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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Economic Survey of the Czech Republic 2008: Tackling labour and skill shortages

25-Apr-2008

The recent strong growth has resulted in labour shortages and so activation of remaining labour supply is desirable. The main reserves are among prime age women and older cohorts and there is further room for skill deepening through education policy.

More flexibility in labour market policy management would boost growth, says OECD

21-Apr-2008

OECD governments could boost economic growth and help create jobs if local agencies and authorities had more power and autonomy to adjust employment and training programmes to meet local needs, concluded OECD employment ministers.

OECD-ILO High-Level Roundtable on Corporate Responsibility

from 23-Jun-2008 to 24-Jun-2008

Jointly organised by OECD and ILO, this roundtable will be devoted to the theme of "Employment and Industrial Relations: Promoting Responsible Business Conduct in a Globalising Economy". Discussions will focus on wider dissemination of good corporate labour practices and better understanding and use of the OECD and ILO instruments. The roundtable aims to foster mutual understanding and trust between relevant actors in developed and emerging markets on approaches to promote responsible business conduct.

OECD conference on labour market policy, Venice, Italy, 17-19 April 2008

from 17-Apr-2008 to 19-Apr-2008

Should central government leave economic and employment development to local policy makers? Employment ministers from OECD countries, including Finland, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States, will address such questions at a conference in Venice, Italy, from 17-19 April 2008.

OECD Standardised Unemployment Rate remains stable at 5.5% in March 2008

13-May-2008

The standardised unemployment rate for the OECD area was 5.5% in March 2008, the same as the previous month and 0.1 percentage point lower than a year earlier.

Factbook 2008 shows wide variations in productivity across OECD countries

08-Apr-2008

Labour productivity has grown strongly in the Slovak Republic, Hungary and Korea in recent years while  growth rates in some other OECD countries such as Italy, Mexico, Portugal and New Zealand have slowed markedly.

Economic survey of Germany 2008: Maintaining the reform drive to make labour market improvements more lasting

09-Apr-2008

Labour market outcomes are improving rapidly in the current upswing, also reflecting previous reform efforts. To make those improvements more lasting, but also to widen the positive effects, further reform efforts should focus on: i) raising the number of hours worked per person employed; ii) reducing the high share of long-term unemployed; and iii) further increasing employment rates of older workers.

New OECD programme to test skills of adults in today's work environment

17-Mar-2008

Following its successful PISA programme for testing the educational attainments of 15-year old high-school students, OECD is launching a challenging new project to assess the knowledge and skills of adults.

Education key to boosting job prospects for disadvantaged New Zealand youth, says OECD

20-Feb-2008

New Zealand should encourage young people to stay in school past the age of 16 in order to boost their chances of finding a job, according to a new OECD report.

OECD Standardised Unemployment Rate remains stable at 5.5% in March 2008

13-May-2008

The standardised unemployment rate for the OECD area was 5.5% in March 2008, the same as the previous month and 0.1 percentage point lower than a year earlier.

Industry OECD area unit labour cost growth remains negative in the fourth quarter of 2007

05-May-2008

For most major OECD economies, except Canada and the United Kingdom, unit labour cost growth in industry remained negative in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Economic survey of the Netherlands 2008: Reaping the economic benefits of immigration

31-Jan-2008

Poor economic integration and weak labour market performance of immigrants have induced policy changes aimed at making immigration policy more selective. Nevertheless, their labour market performance remains poor, pointing the need for immigration policy better reflect labour market requirements.

Economic survey of the Netherlands 2008: Increasing working hours: Helping reconcile work and family

31-Jan-2008

About two-thirds of Dutch female workers opt for part-time jobs, bringing down the country’s average working time to one of the lowest levels in the OECD. Thus, increasing working hours depends on reconciling work and family responsibilities.

Economic survey of the Netherlands 2008: Coping with labour shortages: How to bring outsiders back to the labour market?

31-Jan-2008

The Dutch labour market is functioning well, with employment and labour participation rates above OECD averages. Nevertheless, there are sizable pockets of under-activity, which could be mobilised to addrss short-run labour shortages and ageing related reductions in the labour suply.

Cutting school drop-out rates key to improve job prospects for disadvantaged youth - OECD report

23-Jan-2008

The Netherlands has a dynamic youth labour market but helping the hard core of disadvantaged young people find jobs will require comprehensive action on a range of fronts, according to a new OECD report.

Korea "could do more" to enhance job prospects for its young generation, says the OECD

20-Dec-2007

Labour market outcomes for young people in Korea deteriorated in the aftermath of the financial crisis of the late 1990s. Though the government has introduced a wide range of measures since the early 2000s, much remains to be done to restore the dynamism of the youth labour market, according to a new OECD report.

OECD says governments must help people with reduced work capacity to get jobs

18-Dec-2007

A new OECD report analyses the sickness and disability policies in Australia, Luxembourg, Spain and the United Kingdom. It recommends steps governments should take to reduce the number of people claiming sickness and disability benefits and help beneficiaries back into the labour market.

Improved childcare policies needed to achieve better work/life balance, says OECD

29-Nov-2007

Getting family-friendly policies right will help reduce poverty, promote child development, enhance equity between men and women and stem the fall in birth-rates, according to a new OECD report.
Babies and Bosses, Reconciling Work and Family Life compares the different approaches that the 30 OECD countries take to help parents balance their work and family commitments. 

Expanding higher education can boost job chances for early school-leavers too

18-Sep-2007

More widespread university education means more prosperous economies and provides rich rewards in the labour market for those who graduate.  Furthermore, the job prospects for the less well qualified do not appear to be damaged by the expansion of higher education and may even be improved, according to the latest edition of the OECD’s annual Education at a Glance.

OECD launches Jobs for Youth project

16-Feb-2007

OECD has launched a new project on Jobs for Youth in 15 countries, the first one being Belgium. Each report contains a survey of the main barriers to employment for young people, an assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of existing measures to improve the transition from school to work. It also provides a set of policy recommendations for further action by the public authorities and social partners.

Sickness, Disability and Work - Breaking the Barriers (Vol. 1): Norway, Poland and Switzerland

24-Jul-2007

Too many workers leave the labour market permanently due to health problems, and yet too many people with a disabling condition are denied the opportunity to work. This publication is the first in a series of three comparative reports on sickness and disability policies in selected OECD countries.

See more news and events… Top of page

Sickness, Disability and Work

The OECD "Sickness, Disability and Work" project

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