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This report was presented to the Working Party on the Information Economy (WPIE) in December 2004. It provides an overview of information and communications technology (ICT) skills and employment across OECD economies and analyses some of the impacts on economic performance. It describes a new approach to identifying the diffusion of ICTs in the economy. Two measures of ICT-skilled employment are developed. The first is a narrow measure that uses occupational data to identify ICT specialists (e.g. programmers, software developers but also cable layers). The second is a broad measure that includes those who intensively use ICTs to perform their work (both basic and advanced intensive users), as well as the specialists. These measures are calculated for the economy as a whole and also by sector. The report provides a brief review of earlier attempts to identify the presence of ICTs in the economy and describes a new measurement approach developed for the 2004 ‘OECD information technology outlook’, which attempts to capture the diffusion of ICTs throughout the economy based on the degree of their actual use. The industry rankings based on the share of ICT-skilled employment in total employment are then compared to the results of other studies that classify industrial sectors on the basis of ICT usage. Some preliminary results from the analysis relating the ICT skills measures to productivity measures are presented. The report has expanded the analysis of ICT-skilled employment from the 2004 ‘OECD information technology outlook’ and extended it to include Canada. The analysis revealed that the narrow measure of ICT specialists followed a similar pattern across countries (European Union (EU)15, US, Canada and Australia), but that the trends for broad measure of ICT-intensive users and specialists diverged. The share of broad ICTskilled employment is increasing in the EU15, but decreasing in the US, Canada and Australia. The broad ICT-skilled employment measure was also analysed at the sectoral level. Findings reveal that many business services sectors have a very large share of ICT-skilled employment (e.g. computer and related services, financial intermediation services, and research and development), as well as certain manufacturing sectors (such as manufacturing of office machinery and computers). Personal services tended to have a relatively low share. Most sectors were found to have increased their share of ICT-skilled employment somewhat, particularly those that already had a relatively large share. Show less

Southern Arizona has developed into a hub of light-based industries but ranks near the bottom third of US cities in per capita income. State funding for education is in decline, accentuated by the economic crisis, and the public good of tertiary education is under threat. In a time of financial stringency, how can the University of Arizona and community colleges preserve their existing strengths and address the needs of the diverse population? How can the region and its tertiary education institutions fuel local growth and create high quality jobs and new businesses? How can the institutions prepare for the post-crisis economy and help diversify the economy? This publication is part of a series of reviews that help mobilise higher education institutions for economic, social and cultural development of cities and regions. They analyse how the higher education system impacts upon regional and local development and bring together universities, other higher education institutions and public and private agencies to identify strategic goals and to work towards them.

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Each economic survey issue provides a comprehensive analysis of developments in the subject country, along with individual chapters covering key economic challenges being faced and recommendations for dealing with the challenges. This 2010 edition of OECD's periodic survey of Australia's economy includes chapters covering recovery from the [global financial] crisis, fiscal policy effectiveness, meeting infrastructure needs, and enhancing labour utilisation. The Australian economy has been one of the most resilient in the OECD during the global economic and financial crisis. The impressive results, which are only partially due to links to fast-growing China and India, have shown that the economy was well-prepared to face major shocks. Years of sound policies left ample room for monetary and fiscal policy to act rapidly and forcefully when the crisis struck. A key to the good outcome was the interaction of appropriate macroeconomic policy with structural flexibility of markets, especially financial and labour markets. The strong policy response and encouraging outlook restored confidence rapidly, and exit from the stimulus is underway. The chapters are as follows: Basic statistics of Australia (2009); Executive summary; Assessment and recommendations; Recovering from the crisis and addressing medium-term challenges; Enhancing the effectiveness of fiscal policy; Meeting infrastructure needs; Enhancing labour utilisation in a socially inclusive society.

Published excerpts from OECD iLibrary website. Show less

The Polish government, acknowledging the importance of its human capital to Poland's transition to a market economy and accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), requested an OECD review of its education sector. The review, undertaken in 1995, covered all areas of the Polish system of education and training, including the quality and effectiveness of education, the teaching profession and teacher education, higher education and the financing of education. The report consists of two parts: a summary of the background report prepared by the Polish authorities and educational researchers from the Ministry of National Education and the examiner's report compiled by education experts from outside Poland. A number of recommendations are made in relation to curriculum development, evaluation of the performance of the system, the professional status of teachers, and the reorganisation of higher education. The report concludes with proposals for the development of a human resource development policy in Poland. Show less

Economic and cultural globalisation has ushered in a new era in higher education. Higher education was always more internationally open than most sectors because of its immersion in knowledge, which never showed much respect for juridical boundaries. In global knowledge economies, higher education institutions are more important than ever as mediums for a wide range of cross-border relationships and continuous global flows of people, information, knowledge, technologies, products and financial capital. Even as they share in the reinvention of the world around them, higher education institutions, and the policies that produce and support them, are also being reinvented. For the first time in history every research university is part of a single world-wide network and the world leaders in the field have an unprecedented global visibility and power. Research is more internationalised than before and the mobility of doctoral students and faculty has increased. The specifically global element in academic labour markets has gained weight, especially since the advent of global university rankings. This working paper explores the issues for national policy and for individual institutions. Part one provides an overview of globalisation and higher education and the global responses of national systems and individual institutions of higher education. Part two is focused on certain areas of policy with a strong multilateral dimension: Europeanisation, institutional rankings and typologies and cross-border mobility.

