Examining the occupational variation within non-standard employment, this book combines case studies and comparative writing to illustrate how and why alternative occupational employment patterns are formed. Non-standard employment has grown significantly in most developed economies, varying between countries. Different institutional settings have been deemed accountable for this variation, although inadequate consideration has been given to differences within national labour markets. Through an occupational perspective, this book contends that patterns of non-standard employment are shaped by flexibility in hiring and firing practices and the dispensability of workers' skills. The framework integrates explanations based on labour market regulation, industrial relations and skill supply, filling the gaps in previous scholastic research. A necessary and discernible insight into employment patterns, academics in the fields of economics and sociology will find this book of great value. Policy makers and practitioners alike will benefit from the comparative analysis of rich empirical material. Contributors: F. Berton, M.R. Busemeyer, H. Chung, M. Dieckhoff, W. Eichhorst, B. Francon, V. Gash, A.C. Gielen, M. Keune, A. Koslowski, J. Leschke, P. Lopez Roldan, P.K. Madsen, P. Marx, C. McLean, A. Mertens, O. Molina, R. Muffels, M. Nelson, M. Richiardi, L. Romeu-Gordo, S. Sacchi, T. Schils, K. Thelen, V. Tobsch

This volume provides an up-to-date overview of activation strategies in unemployment benefit systems and social assistance in selected European countries and the United States. A particular focus lies on the development of activation schemes, governance and implementation as well as on the outcomes of activation in terms of labor market and social integration. The volume is the first to address these issues both from a socio-economic and a legal perspective.

This volume provides an up-to-date overview of activation strategies in unemployment benefit systems and social assistance in selected European countries and the United States. A particular focus lies on the development of activation schemes, governance and implementation as well as on the outcomes of activation in terms of labor market and social integration. The volume is the first to address these issues both from a socio-economic and a legal perspective.

Der Bericht 2004 bringt die Analysen des ersten Benchmarking-Berichts von 2001 auf den neuesten Stand. Er untersucht anhand einer breiten Zusammenstellung von Zahlen und Fakten die Entwicklung von Beschaftigung und Arbeitslosigkeit in Deutschland im Vergleich zu den OECD-Landern und geht der Frage nach, inwieweit konjunkturelle, in erster Linie aber institutionelle Faktoren hierauf einwirken. Konkret stellt der Bericht die wesentlichen Kennziffern aus den Bereichen Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik, Arbeitszeit- und Arbeitsmarktregulierung, Unternehmertatigkeit, Lohn- und Tarifpolitik, Bildung sowie Innovation und Makrookonomie dar. Insbesondere zeigt er auf, inwieweit die jungsten Reformen in Deutschland zur Behebung von Schwachen im deutschen Beschaftigungssystem beigetragen haben oder entsprechende Effekte zu erwarten sind und wo weiterhin Handlungsbedarf besteht. Daruber hinaus weist er auf bewahrte Praktiken im Ausland hin, die als Anregungen in die deutsche Reformdiskussion einfliessen konnten."

Der Bericht Benchmarking Deutschland beurteilt den Wirtschafts- und Sozialstandort Deutschland im internationalen Vergleich. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Entwicklung des Arbeitsmarktes und der Politikbereiche, die im Wesentlichen auf die Besch ftigungsdynamik einwirken. Ziel dieses Berichts ist die Erkennung von St rken und Schw chen und die Suche nach praktisch umsetzbaren Reformans tzen. Das Benchmarking Deutschland, das erste seiner Art, ist in enger Zusammenarbeit mit der Arbeitsgruppe Benchmarking des "B ndnisses f r" "Arbeit" entstanden. Es gr ndet sich auf einen umfassenden Bestand an international vergleichbaren Daten sowie die f hrende einschl gige Literatur und gibt in der kompakten und leicht zug nglichen Form eines Kompendiums die von den Akteuren gemeinsam anerkannten Datenlage wieder.

Why is unemployment higher in some countries than others? Why does it fluctuate between decades? Why are some people at greater risk than others? Layard and Nickell have worked on these issues for thirty years. Their famous model, first published in 1986, is now used throughout the world. It asserts that unemployment must be high enough to reduce the real wages for which workers settle to the level justified by productivity. So what affects 'wage push'? The authors showed early on that the key factors affecting 'wage push' are how unemployed workers are treated and how wages are negotiated. If unemployed people get benefits without being required to accept jobs, vacancies go unfilled and mass unemployment results. The solution is welfare-to-work policies like those now introduced in most parts of the world. The authors have proposed these policies for the last twenty-five years in a series of key articles reproduced in this book. Their original analysis explains the subsequent movement of unemployment over the last two decades. They conclude the book with a new chapter on what should be done in the recession: no-one, they say, should be given unemployment benefit beyond a year, after which they should be offered work.

