FSD Africa: Jobs Framework Methodology Paper

The FSD Africa Jobs Framework Methodology Paper describes a four-step experimental process designed to estimate and qualify the contribution of financial sector interventions to job creation and quality in Sub-Saharan Africa. The framework focuses on 'gross job creation' rather than net effects, utilizing a combination of firm-level data, sector-based multipliers, and a 'Decent Jobs Assessment' to provide a range of indicative employment figures.

• The Jobs Measurement Framework employs a four-step process to evaluate employment impacts: first, linking the intervention to job effects via a Theory of Change; second, estimating the quantity of jobs created and supported; third, assessing the 'decency' of those jobs; and fourth, conducting 'deep dives' for verification.
• FSD Africa measures 'gross job creation' rather than 'net job creation' because estimating net effects—which would subtract jobs lost due to displacement, substitution, or deadweight—is considered too methodologically challenging for development interventions.
• Employment effects are measured at three levels: 'micro' (new jobs within direct real economy beneficiaries), 'meso' (jobs supported in the wider value chain using multipliers), and 'macro' (economy-wide induced effects). Currently, the framework only utilizes micro and meso levels, as macro-level induced effects are excluded.
• To avoid overclaiming, FSD Africa uses a 'contribution share' based on pro-rating the amount of capital invested or the share of support provided, rather than claiming full attribution for all jobs associated with a financial system change.
• The 'Decent Jobs Assessment' scores projects out of 100 based on three dimensions: Job Quality (earnings, security, employability), Inclusion (gender equality, vulnerable groups), and Geography (inclusive growth, footprint, and sustainable growth).
• The framework explicitly separates the measurement of income effects from employment effects because income is measured by headcount, whereas employment is calculated using Full-Time Equivalents (FTE), making them mathematically incompatible in a single figure.
• For meso-level estimation, the framework primarily relies on investment multipliers (FTE jobs per $ invested) to estimate jobs supported in the supply chain, triangulating different data sources to provide a range from conservative to optimistic estimates.
• Step 4 'deep dives' provide granular validation through four options: Value Chains for Jobs Estimation (VCJ) using World Bank tools, Economic Impact Assessments (EIA), qualitative Case Studies, or Lean Data Surveys via mobile technology (e.g., 60 Decibels).

APA

Ripley, M., & Davies, G. (2020). FSD Africa: Jobs Framework Methodology Paper. FSD Africa. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21-01-15-FSD-Africa-Jobs-Framework.pdf

Chicago

Ripley, Matt, and Gareth Davies. FSD Africa: Jobs Framework Methodology Paper. FSD Africa, 2020. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21-01-15-FSD-Africa-Jobs-Framework.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ripley |first1=Matt |last2=Davies |first2=Gareth |title=FSD Africa: Jobs Framework Methodology Paper |publisher=FSD Africa |date=December 2020 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21-01-15-FSD-Africa-Jobs-Framework.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ripley2020fsd, author = {Ripley, Matt and Davies, Gareth}, title = {{FSD Africa: Jobs Framework Methodology Paper}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21-01-15-FSD-Africa-Jobs-Framework.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }