Skill deficit in developing countries: A review of empirical evidence from enterprise surveys

This study aimed at assessing skills deficits in developing country contexts on the basis of firm data from World Bank Enterprise Surveys. A precise definition of skills deficit was used – employers’ perceptions of inadequate workforce educational levels as a relative and absolute constraint to firm growth and performance - to assess the relevance of skills deficits in a set of 25 low- and middle-income countries. Although limited to the formal sector and to employer perceptions, the study nonetheless highlights a number of patterns concerning skills deficits in the development world of relevance for policy.