<p>While "<a href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/april-2011/jobless-recoveries-causes-and-consequences" rel="nofollow noreferrer">jobless recovery</a>" is often discussed in the aftermath of recessions in Western countries, it seems it's always a short-lived phenomenon. On the other hand, it looks like in other parts of the world, e.g. <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2010/06/03/jobless-growth" rel="nofollow noreferrer">South Africa</a>, <a href="https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/assets/pdf/structural-transformation-jobless-growth-Nigeria.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Nigeria</a>, or even <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Make-in-India-stumbles-on-jobless-growth" rel="nofollow noreferrer">India</a> have experienced much longer periods of "jobless growth"; e.g. for the latter country:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Jobless growth has surfaced over the past few years as an unsettling element in India's economic picture. The 2011 census showed that the Indian economy grew at an average rate of 7.7% annually over the prior decade, while employment grew by only 1.8%.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>So what are the (common) causes of jobless growth in developing countries? And if I'm not wrong about their occurrence in the West, why is it that we don't see such long periods of jobless growth in the West?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-06T08:21:39.013Z
@KennyLJ: I'll try to find a more reliable source, but I think the data is probably correct, typo asside.
fantastic peace and prosperity
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-20T11:05:41.380Z
I really like a recent ReSTAT paper on this: "Job Polarization and Jobless Recoveries". that considers the relationship between the pooling of laborers into the tails of the skill distribution and jobless recoveries.
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<macroeconomics><economic-growth><unemployment><comparative-economics>
What are some common causes of jobless growth?
fantastic peace and prosperity
# What are some common causes of jobless growth?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-04-05)

While "[jobless recovery](https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/april-2011/jobless-recoveries-causes-and-consequences)" is often discussed in the aftermath of recessions in Western countries, it seems it's always a short-lived phenomenon. On the other hand, it looks like in other parts of the world, e.g. [South Africa](https://www.economist.com/special-report/2010/06/03/jobless-growth), [Nigeria](https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/assets/pdf/structural-transformation-jobless-growth-Nigeria.pdf), or even [India](https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Make-in-India-stumbles-on-jobless-growth) have experienced much longer periods of "jobless growth"; e.g. for the latter country:

> Jobless growth has surfaced over the past few years as an unsettling element in India's economic picture. The 2011 census showed that the Indian economy grew at an average rate of 7.7% annually over the prior decade, while employment grew by only 1.8%.

So what are the (common) causes of jobless growth in developing countries? And if I'm not wrong about their occurrence in the West, why is it that we don't see such long periods of jobless growth in the West?

**Tags:** macroeconomics, economic-growth, unemployment, comparative-economics

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: @KennyLJ: I'll try to find a more reliable source, but I think the data is probably correct, typo asside.  
> **username_1**: I really like a recent ReSTAT paper on this: "Job Polarization and Jobless Recoveries". that considers the relationship between the pooling of laborers into the tails of the skill distribution and jobless recoveries.  

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## 0 answers

