Jobs and Development Conference 2026
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The Jobs and Development Conference (#Jobs&Dev) is a global event co-organized by the World Bank, UNU-WIDER, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Development Policy Research Unit at University of Cape Town (DPRU, South Africa), Institute for Structural Research (IBS, Poland) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Institute for Emerging Market Studies (HKUST IEMS, Hong Kong). The 2026 edition of the conference will take place on October 9-10, 2026, hosted by IEMS at the HKUST in Hong Kong, China.
The conference strives to expand the frontiers of global knowledge around jobs, improve understanding of the interplay between development and quantity and quality of work, and advance the discussion on the most effective policies to improve job outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Each year, the conference combines keynote lectures, presentations of high-quality research and policy-oriented discussions, creating a platform for interactions between academics and policymakers.
The conference builds upon the Employment and Development conferences organized by the World Bank and IZA between 2006-2015, and the Jobs and Development conference organized by the Network on Jobs and Development and the World Bank in 2016. UNU-WIDER has also been involved as a partner since 2019. The ILO joined in 2023, ahead of preparing for the 2024 edition of the conference.
2026 Conference :
The conference will take place on October 9 & 10, 2026, in Hong Kong, China. The two-day format will feature keynote speeches, a policy panel, special sessions and about 50 paper presentations in parallel sessions. The event will focus on policy-relevant research, applicable to identifying solutions to jobs challenges in low- and middle-income countries.
To expand the frontiers of global knowledge around jobs and advance the discussion on the most effective policies, we are interested in policy-relevant papers on all topics in labor and development economics, but especially in papers that focus on:
- AI, Technology & Structural Transformation
- Energy Transition, Resilience-Building and Labor Markets
- Approaches to Estimating the Impact of Economic Policy on Jobs
- Labor Market Policies, Programs, Regulations, and Institutions
- Skills, Education & Lifelong Learning
- Demographic Shifts: Youth, Aging Labor Force, and Migration
- Inclusion, Job Quality & Decent Work
- Fiscal Policy for Economic Growth and Jobs
In 2026, to support the participation of African scholars at the #Jobs&Dev 2026 conference in Hong Kong, China, travel grants to cover economy-class airfare and hotel accommodation costs were made available for eligible African researchers with accepted papers. This is funded by financial means of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
2026 Organizing Committee
The World Bank – Frederico Gil Sander
UNU-WIDER – Kunal Sen
The ILO – Lawrence Jeff Johnson
DPRU – Haroon Bhorat
IBS – Piotr Lewandowski
Cornell University – Gary Fields
HKUST IEMS – Kar Yan Tam
2026 Conference Organizing Committee:
Local Organizing Team: Jessica Yeung (HKUST, IEMS)
Logistics and Planning Team: Wadia Naidoo (DPRU, UCT), Janine Jantjies (DPRU, UCT)
CALL FOR PAPERS
The call for papers will be announced shortly. Stay tuned for details.
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