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Australia has been one of the first OECD countries to introduce market-type mechanisms into job-broking and related employment services. In 1998, the Job Network was introduced in Australia to provide job matching and other employment assistance services for the unemployed. Under the new system, these services were subcontracted to hundreds of private and community organisations. The remaining government agency offers services on the same terms and conditions as the private providers and has kept a relatively small share in the market. The government has also decided to maintain only the most cost-effective active labour market programs and has increased emphasis on the principle of 'mutual obligation' in the benefit system where some unemployed people are required to undertake some form of work in return for their benefits. These innovative reforms are part of those introduced in Australia across a wide range of labour market programs along with extensive reforms to the industrial relations system to promote enterprise bargaining. This publication provides a detailed analysis of industrial relations and labour market policies in Australia with a particular focus on recent insights gathered from three years of experience in the operation of a contestable employment services market. It begins with a summary and conclusions section and then provides an overview of the Australian labour market and the institutions involved in labour market policy and employment services. Issues related to the Job Network, placement, unemployment and related benefits, labour market programs, workplace relations, and wage determination are then examined. Annexes contain information on payment mechanisms for competitive employment service provision and three major areas of labour market programs (training and youth programs, indigenous programs, and disability programs). Show less

There is broad and strong political support within Norway for lifelong learning as a next logical step for a highly developed country with a highly educated population to address challenges including economic restructuring, an ageing workforce, the contradictions of labour shortages and increased leisure time, and an increasingly diverse society. However, the institutional arrangements and policies in Norway do not yet constitute a systemic approach to lifelong learning. Major difficulties relate to the governance and financing of adult learning and leadership based on concerted action by several ministries as well as the social partners. Conflict between the objectives of choice, equity and quality also need to be resolved. This study is divided into two parts: the background report (which was prepared by the Norwegian authorities) and the OECD Examiners' Report. The background report presents the Norwegian definition of lifelong learning and describes the national context in which lifelong learning is currently being implemented. It also provides an overview of the different arenas within which lifelong learning occurs and the challenges to be met. The OECD Examiners' Report examines the following areas: the social, economic, political and institutional context within which Norway’s vision of lifelong learning has been articulated; the goals and objectives of lifelong learning in Norway, who it is intended for and who is involved; unfinished aspects of the lifelong learning agenda in Norway with a focus on integration of learning and working life; the issue of implementation of lifelong learning across many public policy areas and in cooperation with the social partners; and overriding principles to guide formulation and implementation of further policies of lifelong learning. A list of recommendations is included in Annex II.A. Show less

This paper analyses changes in the quality of the working environment in fifteen European Union countries between 1995 and 2015, using self-reported data from the European Working and Living Conditions Survey. It finds that, although in 1995, the self-employed reported inferior working conditions compared with employees, twenty years later this difference had almost disappeared. This 'catch-up' on the part of the self-employed is not limited to narrow groups; instead it is found among self-employed workers with highly diverse educational and sectoral work experience.

Two major policy implications are drawn. First, policy makers should no longer expect there to be a working environment penalty from self-employment policies. Second, policy makers should distinguish between different groups within the self-employed population, with better targeted policies, rather than treating the self-employed as a single category. The paper sets out a number of avenues for further work when data for 2021 become available.

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Economies and societies are undergoing digital transformations that bring both opportunities and challenges and countries' preparedness to seize the benefits of a digital world is largely dependent on the skills of their population. This edition of the OECD Skills Outlook 2019 aims to understand how policies, and in particular those that affect skills development and use, can shape the outcomes of digital transformation and translate into more equally shared benefits among and within countries' populations. Ensuring people can benefit from new technologies and are not left behind requires a comprehensive and co-ordinated policy effort. This package of co-ordinated policies needs to simultaneously promote digitalisation where the latter increases productivity and well-being, and otherwise cushion its negative impacts.

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A successful transition towards a low-carbon and resource efficient economy will profoundly reshape the labour market in ways creating both new risks and new opportunities for workers. The challenge for labour market and skills policy is to maximise the benefits for workers and help assure a fair sharing of unavoidable adjustment costs, while also supporting broader green growth policies (e.g. by minimising skill bottlenecks). The aim of the report is to provide guidance for how best this can be done. Part one of the report provides an assessment of the main impacts of climate change mitigation and other policy measures to promote green growth on labour markets. This topic has been much studied in recent years but many questions remain unanswered and the intention here is to summarise what has already been learned and provide new insights. Part two of the report analyses how labour market and education and training policy can best contribute to an efficient and fair transition towards a low-carbon economy. A key focus in this part of the report is how measures specifically targeted on 'greening' the labour market should be integrated into both the broader framework of labour market and skills policies, and a whole-of-government strategy for promoting green growth. This document represents the final OECD report for the European Commission project on 'The jobs potential of a shift towards a low-carbon economy'.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

