Implementing the OECD Jobs Strategy

High and persistent unemployment remains a major economic and social problem for many OECD countries. Currently, some 35 million persons are unemployed across the area and many others are so discouraged that they are not even looking for a job. There is also increasing concern about precarious jobs and in-work poverty in some countries. The OECD Jobs Strategy was launched five years ago in response to these problems. And it works: the available empirical evidence shows that its continued and comprehensive implementation leads to durably lower unemployment and higher employment. What lies behind the disparities in levels and trends of unemployment rates across countries? Why have some countries outperformed others in terms of successfully cutting unemployment? Why do some groups in society - the young, older workers, the low-skilled - have difficulty finding and keeping rewarding jobs in many countries? Should the rise in temporary and part-time jobs be welcomed or resisted? This publication reviews these issues in light of countries’ experience in implementing The OECD Jobs Strategy. It puts the spotlight on groups at the margin of the labour market, and looks at the policies required to better integrate them.