Documentos de Trabajo sobre Economía Regional y Urbana - Labor Market and Poverty in Barranquilla

Abstract

This document analyzes the evolution of the main labor market indicators and poverty indicators of Barranquilla between 2008 and 2022. On the one hand, it seeks to understand the evolution of employment generation and labor income during the last decade, and on the other hand, it aims to identify the public policies that have had a positive impact on the labor market and the pending challenges for the future. With respect to the poverty analysis, the document provides insights on the incidence, depth and its  determinants, which can be a valuable input for the design of public policies based on sustainable development and propoor growth. In this sense, it stands out a novel program implemented by the city to improve insertion into the formal labor market of young, low-income people called “English for Work”, which strives for strengthening the foreign language skills of students and unemployed individuals to respond to the requirements of the BPO sector, which is one of the fastest growing industries in Barranquilla.