Shelter provision and employment generation

Although rapid growth in population, poverty and unemployment have intensified the need for adequate shelter and increased employment opportunities in urban areas of developing countries, investment in housing has declined significantly. This publication seeks to illustrate the dynamic linkage between shelter and employment, to emphasize the necessity for governments to adopt realistic and flexible housing policies, and to encourage the development of an efficient and sustainable construction industry. The study considers shelter provision as a means to meet housing needs and also to generate employment and to contribute to national income. It examines the scope for self-employment and small-scale enterprises, using labour intensive methods, to provide income-earning opportunities in construction, as well as to increase demand in other sectors, while ensuring observance of international labour standards. Addressing the issue of the home as a workplace for many millions of people especially women, and of the indirect effects of a well-functioning housing supply system, the book stresses the link between improved housing and increased productivity and well-being, and the possibility for community involvement in the provision of services and infrastructure, leading to greater social cohesion. The book concludes that shelter provision should be a tool of development policy which links the goal of shelter for all with that of full employment, in a common strategy for poverty reduction.