OECD Employment Outlook: 2003 Edition: Towards More and Better Jobs (OECD Employment Outlook)

The 2003 edition of this annual bestseller sets out a new manifesto on jobs : Are employment gains registered during the past decade sustainable ? Are more and better jobs possible? - To what extent are groups like women, older workers, and t This edition of the OECD Employment Outlook provides the analytical background for the September 2003 meeting of OECD Employment and Labour Ministers. MORE AND BETTER JOBS? - AGGREGATE PERFORMANCE DURING THE PAST DECADE Are employment gains registered during the past decade sustainable? How do employment losses recorded in the current economic slowdown compare with previous recessions? Is there evidence that progress in increasing employment has been accompanied by improvements in "job quality", notably as regards earnings inequality, job insecurity and working conditions? THE LABOUR MOBILISATION CHALLENGE - COMBATING INACTIVITY TRAPS AND BARRIERS TO MOVING UP JOB LADDERS To what extent are certain population groups, such as women, older workers and less educated workers, trapped in situations of labour market inactivity? Once in employment, do they have career prospects or is there a risk that they will become trapped in low-quality jobs? How would a better mobilisation of these groups help respond to the challenges of population ageing? MAKING WORK PAY - MAKING WORK POSSIBLE How can "make work pay" policies help improve the employment prospects of under-represented groups? To what extent can family-friendly policies and flexible work arrangements, such as part-time jobs, facilitate access to employment for these groups?€ BENEFITS AND EMPLOYMENT, FRIEND OR FOE? INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PASSIVE AND ACTIVE SOCIAL PROGRAMMES To what extent can "activation" strategies help reduce dependency on income replacement benefits? How can key elements of these strategies, such as intensive job counselling and benefit sanctions for refusal of a suitable job, be applied to groups traditionally on the margins of the labour market? And when reliance on one benefit is reduced, do people transfer to other types of benefits or do they really find jobs? UPGRADING WORKERS' SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES What explains the relatively low training incidence among the less educated, older workers, women, immigrants, part-timers and temporary workers? How can training policies effectively reduce these inequalities and what is the role of co-financing arrangements in such a strategy? Annotation The yearly OECD Employment Outlook provides data on unemployment and employment ratios, together with articles on current topics: More and Better Jobs?--Aggregate Performance during the Past DecadeAre employment gains registered during the past decade sustainable? How do employment losses recorded in the current economic slowdown compare with previous recessions? Is there evidence that increasing employment has been accompanied by improvements in "job quality"?The Labor Mobilization Challenge--Remaining Pockets of Excess Inactivity and Barriers to Moving up Job LaddersTo what extent are certain population groups, such as women, older workers, and less educated workers, trapped in situations of labor market inactivity?Making Work Pay--Making Work PossibleHow can "make work pay" policies help improve the employment prospects of underrepresented groups? To what extent can family-friendly policies and flexible work arrangements, such as part-time jobs, facilitate access to employment for, these groups?Upgrading Workers' Skills and CompetenciesWhat explains the relatively low training incidence among the less educated, older workers, women, immigrants, part-timers, and temporary workers? How can training policies effectively reduce these inequalities and what is the role of cofinancing arrangements in such a strategy?