Employment and earnings statistics are the key link
between the size and structure of economic growth and
the welfare of households, which is the ultimate goal
of development policy, so it is important to monitor
employment outcomes consistently. A cursory review of
employment data for low-income Sub-Saharan African
countries shows both large gaps and improbable variation
within countries over time and among countries,
suggesting that low quality data are routinely reported
by national statistics offices. Unfortunately, policies are
formed and projects developed and implemented on the
basis of these statistics. Therefore, errors of measurement
could be having profound implications on the strategic
priorities and policies of a country.