The National Competitiveness Report of Armenia (ACR) is an annual publication of EV Consulting and the Economy and Values Research Center (a partner institute of the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Network) that aims to encourage and foster in-depth dialogue and analysis on improving Armenia's competitiveness. The ACR provides a detailed assessment of Armenia's competitiveness position and benchmarks this position against its neighbors in the region. It attempts to take analytical look at Armenia's international competitiveness standing and the factors influencing it, by using contemporary conceptual frameworks for competitiveness. The first ACR was published in 2008; the preface for the report was written by Armenia's Minister of Economy, Nerses Yeritsyan, and Harvard University Professor, Michael E. Porter, a leading authority on competitive strategy and international competitiveness. In his introductory note, M. Porter stated that "The first National Competitiveness Report of Armenia is a strong sign that Armenia is getting serious about competitiveness and about developing a true strategy for economic development."
National competitiveness report of Armenia 2019: The Future of Jobs in Armenia The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Armenia's economic performance and competitiveness from the perspective of the trends and structural changes of employment in Armenia. The Report analyzes and addresses job market challenges, shifts and opportunities in Armenia and proposes a reform agenda for workforce development to tackle the problems and capture strategic opportunities. It aims to foster in-depth dialogue between private and public sector representatives to form an agenda for building a competitive workforce and ensuring a high level of employment in the country. Labor markets are undergoing structural transformations globally and locally. Economic, social-demographic, technological, and environmental drivers are changing the demand and requirements of businesses. Consequently, unique opportunities are being created for developing economies to boost their economic growth and catch up with advanced ones. These opportunities can be much wider for Armenia after radical political shifts in 2018 dubbed as the "Velvet Revolution". However, strong challenges also emerge such as the threat of job destruction, workforce market imbalance, skillset mismatch, and so forth. It is crucial that Armenia addresses those employment, and enables sustainable economic growth. Job creation is a fundamental challenge for the Armenian economy. The current unemployment rate in the country is at 20.4%. Social polarization is also a major problem, as around 30% of the population is considered poor, while the Gini coefficient is at 37.5%. The mismatch of education system outputs with the current needs of employment and demographic changes (negative migration balance has been at on average 24,000 people per year for the 2011–2017 period) reflect the depth of the challenge. No other economic priority is more important than to build a competitive workforce and ensure a high level of employment.
National Competitiveness Report of Armenia 2017: Our Role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution The Report provides broad analytical insights into Armenia's economic performance during the last 25 years. The special focus of the Report is the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the global spread of disruptive technologies, and their complex impact and emerging opportunities for Armenia. The Report is aimed to foster in-depth dialogue among private and public sectors to form an agenda for the technology-enabled transformation of Armenia's economy. Prosperity is largely driven by the level of competitiveness, which relies on productivity and institutions. Post-independence, Armenia's GDP increased more than eight-fold, but it has yet to recover to the pre-crisis levels of 2008. In recent years, improved economic diversification and expansion in export-oriented sectors have been the main engines behind the recorded growth. Armenia's GDP per capita has grown faster than the world average, peaking in 2015, but it masks the persistent income inequality. Life expectancy is steadily rising, yet along with sustained emigration and a low birth rate, it poses demographics threats to Armenia. In the post-crisis period, GDP recovery has been accompanied by an improved stance on competitiveness, demonstrated by higher quality institutions and productivity. However, so far, Armenia's competitiveness stance has remained at the same level it was a decade ago. The Forth Revolution opens unprecedented opportunities for Armenia. The power of technologies can be harnessed to transform local industries as well as create new industries and sources of growth. Hence, a transformational strategy is required. Strategies should be based on creating options through small-scale, low-cost experimentation and then pursuing options that work. The evolutionary algorithm-create variety, select, and replicate.
National Competitiveness Report of Armenia 2013–2014: Growth Imperative and Constraints
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