Matching the Education System to the Needs of the Economy: Evidence from Burkina Faso

In spite of recent advances, in terms of access to, and quality of, education recorded in Burkina Faso, data show a mismatch between the provisions of the education system and the needs of the economic sectors, in terms of skilled labor. In this paper, we investigate how to match the supply of skilled labor provided by the education system to the needs of the economic activities. We identify the branches of economic activity for which an increase in the quantity and/or in the quality of relevant labor supply could lead to productivity gains. We apply a non-parametric technique ( –returns to scale) in order to measure the returns to scale associated with labor in the economic sectors. We also estimate a multinomial logistic model in order to investigate the determinants of these returns to scale. Overall, results show that productivity gains are feasible in the majority of economic sectors. More specifically, improving the education level of farmers and artisans is particularly important for productivity gains. We also find that the education system must focus on ongoing training programs, especially in the area of agriculture and crafts.