High unemployment, exclusion and poverty tear at the fabric of society and can unravel economies.

 

The OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs helps economies to formulate policies to boost employment and improve social welfare by reforming labour markets, improving the performance of health systems and designing international migration policies that promote economic growth and development.

 

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Helping immigrants and their children find work should be a priority, says OECD

17-Nov-2008

Immigrants in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Portugal are more likely to be unemployed or doing a job for which they are overqualified than people born in that country. Their children, even if born in the country and having left school with qualifications, also find it hard to find work, according to a new OECD report.

Internet update for OECD Health Data 2008 available now

29-Oct-2008

The Internet update for OECD Health Data 2008 has just been released. Go to the OECD Health Data Update page  to download the file and access data updates, along with a fully revised hypertext for Definitions, Sources and Methods.

The Looming Crisis in the Health Workforce

22-Oct-2008

OECD countries face a challenge in responding to the growing demand for doctors and nurses over the next 20 years and should adopt a comprehensive approach to health human resources, reinforce international cooperation and better monitor health workforce policies and migration.

Income inequality and poverty rising in most OECD countries

21-Oct-2008

Income gaps have widened over the past two decades in three-fourths of OECD countries. In today’s changing world economy, that means ever more people at risk of being left behind. According to Secretary-General Angel Gurria, “Ensuring growth for all, not just the rich, is the task we must set for ourselves.” Governments need not sit on the sidelines: they should respond to income inequality with policies that help lift people up.

OECD Health Policy Studies: Pharmaceutical Pricing Policies in a Global Market

18-Sep-2008

Pharmaceutical pricing policies are designed with national objectives in mind, but are the transnational implications always taken into account? This report assesses how pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies have contributed to the achievement of certain health policy objectives.

Tailor immigration policies to future needs, says OECD

10-Sep-2008

OECD countries should adapt their labour migration policies more closely to likely future demand for workers in all areas of their economies, opening up to lower-skilled workers as well as to those with high skills, according to OECD's International Migration Outlook 2008.

Norway’s job market works for most youth but too many rely on sickness benefits

27-Aug-2008

On many counts, the youth labour market in Norway is performing very well. The unemployment rate among young people aged 16-24 was 7.3% in 2007, 6 percentage points below the OECD average and the employment rate was almost 12 percentage points above the OECD average.

Labour market discrimination still a big problem in OECD countries

02-Jul-2008

Women are 20% less likely than men to have a paid job in OECD countries and they earn on average 17% less than men, according to the latest edition of OECD’s Employment Outlook.

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