Improving the way cities are planned and connected could help create more inclusive and sustainable employment opportunities across the Middle East and North Africa region, according to a new World Bank report.
The report, Cities that Work: Realising the Jobs Potential of MENA’s Cities, examines how urban environments influence access to jobs, productivity and economic opportunity across the region.
While focused on employment creation, its findings highlight the wider conditions that shape workers’ experiences — including transport, housing, infrastructure and access to essential services.
In terms of occupational health and safety, the report highlights the importance of considering the wider work environment — a worker’s ability to reach employment, live close to opportunities and access reliable services can influence the sustainability and inclusiveness of work, it notes.
“Urban policy is not only about buildings, roads, or land use,” said Almud Weitz, Regional Practice Director for Infrastructure at the World Bank.
“It is also about creating the conditions for firms to grow and innovate, and for women and young people to access jobs. When cities are well planned, well connected, and supported by reliable and affordable services, they can expand opportunities for workers and become engines of growth and resilience.”
The report analyses 615 cities across MENA and compares them with more than 8,000 cities worldwide.
It identifies four areas that can help cities become stronger engines of job creation: improving productive density, strengthening connections to markets, attracting investment and talent and building stronger cooperation between public and private sectors.
The World Bank says cities in the region face challenges including limited access to infrastructure, transport barriers and housing constraints that can affect workers’ ability to access employment opportunities.
Improving these urban systems, the report states, will be essential as MENA’s cities continue to grow and more people enter the labour market.
For the occupational health and safety community, the report offers a reminder that worker wellbeing is influenced not only by workplace practices, but also by the broader conditions that determine how people live, travel and participate in employment.
