In many developed countries, automation has stoked fears of job losses by less-skilled workers. In Sub-Saharan Africa, by contrast, the adoption of low-skill-biased digital technologies complementary to informal workers offers the potential of a poverty-reducing trajectory by enabling productivity and creating more job opportunities. While informality is pervasive in Sub-Saharan African economies, building pathways to full formalization in the region has had limited success to date. Instead of focusing on formalization as an imperative policy goal, more realistic short to medium term policies should leverage low-skill-biased digital technologies to upgrade the skills of workers and enhance the productivity of firms in the informal sector. Moreover, more productive informal firms will likely seek to formalize if they perceive a positive tradeoff with the gains of being formal, arising from a conducive business environment mixing proper regulations, opportunities, and incentives. This paper summarizes what we know on digital technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa, and highlights their role as catalysts for productivity enhancement, job creation, entrepreneurship, access to credit, and financial inclusion in the informal sector. It also documents key challenges faced by governments in harnessing the benefits and risks of digitization for the informal sector and suggests a blueprint to help policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa address them.

中文翻译：

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利用数字技术提高撒哈拉以南非洲非正规部门的生产力

在许多发达国家，自动化引发了对低技能工人失业的担忧。相比之下，在撒哈拉以南非洲，采用低技能偏向数字技术作为非正式工人的补充，通过提高生产力和创造更多就业机会，提供了减贫的潜力。虽然非正规性在撒哈拉以南非洲经济体中普遍存在，但迄今为止在该地区建立完全正规化的途径取得的成功有限。与其将正规化作为一项必要的政策目标，更现实的中短期政策应该利用低技能偏向的数字技术来提升工人的技能并提高非正规部门企业的生产力。而且，更有生产力的非正规企业如果认为正规的收益与有利的商业环境结合了适当的法规、机会和激励措施会带来积极的权衡，他们可能会寻求正规化。本文总结了我们对撒哈拉以南非洲数字技术的了解，并强调了它们作为促进生产力提高、创造就业、创业、获得信贷和非正规部门金融包容性的催化剂的作用。它还记录了政府在利用数字化为非正规部门带来的好处和风险方面面临的主要挑战，并提出了一个蓝图，以帮助撒哈拉以南非洲的政策制定者应对这些挑战。本文总结了我们对撒哈拉以南非洲数字技术的了解，并强调了它们作为促进生产力提高、创造就业、创业、获得信贷和非正规部门金融包容性的催化剂的作用。它还记录了政府在利用数字化为非正规部门带来的好处和风险方面面临的主要挑战，并提出了一个蓝图，以帮助撒哈拉以南非洲的政策制定者应对这些挑战。本文总结了我们对撒哈拉以南非洲数字技术的了解，并强调了它们作为促进生产力提高、创造就业、创业、获得信贷和非正规部门金融包容性的催化剂的作用。它还记录了政府在利用数字化为非正规部门带来的好处和风险方面面临的主要挑战，并提出了一个蓝图，以帮助撒哈拉以南非洲的政策制定者应对这些挑战。