Labor market policies in Canada and Latin America : challenges of the new millennium

Canada and the countries of Latin America are in the midst of major changes and choices in the area of labor markets and related social policy. These decisions are likely to have profound consequences for the quality of life of workers throughout the hemisphere. __Labor Market Policies in Canada and Latin America: Challenges of the____New Millennium__ reviews the evidence of Canada and Latin America on three major labor policy instruments - unemployment insurance, minimum wages and training - and on the effects of the payroll taxes which are the main means of funding the unemployment insurance system and other components of social expenditure. This is the first study attempting an in-depth comparison of these labor policy instruments between Canada and Latin America. The useful juxtaposition of Canadian and Latin American experiences comes at a time when the trend in Canada is to back away from the perhaps overly generous or ineffectively administered elements of the labor legislation/social security net and when Latin American countries have undertaken significant reforms of their past systems but require further changes to move toward the sorts of legislation and support systems that characterize developed countries. The experiences of Canada and Latin America are mutually relevant since all are small economies forced to adjust to events at the world or hemispheric level and most are inclined to approach policy in an intermediate fashion which falls between the more market-oriented American and the more interventionist European models. Together with its comparative aspect, this volume attempts a more balanced and in-depth assessment in each of the policy areas than has hitherto been available. The gradually increasing base of available empirical data on the period after the reforms has been used in the studies, which provide thorough syntheses of the available research for Canada and Latin America.

Canada and the countries of Latin America are in the midst of major changes and choices in the area of labor markets and related social policy. These decisions are likely to have profound consequences for the quality of life of workers throughout the hemisphere.
Labor Market Policies in Canada and Latin America: Challenges of the New Millennium reviews the evidence of Canada and Latin America on three major labor policy instruments - unemployment insurance, minimum wages and training - and on the effects of the payroll taxes which are the main means of funding the unemployment insurance system and other components of social expenditure.
This is the first study attempting an in-depth comparison of these labor policy instruments between Canada and Latin America. The useful juxtaposition of Canadian and Latin American experiences comes at a time when the trend in Canada is to back away from the perhaps overly generous or ineffectively administered elements of the labor legislation/social security net and when Latin American countries have undertaken significant reforms of their past systems but require further changes to move toward the sorts of legislation and support systems that characterize developed countries. The experiences of Canada and Latin America are mutually relevant since all are small economies forced to adjust to events at the world or hemispheric level and most are inclined to approach policy in an intermediate fashion which falls between the more market-oriented American and the more interventionist European models.
Together with its comparative aspect, this volume attempts a more balanced and in-depth assessment in each of the policy areas than has hitherto been available. The gradually increasing base of available empirical data on the period after the reforms has been used in the studies, which provide thorough syntheses of the available research for Canada and Latin America.

Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Dangers and Challenges: The New Context of Labor Market Policy in Latin America and in Canada....Pages 1-49 Canadian vs. American Labor Markets in a Context of Economic Integration and Structural Adjustment....Pages 51-67 Unemployment Insurance: Lessons from Canada....Pages 69-96 Unemployment Insurance Systems for Latin America....Pages 97-107 Canada’s Social Security Programs and Payroll Taxes....Pages 109-134 Payroll Taxes in the Finance of Social Security....Pages 135-158 The Impact of Labor Costs on Competitiveness and Worker Protection in the Manufacturing Sector of Latin America....Pages 159-185 Minimum Wages in Canada....Pages 187-220 Minimum Wages in Latin America: The Controversy about Their Likely Economic Effects....Pages 221-241 Training in Canada....Pages 243-265 Training and Retraining in Latin America....Pages 267-288 Conclusions....Pages 289-300 Back Matter....Pages 301-305