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This publication examines recent economic developments, policies and prospects in Australia. Special chapters cover taxes and transfers, and federal-state relations. A main finding is that Australia's material living standards and well-being compare well internationally, reflecting a well-managed and successful economy. Recommendations are made in relation to: ensuring price and financial stability; pursuing fiscal consolidation and ensuring efficient tax and public spending; improving framework conditions for business; encouraging employment, deepening skills and addressing inequality; and tackling environmental challenges.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

The OECD produces annual reviews of Member and selected non-Member countries’ economies. Each issue provides an analysis of developments in the subject country, special reports on topics of current interest, and extensive statistical information. This 2006 economic survey of Australia presents a comprehensive overview of the Australian economy and contains a special feature on fiscal relations across levels of government. The survey is presented in the following sections: The short-term challenge: riding the commodities rollercoaster; Long-term structural challenges; Fiscal relations across levels of government; The need for further reforms to infrastructure services; Reforming industrial relations; Improving incentives to work. The survey concludes that a series of structural reforms and the introduction of a robust macroeconomic framework have ensured Australia’s stability during recent testing economic times. These reforms have also boosted productivity and living standards. The challenge will be to sustain this performance, particularly in the face of population ageing, which will require progress in the following areas: improving fiscal relations across levels of government; boosting productivity growth; and raising labour market flexibility and supply.

The 2004 survey is indexed at TD/TNC 81.362, the 2002-2003 survey at TD/TNC 73.418 and the 2000-2001 survey at TD/TNC 67.126. Show less

How to stimulate growth and support job creation are two critical challenges that countries confront following the global financial crisis. The Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme of the OECD has developed international cross-comparative reviews on local job creation policies to examine the contribution of local labour market policy to boosting quality employment. Each country review examines the capacity of employment services and training providers to contribute to a long-term strategy which strengthens the resiliency of the local economy, increases skills levels and job quality. This report looks at the range of institutions and bodies involved in workforce and skills development in two states - California and Michigan. In-depth fieldwork focused on two local Workforce Investment Boards in each state: the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA); the Northern Rural and Training and Employment Consortium (NoRTEC); the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA); and the Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works. The report concludes with a number of recommendations and actions to promote job creation at the federal, state and local levels. The contents are: Executive summary; Reader’s guide; Policy context for employment and skills in the United States; Overview of the United States case study areas; Local job creation dashboard findings in the United States: California; Local job creation dashboard findings in the United States: Michigan; Towards an action plan for jobs in the United States: recommendations and best practices.

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This is the second in a series of statistical annuals from the OECD, providing over 100 indicators relating to the economy, agriculture, education, energy, environment, foreign aid, health and quality of life, industry, information and communications, population/labour force, trade and investment, taxation, public expenditure and debt, and research and development (R&D). Data are provided for all OECD member countries, and in some cases, for selected non-member countries as well. Time series cover, in most cases, from 1990 onwards and in many cases have data for selected years going back as far as 1960. For each indicator, there is a two-page entry. The left hand page includes a short introduction and a detailed definition of the indicator, comments on comparability of the data, an assessment of long-term trends related to the indicator, and a listing of documentation providing further information on the indicator. The right hand page contains the data table and a graphic, which presents the key message provided by the data. A dynamic link is provided for each chart and table to a Web page where the data is available to download in Excel format. For some indicators, there are supplementary tables. The annual also has a special section on economic globalisation.

The 2005 edition is indexed at TD/TNC 82.131, the 2007 edition is indexed at TD/TNC 90.87, the 2008 edition is indexed at TD/TNC 92.980 and the 2009 edition is indexed at TD/TNC 95.740. Show less

The State of Victoria is a knowledge-intensive centre for Australia: educational services are Victoria's strongest export worth more than AUD five billion, surpassing tourism and automotive sectors. Victoria is a magnet for immigration and the international student enrolment represents over 30 per cent of the total for Australia. The higher education system in Australia is moving to a more competitive phase with the decision that the government funding will follow students wherever they choose to enroll. How can Victoria continue to increase participation in higher education and widen access to lower socio-economic groups? How can its higher education institutions help transform Victoria into an innovative state with knowledge-intensive industries and jobs? This publication explores a range of helpful policy measures and institutional reforms to mobilise higher education for regional development. It is part of the series of the OECD reviews of Higher Education in Regional and City Development. These reviews help mobilise higher education institutions for economic, social and cultural development of cities and regions. They analyse how the higher education system impacts upon regional and local development and bring together universities, other higher education institutions and public and private agencies to identify strategic goals and to work towards them.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less