The Arab and North African countries have a number of specific wage characteristics: a certain heterogeneity and an unequal differentiation of the available data, an annual average increase since the 2000s higher than that of the advanced countries, but lower than that of emerging countries (especially in Asia), a significant gender wage gap, a rather increasing Gini coefficient, constant interference through migratory issues within national labour markets, the strained question of youth employability and wages, some complex components in industrial relations

Wage issues in the region concerned deserve to be further developed and systematized- The successive versions of the World Wage Report, biennial since 2008, Geneva, ILO, regularly mention the need for better documentation for the MENA area (see: ILO, Global Wage Report for 2016/2017, December 2016, downloadable online)

Wage issues in North-Africa
- 1- Evolution of average wages and their dispersion patterns since the 1950s / 60s
- 2- Relations between qualification and wages (especially for young people and women).
- 3- Role of the wage differentials in migratory processes (internal / external).

Methodological precisions for speakers
Topic (extension):
- Field: All approaches to the wage issue will be taken into account: wage developments, wage statistics, wage distribution (Gini-Lorenz, inter-deciles gaps), wage negotiations within industrial relations, youth wages, women's wages, migrant wages- Wage strategy of companies, wage policy of the State or public authorities, existence of a social wage or social wage supplements, possibly wage monographs for a large company, sector, town/urban area or region
- Geography: The Arab countries of North Africa, from Morocco to Egypt and the Arab League countries on the African continent (including Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia)- Paper/presentation proposals on the northern Sahelian belt (Mali, Niger and Chad) will be examined with interest- Those planned on the Middle East (within a Turkey-Iran-Yemen triangle) will be postponed to the 2018 symposium which will take place within Middle-East itself
- Periodisation and approaches: Will be welcome including recent economic approaches since the 1990s, historical approaches since 1950-60, taking into account the phase of independence, sociological approaches to wage issues

Time-table:
-Submission of papers proposals before 28 February 2017, one page, maximum two, with short CV indications (post, field of research, one or two publications)
- Final decision on the selected proposals: 05 March 2017
- Submission of a summary and PowerPoint presentation by the communicants to the organizers: March 18, 2017
- Symposium: 20-22 March 2017

Submissions should be sent jointly to the following contacts-
Pr- Michel-Pierre Chélini, Université d’Artois : mpchelini@gmail.com
Pr- Aomar Ibourk, Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech : aomaribourk@gmail.com

Location: Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech, Faculté des Sciences Juridiques, Economiques et Sociales, Daoudiate B.P- 2380, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco

Supported: totally or partially (according to the number of proposals) given to transportation costs, accommodation, with particular account taken of the financial capacities of PhD candidates and young colleagues

Steering Committee:
- Jabrane Amaghouss, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco
- Driss Assi, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco
- Bouchra Bakhouya, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco
- Belaid Bouikhalene, Université Sultan Moulay Slimane, Beni Mellal, Morocco
- Amine Chamkhi, GRES/DARES, Paris, France
- Michel-Pierre Chélini, Université d’Artois, Arras, France
- Roqia Cherkaoui, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco
- Mohammed El Mansouri, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco
- El Mostafa Hettabi, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco
- Aomar Ibourk, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco
- Mourad Maarouf, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco
- Abdelkahar Zahid, Université Sultan Moulay Slimane, Beni Mellal, Morocco