Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/214203 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
Discussion Paper No. 3/2020
Publisher: 
Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), Bonn
Abstract: 
This study asks what impact the Fourth Industrial Revolution will have on job creation and catchup development in Sub-Saharan Africa over the coming decade. Can light manufacturing export sectors still serve African development the way they served East Asian development in the past? If factory floor automation reduces the need for low-cost labour in global value chains, can IT-enabled services exports become an alternative driver of African catch-up development? I present case study evidence from Kenya to show that online freelancing has become an interesting sector, both in terms of its growth trajectory, and in terms of worker upward mobility in the global knowledge economy. As life everywhere moves further into the digital realm, and global internet connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world grows, more and more young Africans who stream onto the labour market may find work in the world of global online freelancing. I discuss the building blocks needed to make online work a sustainable vehicle for African catch-up development in the years ahead.
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-3-96021-114-3
Creative Commons License: 
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Document Type: 
Working Paper

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