On 14-15 January 2016 the OECD hosted a Ministerial meeting on labour and employment. Ministers from more than 40 OECD and partner countries convened at the OECD headquarters in Paris for an exchange of ideas and experiences on how to build more resilient and inclusive labour markets in light of the lessons learned from the recent global economic crisis and in view of the ongoing changes in the world of work as a result of demographic shifts, technological change and globalisation. The meeting also identified priority topics for future OECD work in the employment and labour policy field. This paper describes the issues and proposes some questions for discussion.

Edited excerpt from publisher's website with additions. Show less

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assesses the extent to which 15-year-old students have acquired key knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies. The assessment, which focuses on reading, mathematics, science and problem-solving, does not just ascertain whether students can reproduce what they have learned; it also examines how well they can extrapolate from what they have learned and apply that knowledge in unfamiliar settings, both in and outside of school. This approach reflects the fact that modern societies reward individuals not for what they know, but for what they can do with what they know.

Around 510,000 students (representative of about 28 million students overall) from all 34 OECD member countries and 31 partner countries and economies participated in PISA 2012, representing more than 80 per cent of the world economy. For the first time, PISA 2012 also included an assessment of the financial literacy of young people. The findings presented in this report will allow policy makers to gauge the knowledge and skills of students in their own countries in comparison with those in other countries, set policy targets against measurable goals achieved by other education systems, and learn from policies and practices applied elsewhere.

This is one of six volumes that present the results of the 2012 PISA survey, the fifth round of the triennial assessment. The chapters are as follows: Defining and measuring equity in education; Equity in outcomes; The challenge of diversity; Equity in opportunities to learn and in resources; Policy implications of equity in education. Show less

This publication examines the opportunities and challenges for business and government associated with technologies bringing about the 'next production revolution'. These include a variety of digital technologies (e.g. the Internet of Things and advanced robotics), industrial biotechnology, 3D printing, new materials and nanotechnology. Some of these technologies are already used in production, while others will be available in the near future. All are developing rapidly. As these technologies transform the production and the distribution of goods and services, they will have far-reaching consequences for productivity, skills, income distribution, well-being and the environment. The more that governments and firms understand how production could develop in the near future, the better placed they will be to address the risks and reap the benefits.

Published abstract.

The contents are as follows: Executive summary; List of acronyms, abbreviations and units of measure; The next production revolution: key issues and policy proposals. Part one, 'Key emerging technologies', contains the following chapters: Benefits and challenges of digitalising production; Bioproduction and the bioeconomy; Tapping nanotechnology's potential to shape the next production revolution; 3D printing and its environmental implications; Revolutionising the product design and performance with materials innovation. Part two, 'Cross-cutting themes', contains: The next production revolution and institutions for technology diffusion; Public acceptance and emerging production technologies; The role of foresight in shaping the next production revolution; An international review of manufacturing R&D priorities and policies for the next production revolution; The rise of advanced manufacturing institutes in the United States; China and the next production revolution. 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. This report on Norway identifies the challenges arising due to an ageing population. It outlines the current labour market situation for older workers in Norway, investigates the impact of welfare benefits on workers’ decisions to retire, and explores employer practices of retaining and hiring older workers. The final two chapters of the report focus on methods of enhancing older people’s employability and ways to increase the use of potential labour supply. Show less

Throughout the OECD, there is growing recognition that mental health is a major issue in social and labour market policy. Mental illness exacts a heavy price on people, employers, and the economy at large, affecting wellbeing and employment, and causing substantial productivity losses. Austria has seen a rapid increase over the past 20 years in sickness absences and disability benefit claims attributable to mental disorders. Overall benefit dependency among the working-age population is high, with many claimants of all types of benefits, including unemployment benefit, reporting mental health problems. While the Austrian labour market is in good shape and was comparatively little affected by the recent economic downturn, at least initially, the mentally unwell underperform in the job market. Their unemployment rate is almost thrice the national average and their employment rates are lower.

Excerpts from publication.

The chapters are as follows: Executive summary; Assessment and recommendations; Mental health and work challenges in Austria; Benefit reform in Austria to tackle widespread inactivity; Preventing labour market exit at Austrian workplaces; Improving the job prospects of vulnerable young people in the Austrian education system; Linking mental health policy in Austria to other policy fields. Show less