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‘Learning for jobs’ is an OECD study of vocational education and training (VET) designed to help countries make their VET systems more responsive to labour market needs. The Flemish VET system has a good range of vocational options at different levels. The system is underpinned by strong academic standards reflected in the performance of 15-year-olds and compulsory education up to age 18. Commendable attention is given to entrepreneurial training. Policy development is dynamic and evidence is used extensively in reforms. At the same time the system faces a number of challenges, including early tracking, weaknesses in literacy and numeracy skills among some students, and too many unqualified school leavers. The use of workplace training is very variable, and some training provision inadequately reflects labour market needs. The quality of career guidance in compulsory education could also usefully be improved. The OECD review assesses the main challenges faced by the VET system and presents an interconnected package of policy recommendations. For each recommendation, the report describes the challenge, the recommendation itself, supporting arguments, and issues of implementation. Show less

Over the past decades, almost all OECD countries have seen significant increases in the educational attainment of their populations. As the attainment level of the population increases from generation to generation, adults may attain a higher level of education than their parents. The Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), found on average that 39 per cent of adults have achieved a higher level of education than their parents across 24 national and sub-national entities participating. Upward educational mobility may be falling among younger generations as the population has a higher educational level. Still, young people with tertiary educated parents are more likely to participate in tertiary education than those whose parents did not have a tertiary qualification.

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This report focuses on the results from the [Programme for International Student Assessment] PISA 2000 survey in terms of student approaches to learning, examining the learning strategies adopted by students, their motivation, and their confidence in their ability to learn. The results of the survey reveal strong correlation between student approaches to learning and measurable student outcomes. The results suggest that effective learning depends significantly on developing positive attitudes. The analysis identifies which learner characteristics are most common in 22 OECD and four non-OECD countries. Differences between the approaches to learning of a range of groups, including male and female students, and those from more and less advantaged social backgrounds, are noted.

Other reports on aspects of PISA 2000 are indexed at TD/TNC 67.328, TD/TNC 69.309, TD/TNC 69.532, TD/TNC 70. 554, TD/TNC 73.121 and TD/TNC 75.137. Show less

This survey of the Canadian economy examines recent economic developments, policies and prospects, and takes a special look at business innovation and tertiary education. The contents are: Executive summary; Assessment and recommendations - Overview; Macroeconomic developments; Monetary and financial-market policies; Fiscal policies to support strong and inclusive long-term growth; Canada’s key long-term challenge is to boost productivity growth; Fostering business innovation; Strengthening higher education; Bibliography; Annex A1. Progress in structural reform; Unleashing business innovation - The Canadian productivity paradox; The state of innovation; Policy drivers and barriers to innovation; Conclusions; Bibliography; Tertiary education: developing skills for innovation and long-term growth - Educational attainment; Access to higher education; Outcomes of the education system; The higher education system: aligning institutional incentives with policy priorities; Bibliography. 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. As a result of rapid population ageing in the US, there is the potential for slower economic growth, serious labour shortages and rising tax rates over the next few decades. The review surveys the main barriers to employment for older workers, assesses the adequacy and effectiveness of existing measures to address these issues, and proposes policy recommendations for further action by government and social partners. The review concludes that the US is in a better position to cope with population ageing than most other OECD countries, but this position could be strengthened by encouraging higher labour force participation among its older population and reversing the long-term trend to earlier retirement. To do so will need action on both the supply-side and demand-side. Show less

This publication summarises the OECD compendium of education statistics, ‘Education at a glance’. It provides data on current key topics in education including: education levels and student numbers - how far have adults studied, and how easily do young people enter the world of work; the economic and social benefits of education - how does education affect people’s job prospects, and what is its impact on incomes; paying for education - what share of public spending goes on education, and what is the role of private spending; the school environment - how many hours do teachers work, and how does class size vary; and equity - this special section introduces issues relating to equity in education, such as how important is pre-primary education, how does socioeconomic background affect educational performance, how easy is it for older people to access education, and how wide is the gender gap? Each indicator is presented on a two-page spread. The left-hand page explains the significance of the indicator, discusses the main findings, examines key trends and provides information about how to find more in the OECD education databases and in other OECD education publications. The right-hand page contains charts and tables, accompanied by dynamic hyperlinks (StatLinks) that direct readers to the corresponding data in Excel™ format. Show less

Currently, Japan has the highest old-age dependency ratio of all OECD countries, with a ratio in 2017 of over 50 persons aged 65 and above for every 100 persons aged 20 to 64. This ratio is projected to rise to 79 per hundred in 2050. The rapid population ageing in Japan is a major challenge for achieving further increases in living standards and ensuring the financial sustainability of public social expenditure. However, with the right policies in place, there is an opportunity to cope with this challenge by extending working lives and making better use of older workers' knowledge and skills. This report investigates policy issues and discusses actions to retain and incentivise the elderly to work more by further reforming retirement policies and seniority-wages, investing in skills to improve productivity and keeping up with labour market changes through training policy, and ensuring good working conditions for better health with tackling long-hours working culture.

