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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

Impressive progress has been made in raising participation in early childhood education as well as tertiary educational attainment over the past 30 years. However, the inflow of poorly educated youth into the labour market is unusually heavy for a high-income country, largely on account of high drop-out rates in lower secondary education which, in turn, reflect one of the highest grade repetition rates in the OECD. The supply of workers with intermediate vocational skills is surprisingly low, despite the high return, in terms of labour market outcomes that these skills offer, even if they have recently deteriorated. There is room to raise learning outcomes up to the end of compulsory school, as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), although, owing to a compressed distribution of such outcomes, the share of poorly performing pupils is not unusually large. While significant reforms have been undertaken to address these problems, more measures are needed to reduce grade repetition and raise education outcomes, by improving accountability of schools and school staff, as well as by raising school autonomy further than has already occurred. Vocational training needs to become more attractive. In tertiary education, few Spanish universities have attained a high level of international standing, and scope remains to improve the contribution tertiary attainment can make to gains in economic welfare, notably by reforming funding arrangements.

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Catalonia is the main contributor to Spain's economy. For a long time it has led strategic investment in research and development in Spain and developed highly successful programmes to attract talent. The region also has a unique identity with its own language and a distinct cultural heritage. Catalonia is now feeling the effects of the economic crisis. How can it prepare for the post-crisis economy with the help of the university system? How can it balance attracting expertise from abroad with nurturing talent among its diverse population? How can it unleash the potential of universities to contribute to local and regional development? This publication is part of the series of 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.

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This chapter examines the importance of local partnerships in securing the effectiveness of United Kingdom (UK) welfare-to-work policies and in particular of the New Deal program. It aims to be useful to those, in the UK and elsewhere in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), who are actively pursuing welfare-to-work policies which have a local design or delivery component. It outlines the nature of UK welfare-to-work programs, focusing on the New Deal and Employment Zones and assesses the importance of the local dimension in such policies and the need for local partnerships. In the main part of the chapter, key lessons are set out from local partnership practice and research, which can be used to inform partnership formation, management and development, together with their implications for welfare-to-work programs in the UK and other countries. The following two sections contain reflections on the UK New Deal local partnerships, based on their early experience so far and conclusions on the future development of welfare-to-work partnerships in the light of the issues discussed.

This publication is indexed at TD/INT 61.539. Show less

In 1996, the OECD's Education Committee launched the 14-country 'Thematic review of the transition from initial education to working life'. Within a lifelong learning framework the review had two key goals: to describe how young people's transition to work changed during the 1990s; and to describe the education, labour and social policies, and the interaction between these, that lead to successful youth transitions. This background report looks at the Hungarian education system as it has developed since the collapse of socialism and the subsequent economic crisis in Hungary. The report is divided into sections as follows: (1) Economic and social background in the nineties; (2) Education of young people; (3) Employment and youth; (4) Learning after leaving school; (5) Educational and employment policies; and (6) Conclusions and proposals.

The country note for Hungary is indexed at TD/TNC 77.201; the final report of the OECD review is indexed at TD/TNC 62.156. Show less

A strong tradition of lifelong learning exists in Sweden. This report comprehensively outlines Sweden's education system across all sectors and the public costs involved in supporting the current lifelong education system. The Adult Education Initiative, a five year investment program that began in 1997, is discussed in some detail. The report closes with an outline of recent reforms and developments, which have been partly financed through the redistribution of funds from unemployment benefits. Possible future developments are also outlined. Chapters in this report include: (1) The overall perspective; (2) Estimating public costs of implementing lifelong learning; (3) Costs and benefits of lifelong learning; (4) Mobilising resources for lifelong learning; (5) The Adult Education Initiative: charting new ground; and (6) Development trends. Show less

In 2001, the OECD launched a review of policies to improve labour market prospects for older workers. The aim of this review is to examine both supply-side and demand-side aspects of this topic. Older workers have been defined as those aged 50 years and over. The review argues that many policy measures and workplace practices create significant barriers to older workers continuing to work and that current reforms will not be sufficient to encourage later retirement and to lessen the risk of future labour shortages. This report on the Netherlands predicts that the proportion of persons aged 65 and over to the working-age population will rise to 40% by 2050. It is argued that unless policy changes are made, this population ageing could lead to higher public expenditures, labour force shortages, and slower economic growth. The report surveys the main barriers to employment for older workers, assesses the adequacy and effectiveness of existing measures to overcome these barriers and makes policy recommendations for further action by the government and other social partners. It examines the balances between income support and work incentives, methods for encouraging employers to hire and retain older workers, and policies for ensuring the employability of older workers. The chapters are: The challenge ahead; Older workers in the Dutch labour market; Income support and work incentives: striking the right balance; Encouraging employers to hire and retain older workers; Ensuring the employability of older workers; Ensuring that policies are comprehensive and coherent. Show less

This comparative report brings together the work of the OECD thematic review of adult learning undertaken between December 1999 and November 2001 to analyse policy options in different national contexts for improving access to, and participation in, adult learning and to enhance its quality and effectiveness. The report draws on the experiences of the nine participating OECD countries (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and England) to identify the successful elements of adult learning policy and practice. The report seeks to analyse the nature of, and reasons for, similarities and difference in policy approaches across the nine countries and to identify some of the possible implications for policy makers. Chapter two provides the definitions and framework for the review, the rationale for the focus on adult learning and a list of key issues to be addressed in subsequent chapters. Chapter three identifies patterns of participation in adult learning and assesses the needs and gaps in provision. Chapter four provides a summary of the general policies and priorities currently operating in adult learning in the nine countries. Chapter five analyses the barriers to participation and the various practices and incentives that can improve motivation for learning in the labour market and other areas. Chapter six looks at measures that can improve the quality of learning and outcomes through the use of appropriate pedagogy and modes of learning provision, teacher preparation and quality control. Chapter seven analyses policy options to address problems of disjointed provision of services and the weaknesses of delivery infrastructures. Chapter eight provides a general overview of findings, key elements and features of a desirable adult learning system.

Individual countries prepared descriptive background reports on the adult learning practices in their own countries. Reports available in English are indexed from TD/TNC 73.64 to TD/TNC 73.69 and at TD/TNC 62.795. Available analytical country notes, prepared by the OECD multinational review team and based on the background reports and discussions with national stakeholders, are indexed from TD/TNC 73.70 to TD/TNC 73.75. Show less

With the labour market becoming increasingly selective, relevant work skills are becoming increasingly necessary to combat high youth unemployment in OECD countries. This requires co-ordinated policies linking education to the requirements of the labour market and the provision of appropriate training courses. This report focuses on the Netherlands, and assesses the efficacy of existing measures which aim to improve the school to work transition, as well as providing policy recommendations for further action. Show less

Outside the Netherlands Rotterdam is best known for its port - once the busiest in the world, and still the busiest in Europe. But the docks have moved steadily downstream and the centre of Rotterdam is very different from what it was even 50 years ago. A young and dynamic city, Rotterdam is one of the few in Europe where the average age of the population is decreasing. It is ethnically and culturally diverse and has high potential for attracting the 'creative class'. The Rotterdam region is home to two leading research universities and several other innovative higher education institutions. This report looks at how to encourage growth in the Rotterdam region, through the transfer of technology and knowledge, and through realising the potential of its people. This publication is part of the series of 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.

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