Productive labor and Employment Creation for Somalia : key challenges and strategies
Labor in Somalia can be divided into four historical phases: pre-colonial society, the colonial era, the postcolonial era and state collapse phase. In the pre-colonial period, animal husbandry and small-scale farming were the economic backbone of Somali society. Pastoralists herded livestock, moving from one place to another in search of pasture and water. The division of labor was most visible in nomadic communities. Young men and boys herded camels while women and girls looked after flocks of goats and sheep and made household items and erected collapsible huts.