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

This publication presents papers given at a conference on 'Labour market policies and the public employment service: lessons from recent experience and directions for the future' convened in Prague on 3-4 July 2000 by the OECD's Directorate for Education, Employment, Labour and Social Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic. The major themes of the conference were the 'activation' of the unemployed and the implementation of active labour market policies. Issues addressed included: front-line employment service operations; customer service and employer service; the advanced use of information technology to facilitate job placement; modern management methods; eligibility conditions for unemployment benefits; strategies of intervention during unemployment; and improving the accountability and performance of the public employment service (PES). The introduction contains the summary and conclusions by the rapporteur and two papers by the OECD Secretariat: 'Labour market policies and the public employment service: main characteristics and new challenges' which describes the main operational methods and PES strategies in OECD Member countries with comment on international variation and underlying policy issues; and 'External audits of the public employment service in the 1990s' which summarises four general, official, external audits undertaken in the United States (US), the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, and published in the 1990s as an analytical basis for major reforms. The paper assesses these evaluations and proposes some principles to guide future evaluations. Part one, 'The labour exchange function of the public employment service', contains the papers: A 'model' local employment office in Portugal / Antonio Charana and Vitor Rodrigues; Computer touchscreen and Internet job-broking services / Eddy Vercammen and Edy Geerts; Marketing to employers in the Netherlands / Jeannette van Yperen; One-stop statecraft: restructuring workforce development programs in the United States / David E. Balducchi and Alison J. Pasternak. Part two, 'Unemployment benefits and activation measures', contains the papers: Some conflicts between employment policy and social policy in the Czech Republic / Milan Horalek; Eligibility criteria for unemployment benefits / David Grubb; Monitoring and assisting active job search / Patricia M. Anderson; From Restart to the New Deal in the United Kingdom / William Wells; The active labour market policy in Denmark / Inge Maerkedahl; The activation and qualification of social assistance recipients in Oslo / Nina Backer-Roed and Lars Mannsaker; Activation: the point of view of clients and 'front line' staff / Dan Finn and Martin Blackmore. Part three, 'Design and implementation issues for active labour market policies', contains the papers: How can we make active policies more effective?: the role of organisation, implementation and optimal allocation in active labour market policy / Jaap de Koning; Implementation issues in Finland: experiences, developments and context of labour market policy measures / Heikki Raisanen. Part four, 'Structure of the public employment service', contains the papers: Introduction of contestability in the delivery of employment services in Australia / Leslie Riggs; Labour market policies and employment services in Canada: a new collaborative approach / Employment Programs Branch.

Selected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 69.313 to TD/TNC 69.318. Show less

Despite significant increases in spending on child care and education during the last decade, [OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment] PISA scores suggest that educational performance remains static, uneven and strongly related to parents’ income and background. Better educational performance could improve labour market outcomes, raise growth, lower the consequences of a disadvantaged background and increase social mobility. Given the austere fiscal outlook, improvements have to come from higher efficiency rather than further spending. More focused pre-school spending on disadvantaged children could improve skill formation. Better-targeted funding for disadvantaged children combined with strengthened incentives for schools to attract and support these students would help raising educational outcomes. The government is increasing user choice by expanding the academies program and introducing Free Schools, but needs to closely follow effects on fair access for disadvantaged children. The impact of increasing user choice on educational outcomes is uncertain, but the government should experiment with proscribing the use of residence criteria in admission to local government maintained schools in some local authorities. Reforms to increase supply flexibility should be pursued. All government funded schools should enjoy the same freedom in hiring and wage setting to level the playing field across different school types. To better gauge progress and inform policy makers, schools and parents on educational outcomes, additional performance measures should be developed and steps taken to lessen the reliance on grades in performance management. Insufficient supply of high-quality vocational programs and tertiary education study places hamper human capital formation and growth. Stabilising and simplifying vocational education by more focus on high quality apprenticeships would support participation. The government needs to find efficient measures to raise participation especially among children from low income families to replace the abolished educational maintenance allowance. Further reforms to funding of higher education could lower taxpayers’ costs and help finance a needed expansion in the sector.

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This report charts the promises and pitfalls for people's well-being in 35 OECD countries and 6 partner countries. It presents the latest evidence from 50 indicators, covering both current well-being outcomes and resources for future well-being, and including changes since 2005. During this period there have been signs of progress, but gains in some aspects of life have been offset by losses elsewhere. This fourth edition highlights the many faces of inequality, showing that gaps in people's achievements and opportunities extend right across the different dimensions of well-being. It exposes divisions according to age, gender, and education, and reveals pockets of inequality in all OECD countries. It also brings to light the many well-being disadvantages that migrants face in adapting to life abroad. Additionally, the report examines governance as seen from the citizen's perspective, revealing gaps between public institutions and the people they serve. Finally, it provides a country-by-country perspective, pinpointing strengths, challenges and changes in well-being over time in 41 country profiles.

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