The unemployment problem

The paper reviews the unemployment problem in Europe. It showsthat while there is a good deal of heterogeneity in Europeanunemployment experience, a 'European model' of high and persistentunemployment characterizes many of the core continental economies,in contrast to the low unemployment experience of the USA. Theexplanation that this difference is due to a common skill-biasedshock interacting with more rigid labour-market features inthe European case is reviewed, as is the suggestion that theEuropean experience is exceptional on account of the more stringentmacro-environment created by devotion to tight monetary policies.The policy outlook is one in which strongly expansionary economicpolicies seem unlikely to be launched and most of the burdenof fighting unemployment will be borne by labour-market reforms;the bad side-effects of these could be cushioned by resort towage subsidies, supporting a 'European' bias in favour of equality.The 35-hour week is judged to be an unlikely remedy.     

大学生失业的经济学原因探讨

近几年大学毕业生一次性就业率逐年降低，毕业生的就业落实率处于逐年下降趋势，据教育部初步统计，截至到2003年6月全国普通高校毕业生签约率只有47％，教育部直属高校毕业生签约率也才78％。社会上广泛流传一种说法就是“大学生毕业即是失业”。造成问题的原因可能是多种多样的，除了户籍制度改革的相对滞后、用人单位盲目的人才高消费以及大学生自身就业观念的落后等原因外，文章试图运用经济学中就业理论、     

浅谈企业思想政治工作的效益问题

<正> 一、对企业思想政治工作效益的多角度把握 企业思想政治工作的效益是客观存在的,但由于企业思想政治工作活动是一种特殊的复杂的精神劳动,其效益的存在和表现形态也是特殊的,具有与一般的生产劳动效益、经营活动效益不同的特点。因此,对企业思想政治工作效益,不能简单地用经济学的效益模式来分析,而须用辩证的三位方式,从多角度、多方位、多层次来考察。 1.近期效益与远期效益相兼顾。企业思想政治工作的效益有近期效益与远期效益之分。近期效益就是通过企业思想政治工作的投入,工作对象——员工思想素质的变化比较迅速,在短期内思想觉悟明显提高,工作积极性上涨。近期效益的特点是投入     

The effects of EMU on euro area unemployment

The author analyzes the likely impact of EMU and the associated changes in the monetary, economic, and institutional environment on European labor markets in an open economy model. He shows that in this model, the formation of a monetary union (MU) has no effect on unemployment if the participating countries were part of a fixed exchange rate regime before entering the MU and if the monetary policy of the common central bank resembles that of the former anchor bank. In addition, he discusses various cases in which this conclusion does not hold and where one can expect an impact of EMU on structural unemployment.     

The determinants of unemployment and jobsearch duration in The Netherlands

Summary This study investigates the determinants of individual unemployment and jobsearch duration and the size and direction of duration dependence in a proportional hazard model. New insights into the shape of the time dependence of unemployment duration are obtained using a semi-parametric baseline hazard specification in combination with a parametric (gamma) heterogeneity correction or with a semi-parametric heterogeneity correction. Registration data on unemployed individuals in The Netherlands in the period April 1987–May 1987 are used. For both sexes, the hazard rate quickly rises during the first five months, but then after the fifth month rapidly declines until the end of the first year of unemployment, not showing any clear tendency thereafter. Commonly used parametric specifications for the baseline hazard prove to be too restrictive. For men we discuss the influences of the regressors.We like to thank Simon Kuipers, Theo van de Klundert, Wiji Narendranathan, Mark Stewart and an anonymous referee for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper     

Skills and unemployment

This article attempts to spell out the links which are assumed to exist between skills and unemployment. It is argued that the claims made for the beneficial effects of raising the skill levels of the workforce have been exaggerated. The author then goes on to indicate some of the other factors which influence unemployment levels, and sketches the relevance of this to local economic initiatives.     

Black male unemployment

Public policies intended to raise the wages of unskilled workers, equalize educational opportunity, stabilize employment, and increase imports were sources of the growth of unskilled and, therefore, of black unemployment since 1950. The wartime wage-equalization policy and postwar minimum-wage policies raised the cost of unskilled labor relative to that of capital and of skilled labor. The Fed's inflationary full-employment policy between 1950 and 1970 reduced real interest rates relative to unskilled wages. Subsidies for higher education increased the supply of skilled labor, reducing its cost relative to that of unskilled labor. Trade liberalization increased imports of manufactured goods from developing countries, which displaced U.S. unskilled labor.     

The scale of Norwegian interwar unemployment in international perspective

Abstract

The author offers revised estimates of Norwegian interwar unemployment, and argues that total unemployment as a percentage of the labour force was considerably lower than the unemployment rate for trade unionists. The new figures, suggesting annual unemployment to hover between 5 and 10 percent for most of the interwar period, seem somewhat lower than the scale of Norwegian interwar unemployment according to the conventional view. However, they correspond well with similar calculations carried out for other countries. suggesting that unemployment as a percentage of the total labour force was about 1.5-3 times lower than that among insured workers.     

Minimum wage rates and unemployment in The Netherlands

Summary A static limited dependent variable model is formulated to analyse the Dutch labour market from an individual's viewpoint. Results suggest that high minimum labour costs are an important source of unemployment. Secondly, the reduced-form participation equation is replaced by a neoclassical labour supply equation. Thus, also the effect of high minimum wage rates on employment through labour supply is taken into account. Supply appears to be forward bending and participation is insensitive with respect to unemployment benefits. Simulations suggest that the effect of lowering the productivity threshold by reducing before-tax minimum wages dominates supply effects.The author wishes to thank Geert Joosten, Arie Kapteyn, Peter Kooreman, Bertrand Melenberg, Viji Narendranathan and Theo Nijman for helpful comments and the Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics for providing the data. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the policies of the CBS.     

白领失业族大扩容

2006年末,《新财经》对北京和上海两地的白领阶层进行问卷调查。结果显示,失业问题已经成为白领关注的首要问题。对此,有业内专家评价,我国第三次失业高峰正在到来,并且将会在2007年达到顶峰。受失业总量和产能过剩的双重影响,第三次失业高峰所波及的范围和影响深度可能比前两次更加严重     

European integration and unemployment

Symes, V. 1995: UNEMPLOYMENT IN EUROPE - PROBLEMS AND POLICIES. London and New York: Routledge, £40.00 cased, £12.99 paper.

Alogoskoufis et al 1995: UNEMPLOYMENT: CHOICES FOR EUROPE. Monitoring European Integration 5, London: Centre for Economic Policy Research, £10.00, paper.

Blanchard et al 1995: SPANISH UNEMPLOYMENT — IS THERE A SOLUTION? London: Centre for Economic Policy Research, £14.95, paper.

Coates, K. and Holland, S. 1995: FULL EMPLOYMENT FOR EUROPE — THE COMMISSION, THE COUNCIL AND THE DEBATE ON EMPLOYMENT IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 1994-95. Nottingham: Spokesman for European Labour Forum, £9.99, paper.

Local Economy Policy Unit: CAN UNEMPLOYMENT BE CUT BY HALF BY 2000? A DISCUSSION STATEMENT PRESENTED BY THE BERLIN SENATE'S ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR LABOUR MARKET POLICY. London: Local Economic Policy Unit, £12.00, paper.