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Across the OECD, the labour-market performance of foreign-born-adults tends to lag behind that of the native-born. Immigrants are not only more likely to be unemployed or inactive, but they also earn less and work in lower-skilled jobs. Foreign-born adults feel their skills are underutilised in some countries. This has considerable consequences for the successful socio-economic integration of immigrants. Differences in skills proficiency, language spoken and country of education explain a large part - albeit not the entirety - of these observed gaps. Policies should therefore aim to provide immigrants with effective language tuition, adult education and training programmes in order to ensure the successful integration of foreign-born workers into host economies.

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The OECD annual report on jobs and employment in OECD countries reviews recent trends, policy developments, and prospects. The 2021 edition of the OECD Employment Outlook [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 145.163] focusses on the labour market implications of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 crisis. Country notes are available for Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In some countries, employers used job retention programmes to cut hours while allowing workers to keep their pay and jobs; there, it is likely that the full impact of the pandemic is yet to be felt. In others, there have been unprecedented increases in unemployment, but many workers will return to their jobs (or to new ones) as economies re-open and activity picks up.

The initial impact of the COVID-19 crisis was relatively modest in Korea due to the fast and widespread campaign of test, tracking and tracing that contributed to contain the spread of the virus. The unemployment rate in Korea started to rise from 3.4 per cent in February 2020 and reached 5.4 per cent in January 2021 due to enhanced distancing measures at the end of 2020. After that, it gradually declined to 3.8 per cent by May 2021. In Korea, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a greater impact on vulnerable groups, such as non-regular workers and young people. In 2020, the number of temporary and daily workers decreased by 6.5 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively, while the number of regular workers increased by 2.1 per cent. The employment rate for young people (aged 15-29) also fell in 2020 by 1.3 percentage points compared to the previous year, showing the largest decline among all age groups.

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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

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 OECD annual report on jobs and employment in OECD countries reviews recent trends, policy developments, and prospects. The 2021 edition of the OECD Employment Outlook [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 145.163] focusses on the labour market implications of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 crisis. Country notes are available for Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In some countries, employers used job retention programmes to cut hours while allowing workers to keep their pay and jobs; there, it is likely that the full impact of the pandemic is yet to be felt. In others, there have been unprecedented increases in unemployment, but many workers will return to their jobs (or to new ones) as economies re-open and activity picks up.

At the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Japan managed to avoid so-called lockdown restrictions and thus total hours worked dropped rather modestly by 9 per cent over the year to the second quarter of 2020, compared with the OECD average of 15.3 per cent. Workers in low-paying occupations have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. During the last quarter of 2020, total hours worked by all persons in employment were only 2 per cent below the pre-crisis level in Japan. However, the decline in hours worked by workers in low-paying occupations was more than double (4.3 per cent), whereas those by workers in high-paying occupations actually increased by 0.6 per cent. What is more, this increase in hours worked was driven by job creation.

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This publication contains the papers prepared for the seminar on 'International mobility of highly skilled workers: from statistical analysis to the formulation of policies', held in Paris, 11-12 June 2001. The seminar was jointly organised by the OECD Directorates for Science, Technology and Industry (DSTI) and Education, Employment, Labour and Social Affairs (DEELSA). In a global context where shortages of highly skilled and specialised workers have influenced national migration policies, the seminar focused on the provision and comparability of data on international mobility of highly skilled workers in OECD countries and some non-OECD nations, the impact on their economies, and the development of migration policies that are beneficial for both sending and receiving countries. The publication is organised into three sections: the first presents the definitions and measures of international stock and flows of highly skilled workers and human resources in science and technology (HRST); the second draws on case studies of OECD Member countries and non-Member countries to investigate trends and economic implications of international mobility of highly skilled workers; and the third section discusses how policy measures in the area of migration and science and technology can influence international mobility of highly skilled workers. Part one, 'Defining and measuring international flows of human resources in science and technology', contains the papers: Human resources in science and technology: measurement issues and international mobility / Laudeline Auriol and Jerry Sexton; Student mobility between and towards OECD countries: a comparative analysis / Karine Tremblay. Part two, 'Trends and economic impact in OECD countries', contains the papers: International mobility of highly skilled workers: from statistical analysis to policy formulation / Dominique Guellec and Mario Cervantes; The measurement of international migration to Canada / Michael Bordt; International mobility of human resources in science and technology in Japan: available data, quality of sources, concepts and proposals for further study / Shin-ichi Kobayashi; A brain drain among young PhDs: mirage or reality? / Daniel Martinelli; Why do firms recruit internationally?: results from the IZA International Employer Survey 2000 / Rainer Winkelmann; Return migration of highly-skilled Irish into Ireland and their impact on GNP and earning inequality / Alan Barrett. Part three, 'Trends and economic impact in non-OECD countries', contains the papers: Mass migration of highly skilled workers: Israel in the 1990s / Ari Paltiel; International migration of scientists and engineers in Russia / Leonid Gokhberg and Elena Nekipelova; International mobility of China's resources in science and technology and its impact / Zhang Guochu and Li Wenjun; Rethinking high-skilled international migration: research and policy issues for India's information economy / V. Gayathri; Migration of skilled and highly skilled workers [in] South Africa: a case study / Jean-Baptiste Meyer. Part four, 'Policy issues', contains the papers: The mobility of human resources in science and technology in Sweden / Anne-Marie Gaillard; High-skill migration and Chinese Taipei's industrial development / Yu-Ling Luo and Wei-Jen Wang; Policies for admitting highly skilled workers into the United States / Philip Martin; Migration policies designed to facilitate the recruitment of skilled workers in Australia / Graeme Hugo; The current 'green card' initiative for foreign IT specialists in Germany / Heinz Werner; International mobility of highly skilled workers: the UK perspective / Nicolas Rollason.

