The objective of this study is to assess the impact of the internship programs offered by the Public Employment Services (PES) on access to employment as well as on earnings. Data collected from 8,492 job seekers in the public employment services of sub-Saharan African countries made it possible to compare applicants who took part in internship programs and those who did not. Using the double differences method, we found that internship programs have positive impacts on access to employment and on wages, both in the short term and in the long term. The estimated treatment effects at the time of the survey are 4.1 percentage points for employment access and $103.4 for wages. In addition, the effects are more pronounced in men and young people under 35. Country analyses show that these positive impacts are more profound in Cameroon and Congo regarding access to employment and in Cameroon and Senegal regarding wages. The insignificant impacts in Ivory Coast and Chad can be explained by political instability in these countries and the youthfulness of PES compared to those in other countries. PES can therefore be used as an instrument that can improve labour market outcomes and help in the achievement of the eighth objective of the UN SDG. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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