This article presents data and analyzes the structure of employment in 13 African economies at the administrative unit level, with a focus on the role of services. We provide two novel pieces of evidence. First, we present a descriptive snapshot of changes in the composition of employment over time and across geographies. This reveals evidence of structural transformation toward services and service-related occupations at subnational level and provides a fine-grained overview of who works in services and where and how this has changed over time. Second, we provide correlations between services and economic development, using per capita nightlight luminosity as a proxy. We document (1) a strong positive association between high skills services and economic development; (2) substantial heterogeneity across industries within services; and (3) a mediating role of market conditions and technology in the relation between services and economic development. Overall, our work highlights an important role of services activities for employment, skills, and economic development in Africa.

中文翻译：

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非洲的服务、就业和经济发展

本文提供数据并分析 13 个非洲经济体行政​​单位层面的就业结构，重点关注服务业的作用。我们提供了两个新颖的证据。首先，我们提供了就业构成随时间和跨地域变化的描述性快照。这揭示了在地方层面向服务和服务相关职业的结构转型的证据，并提供了关于谁在服务业工作以及随着时间的推移在何处以及如何变化的细粒度概述。其次，我们使用人均夜灯亮度作为代理，提供服务与经济发展之间的相关性。我们记录了 (1) 高技能服务与经济发展之间的强正相关；(2) 服务业内各行业的显着异质性；(3) 市场条件和技术在服务业和经济发展之间的关系中的中介作用。总体而言，我们的工作突出了服务活动对非洲就业、技能和经济发展的重要作用。