Selected papers are indexed from TD/TNC 69.320 to TD/TNC 69.326. Show less

This publication begins with the premise that over the next two years unemployment in OECD economies is expected to barely decline from 7.1 per cent to seven per cent of the active population, and that this reveals how crucial policies to address unemployment and promote employment remain. The editorial, ‘Giving youth a better start’, identifies the best ways to ensure that young people get a solid and durable foothold in the labour market. Chapter one, ‘Recent labour market developments and prospects’, highlight the importance of part-time work for employment growth, particularly in Japan and many European countries. Chapter two, ‘Employment protection and labour market performance’, highlights the challenge of reconciling economic security with flexibility, suggesting that countries have concentrated their efforts in the 1990s on easing restrictions for temporary forms of employment, and that, conversely, there has been little movement on the protection of regular work. Chapter three, ‘Training of adult workers in OECD countries: measurement and analysis’, suggests that training of adult workers is much more extensive in some OECD countries than others, with higher training rates being associated with higher levels of education, productivity and wages. This training tends to be targeted on the workers who already have the highest skills and permanent, full-time jobs - a pattern that could marginalise some groups of workers unless it is counteracted by public policies. Chapter four, ‘New enterprise work practices and their labour market implications’, discusses the idea that new work organisation practices such as teamwork, job rotation and delegation of tasks may have considerable implications, both for the workers involved and the labour market as a whole. A first cross-country investigation of this phenomenon shows that managers are making considerable investments in such practices, though the extent varies a lot from country to country. A statistical annex follows this chapter. Show less

The OECD annual report on jobs and employment in OECD countries reviews recent trends, policy developments, and prospects. The 2021 edition of the OECD Employment Outlook [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 145.163] focusses on the labour market implications of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 crisis. Country notes are available for Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In some countries, employers used job retention programmes to cut hours while allowing workers to keep their pay and jobs; there, it is likely that the full impact of the pandemic is yet to be felt. In others, there have been unprecedented increases in unemployment, but many workers will return to their jobs (or to new ones) as economies re-open and activity picks up.

Australia successfully ran a job retention scheme that helped support a large number of jobs during the COVID-19 crisis. By April/May 2020, 30.5 per cent of workers were employed on the scheme. Given the improvement of the health and economic situation, the scheme has now ended. Australia increased funding over four years to provide extra support to individuals affected by the crisis. In addition, it offered funding to enhance digital services for jobseekers to compensate for reduced in-person service. Additional training programmes were offered, training was moved online and training places were expanded to ensure individuals could continue to improve their skills in order to be ready for their next job.

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In recent years there has been considerable interest in the significant role of education and training in enhancing economic progress, fuller employment and social integration. This paper provides an international comparison of adult participation in continuing education and training beyond initial education in Europe, the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), Canada and New Zealand. The data is drawn from the International Adult Literacy Survey which collected information about participation in training during the year leading up to the survey. The paper focuses on the differences between countries in relation to participation in education and training, the duration of courses, and financial sponsorship. Cross-national similarities and differences in education and training by gender, age group, educational attainment, literacy levels, occupation, and the size and kind of organisation within which people are employed, are also examined. The results reveal major cross-national differences in the incidence and volume of continuing education and training among adults but there were some notable similarities across countries in relation to the distribution of education and training within sub-populations. Employed adults were more likely to participate in continuing education or training and their participation rate was higher for job-related training than participation for other reasons. Those adults with higher level educational qualifications were more likely to participate than those with lower levels. Younger adults were more likely to participate and for a longer duration than older age groups and those employed in larger organisations were also more likely to participate. Data on funding of training revealed that in all countries, employers were the most common financial sponsors of training, particularly job-related training. Show less

OECD Factbook 2008 is the fourth edition of a comprehensive and dynamic statistical annual from the OECD. More than 100 indicators cover a wide range of areas: 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 R&D. This year, the OECD Factbook features a focus chapter on productivity. Data are provided for all OECD member countries with area totals, and in some cases, for selected non-member economies. For each indicator, there is a two-page spread. A text page includes a short introduction followed by a detailed definition of the indicator, comments on comparability of the data, an assessment of long-term trends related to the indicator, and a list of references for further information on the indicator. The next page contains a table and a graph providing - at a glance - the key message conveyed by the data.

The 2005 edition is indexed at TD/TNC 82.131, the 2006 edition is indexed at TD/TNC 86.81, the 2007 edition is indexed at TD/TNC 90.87 and the 2009 edition is indexed at TD/TNC 95.740.

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