Workforce Development

Moldova has made significant progress in economic growth and poverty reduction since 2000, but the growth model has mainly relied on remittances, with limited job creation (World Bank, 2016a; Merroto et al., 2016). To sustain this progress and to catch up with the living standards of other countries in the region, Moldova requires a new growth model which is driven by higher private sector growth and creation of more and better jobs.

The objective of this report is to fill the observed knowledge gaps on skills supply in Moldova by providing the first findings from the Moldova Skills Measurement Survey (MSMS). The rest of the report is structured as follows: Next section briefly describes the Moldova Skills Measurement Survey and provides definitions of the skills used in this survey, with more technical details provided in Annex A.

The report has three main chapters. Chapter two examines the financing situation of the Kenyan higher education system, presents the results of a scenario-building exercise to explore the financial impact of various expansion paths, and proposes a strategy to achieve financial sustainability. Chapter three focuses on the quality and relevance of existing institutions and programs. It starts with an assessment of the present state of Kenyan higher education institutions. It continues with a review of options to strengthen the QA system at the national and institutional levels.

Bangladesh economic expansion continued in FY19, supported by rising exports and record remittances. Inflation remained within the 5.5 percent target, supported by bumper rice harvests. Broad money growth increased marginally. Private sector credit growth was weak and bank liquidity remains constrained. Non-performing loans continued to rise in the banking sector. The current account deficit declined with higher export and lower import growth. Bangladesh Bank interventions moderated the depreciation of the taka against the US dollar, but the real effective exchange rate appreciated.

Over the past decade, China's transition rate from lower secondary education to higher secondary education has increased significantly, from 80.5 to 93.7 percent. In light of this impressive progress, the Chinese government aimed at raising the gross enrollment rate in senior high schools to above 90 percent by 2020. Quality and relevance in vocational and academic high school education could be a key bottleneck in further expansion. The way tracking operates between academic and vocational streams could itself be a distortion for the sector's further expansion.

Cambodia’s education sector has faced and overcome a number of challenges in recent history. Several decades of political and social unrest caused by the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and Vietnamese occupation in the 1980’s dealt a severe blow to the education system and left it in a state of disintegration. Primary and secondary enrollment through to the 1980’s fell, with school attendance dramatically lower for individuals who were teenagers in 1975 compared to previous or subsequent cohorts (de Walque, 2004).

Moldova, like many other countries in the region, is facing rapid economic and demographic transitions. Employers report that inadequate levels of workforce skills hamper their productivity. Recognizing the importance of workforce development to improve the country’s socioeconomic prospects, the Government of Moldova approved the educational development strategies for 2013-2020. The main objectives are to improve the quality of education and training system and better match its outcome with the labor market needs.