EEA Warns Growth Figures Mask Jobs and Social Protection Gaps
The Ethiopian Economic Association has warned that recent macroeconomic reforms are failing to address critical issues like unemployment and rising living costs. Economists argue that growth figures are misleading if they do not translate into improved household purchasing power and job creation for the youth.
Why it matters
This critique highlights the disconnect between national economic indicators and the lived reality of citizens in developing economies undergoing structural reform.
The Ethiopian Economic Association (EEA) warned that the country's economic recovery risks failing to deliver lasting gains unless recent reforms generate jobs, protect household incomes and strengthen state capacity.
The association issued the warning on Friday at its 23rd annual conference, where economists examined the opportunities and risks facing the country’s reform programme. Professor Tassew Woldehanna, President of the EEA, said macroeconomic progress should not be measured only through growth rates and financial indicators, but by whether it improves living standards.
“Economic growth alone is not sufficient,” Tassew said. “It must ultimately be measured by whether it creates productive employment, raises real household incomes, reduces poverty, and improves the quality of public services.”
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