The World Bank has urged governments to revamp public works programmes, saying short-term jobs are no longer enough to address unemployment and skills gaps.

In its report, Innovations in Public Works: Rethinking Public Works for Jobs and Skills in a Changing World, the lender said traditional schemes, which often provide temporary, low-skilled infrastructure work, fail to offer lasting economic benefits or pathways into stable employment.

Public works are widely used in low- and middle-income countries as a form of social protection, providing income for vulnerable populations. The World Bank recommends shifting these programmes towards roles that build skills relevant to a changing labour market shaped by digital technology and climate challenges.

“A changing world calls for rethinking how public works can better support jobs and skills,” the report said, noting that demographic pressures, technological change and climate risks are reshaping labour markets. It added that public works should be designed not only to provide short-term relief but also to help participants build skills that are relevant to growing sectors of the economy.

The report mentioned a new generation of public works programmes that focus on three main areas: care services, digital work and green jobs.

Under care-providing public works, participants deliver services such as childcare, elder care and home-based support rather than building physical infrastructure. In Burkina Faso and Rwanda, childcare services linked to public works programmes have enabled more women to participate in paid work while gaining caregiving skills. In South Africa, similar schemes support vulnerable groups, including the elderly and people living with HIV/AIDS, while creating paid care jobs for participants.

The World Bank also pointed to the growing role of digital public works, where participants contribute to creating digital public assets such as maps, datasets and digitised records. In Kenya, young people have used smartphones to map buildings and collect data for urban planning, while in Mali and Tanzania, participants traced infrastructure using satellite images. In Sierra Leone, youths in flood-prone communities are digitising information on flood risks to support disaster response efforts. These programmes, the report said, help participants gain practical digital skills and are particularly accessible to women and young people because many tasks can be done remotely.

Green public works form the third pillar of the new approach, combining job creation with environmental protection and climate resilience. Examples cited include land restoration and water management projects in India, coastal protection in Fiji and flood-control efforts in Malawi. According to the World Bank, such programmes help communities adapt to climate change while providing steady income and building skills linked to agriculture, environmental management and conservation.

The bank said these innovative approaches show that public works can be more adaptive, inclusive and cost-effective if properly designed. By focusing on skills development and long-term employability, the programmes can support women, youth and people living in fragile or conflict-affected areas, while contributing to broader policy goals such as climate resilience, digital transformation and human capital development.

The report was authored by Christian Bodewig, Practice Manager for Social Protection and Labour Global Engagement at the World Bank; Michael Weber, Senior Economist at the Human Capital Project; Marko Bucik, a consultant in social protection and labour; and Aditi Lal, a consultant with the Human Capital Project.

The World Bank said countries that invest in forward-looking public works programmes could unlock greater value from public spending, protect vulnerable people in the short term and prepare workers for the jobs of the future.