Der Bericht Benchmarking Deutschland beurteilt den Wirtschafts- und Sozialstandort Deutschland im internationalen Vergleich. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Entwicklung des Arbeitsmarktes und der Politikbereiche, die im Wesentlichen auf die Beschaftigungsdynamik einwirken. Ziel dieses Berichts ist die Erkennung von Starken und Schwachen und die Suche nach praktisch umsetzbaren Reformansatzen. Das Benchmarking Deutschland, das erste seiner Art, ist in enger Zusammenarbeit mit der Arbeitsgruppe Benchmarking des "Bundnisses fur" "Arbeit" entstanden. Es grundet sich auf einen umfassenden Bestand an international vergleichbaren Daten sowie die fuhrende einschlagige Literatur und gibt in der kompakten und leicht zuganglichen Form eines Kompendiums die von den Akteuren gemeinsam anerkannten Datenlage wieder."

Der Bericht 2004 bringt die Analysen des ersten Benchmarking-Berichts von 2001 auf den neuesten Stand. Er untersucht anhand einer breiten Zusammenstellung von Zahlen und Fakten die Entwicklung von Beschaftigung und Arbeitslosigkeit in Deutschland im Vergleich zu den OECD-Landern und geht der Frage nach, inwieweit konjunkturelle, in erster Linie aber institutionelle Faktoren hierauf einwirken. Konkret stellt der Bericht die wesentlichen Kennziffern aus den Bereichen Arbeitsmarkt- und Sozialpolitik, Arbeitszeit- und Arbeitsmarktregulierung, Unternehmertatigkeit, Lohn- und Tarifpolitik, Bildung sowie Innovation und Makrookonomie dar. Insbesondere zeigt er auf, inwieweit die jungsten Reformen in Deutschland zur Behebung von Schwachen im deutschen Beschaftigungssystem beigetragen haben oder entsprechende Effekte zu erwarten sind und wo weiterhin Handlungsbedarf besteht. Daruber hinaus weist er auf bewahrte Praktiken im Ausland hin, die als Anregungen in die deutsche Reformdiskussion einfliessen konnten."

Why is unemployment higher in some countries than others? Why does it fluctuate between decades? Why are some people at greater risk than others?
Layard and Nickell have worked on these issues for thirty years. Their famous model, first published in 1986, is now used throughout the world. It asserts that unemployment must be high enough to reduce the real wages for which workers settle to the level justified by productivity. So what affects 'wage push'? The authors showed early on that the key factors affecting 'wage push' are how unemployed workers are treated and how wages are negotiated. If unemployed people get benefits without being required to accept jobs, vacancies go unfilled and mass unemployment results. The solution is welfare-to-work policies like those now introduced in most parts of the world.
The authors have proposed these policies for the last twenty-five years in a series of key articles reproduced in this book. Their original analysis explains the subsequent movement of unemployment over the last two decades. They conclude the book with a new chapter on what should be done in the recession: no-one, they say, should be given unemployment benefit beyond a year, after which they should be offered work.

Youth Unemployment and Vocation Training focuses on the creation of good jobs for the young. The first part reviews the main factors influencing youth unemployment and the transition into the work force, bringing together evidence on demographic issues, economic growth and their interaction with institutions. Stressing the difference between general education and vocational education and training, the authors differentiate between four types of education and outline differences in the skills they convey, their places of learning and their transferability across occupations and firms. The second section provides an overview of young people's situations in major world regions, with a particular emphasis on the role of training systems and complementary active labor market policies. The authors adopt a broad understanding of regional clusters reflecting similar challenges with respect to youth unemployment on the one hand and institutional factors influencing the situation of young people on the other. Youth Unemployment and Vocation Training concludes by reviewing the most pressing policy challenges in different world regions and providing policy recommendations. The authors argue in favor of promoting vocational education and training tailored to labor market needs, all the while taking into account specific conditions found in a given national or local context. While good education and training can contribute to economic productivity and social cohesion, vocational education and on-the-job training with young workers and companies also need to involve governments, social partners or other societal actors in order to be stable and effective. Given major differences in the institutional setup in different parts of the world, the authors present options for implementing vocational training under largely differing economic and institutional conditions.