non-visible stigmas (such as sexual orientation or health problems) who live openly at work are happier with their overall lives and more productive ...
Why pay transparency alone won't eliminate the persistent wage gap between men and women
The gender pay gap can be a controversial topic, but whatever way you look at the data, around the world women are being paid less than men for the same job. More must be done to fix this.
How women venture capitalists invest says a lot about the inequality in their field
Though women led 17% of startups in 2017, they received just 2% of all VC funding in the US.
These countries give the most aid - and are the most principled about it
A British-based index ranks countries by the amount of money they give away - not to serve their own interests but to alleviate suffering and promote global development.
MENA’s growing young population is a huge opportunity – if we get it right
The youth population across the MENA region is set to increase, expanding the share of the working-age population. This is a huge opportunity for the region's economic and social developm...
Women from elite colleges earn more because they work more
The effect of a more selective school on wages conditional on working is small compared to the effect on the likelihood of working.
Digital technology is changing how we deal with cost management
When companies talk about cost management, their focus typically is on slashing their current expenses. But in today’s digital era, cost management has taken on a new hue: It provides a s...
Cameroon farmers spice up earnings with forest-friendly foods
A government programme is providing training and funds to help farmers process and package local spices and herbs, boosting their incomes and protecting forests.