Unemployment and underemployment are some of the most serious development problems facing partner countries of the SDC. Only if people have access to productive, reasonably paid employment that enables them to earn an income, can global poverty be reduced in the long term and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achieved.
Providing poor households, farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with improved access to financial services can boost their involvement in economic life and reduce their vulnerability to crises.
Agriculture is Georgia's most important sector. However, farming remains uncompetitive as farmers' skills are out of step with the job market and technological developments. Switzerland is continuing to support vocational education and training to improve productivity, farm income and the employment situation for students of agriculture.
Country/region
Topic
Period
Budget
Georgia
Vocational training
Agriculture & food security
Employment & economic development
With Moldova facing high unemployment and a slowdown in growth, the SDC is funding a project designed to offer young job seekers alternatives to emigration and to improve the country's economic situation. Switzerland is supporting reforms aimed at training a qualified workforce and improving the investment climate. This will not only promote demand-driven training but also help create new jobs in the private sector.
Country/region
Topic
Period
Budget
Moldova
Vocational training
Employment & economic development
Livestock farming is an important source of income for a large part of the rural population in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. But many farmers live from subsistence farming and produce just enough food for their own needs. The aims of the project are to strengthen smallholder farms and to provide them with access to markets. This way, farmers can sell their honey, meat, cheese and wool products, and sustainably increase their incomes.
Country/region
Topic
Period
Budget
South Caucasus
Employment & economic development
Agriculture & food security
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the number of livestock in Mongolia has nearly tripled – to the detriment of the country's grasslands. The SDC is supporting an array of measures to encourage the sustainable use of pastureland, and to improve animal health and the marketing of livestock products. These efforts are helping to safeguard the livelihoods of nomadic herder families.
Country/region
Topic
Period
Budget
Mongolia
Agriculture & food security
Employment & economic development
The SDC is committed to improving the education and vocational training system in Niger. Over 1.5 million young people living in rural areas currently have no access to education or vocational training. Their future ability to enter the labour market depends on good-quality basic education and vocational training tailored to their needs.
Country/region
Topic
Period
Budget
Niger
Dosso and Maradi
Vocational training
Employment & economic development
Education
The aim of the Youth Employment Project (YEP) is to help public employment bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve their offer and to introduce youth-friendly services, such as individual and group careers advice for unemployed young adults between 18 and 30 years. Together with local partners, YEP also promotes new job opportunities linked to social entrepreneurship models.
Country/region
Topic
Period
Budget
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Employment & economic development
Vocational training
An SDC programme boosts the employability of young Tunisians entering the job market. It provides them with training in vocational skills to equip them with the practical experience and know-how required in the workplace.
Country/region
Topic
Period
Budget
Tunisia
Vocational training
Employment & economic development
The textiles and construction sectors in Bangladesh are recording high rates of growth, but many poor women and men lack the necessary qualifications for skilled jobs. By 2019, a project jointly financed by Switzerland and the United Kingdom aims to give 110,000 of them better prospects through on-the-job training. The results so far are promising.
Country/region
Topic
Period
Budget
Bangladesh
Employment & economic development
Vocational training
The economic crisis weakened Serbia's competitiveness. Youth unemployment is relatively high and a large number of young Serbians are looking for work but employers cannot find qualified workers. An SDC project is taking an integrative approach to address both problems.
The programme for supporting the decentralised management of literacy services in Benin (PAGEDA) aims to provide high-quality literacy programmes that will enable 30,000 people (50-50 gender split, with most aged 15-30), who are excluded from or have no access to the formal education system, to acquire life skills and fully exercise their rights. The programme also aims to address gender, age and regional disparities in relation to access to education.
Country/region
Topic
Period
Budget
Benin
Education
Vocational training
Employment & economic development
Small and medium entrepreneurs, their employees, and citizens will benefit from inclusive economic growth and equitable employment generation. Public and private sector actors will engage in joint local economic strategizing, planning and implementation. The improved framework conditions for inclusive business will result in more jobs, economic empowerment and ultimately increased sustainable income and well-being; particularly of the poor and disadvantaged.