Employment work at the OECD covers analysis of employment and unemployment and labour market policies, closely linked to social policy and education.

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China’s labour market in transition: job creation, migration and regulation

03-Feb-2010

Over the past decade, the share of jobs not controlled by the state has increased considerably, whilst employment in agriculture has declined, against the backdrop of ongoing urbanisation.

Providing greater old-age security in China

03-Feb-2010

China’s population is set to age fast, owing to low fertility and rising life expectancy. With ongoing migration of the younger cohorts to urban areas the increase in the old-age dependency ratio will be even more pronounced in rural than in urban areas.

A pause in the growth of inequality in China?

03-Feb-2010

In recent years, policymaking in China has put increasing emphasis on stemming the growth in inequality, which had been fairly steep since the 1980s.

Statistics: Unemployment rate stable at 8.8% in December 2009

08-Feb-2010

The unemployment rate for the OECD area was 8.8% in December 2009, unchanged from the previous month but up by 1.8 percentage points from a year earlier.

US should increase spending to help young people amid rising unemployment, says OECD

07-Dec-2009

The US should raise significantly federal funding on jobs programmes for young people in order to limit the impact of the economic downturn on the current generation of school leavers, according to a new OECD report. Given the pressure on public finances, this may require some reallocation of federal funding towards youth programmes.

Poland should act quickly to improve job prospects for young people, says OECD

23-Nov-2009

Paris, 23 November 2009 - Young Poles have been hit hard by the jobs crisis. To help them, a new OECD report on Poland says that the government should invest more in vocational training schemes, and temporarily cut the cost of employing low-skilled school-leavers.

Recovery still too timid to halt rising unemployment, says OECD Economic Outlook

19-Nov-2009

The economic recovery now spreading across OECD countries is still too timid to halt the continuing rise in unemployment, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook. The jobless rate is expected to peak in the first half of 2010 in the US, but it may not be until 2011 that unemployment begins to fall in the Euro area.

Unit labour costs rise strongly across OECD economies in second quarter 2009

13-Nov-2009

Unit Labour Costs (ULC) for the total economy grew 0.8% in OECD countries in the second quarter of 2009 and rose 3.6% year-on-year. The strong growth was largely driven by falls in real output (gross domestic product at constant prices) due to the crisis.

Governments must act decisively on jobs, says OECD’s Gurría

16-Sep-2009

Governments must act fast and decisively to prevent the recession turning into a long-term unemployment crisis, according to OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. “Employment is the bottom line of the current crisis. It is essential that governments focus on helping jobseekers in the months to come,” he said at the launch of the OECD’s Employment Outlook 2009.

OECD Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting: Tackling the Jobs Crisis

from 28-Sep-2009 to 29-Sep-2009

OECD employment and labour ministers will meet on 28-29 September to discuss how labour market and social policies can best help workers and low-income households weather the storm of the current jobs crisis. The Ministerial meeting will be preceded by a Policy Forum on the morning of 28 September. The Forum will provide an opportunity for Ministers to share their views on these important issues with the social partners, researchers, representatives of civil society and journalists.

Frequently asked questions about the impact of crisis on employment

17-Jul-2009

The effect of the crisis on unemployment. How much will unemployment rise in the coming months? What impact have government stimulus packages had on employment? Which groups of people are most likely to be affected? What should governments do? How will the crisis affect employment in developing countries?

Unemployment in OECD countries to approach 10% in 2010, says OECD

23-Jun-2009

Unemployment in OECD countries will continue to rise well into 2010, with the average unemployment rate approaching 10%, up from 7.8% in April, according to new OECD projections.

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Employment crisis: What can governments do?

Interview with Stefano Scarpetta

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