"Despite significant progress in economic reform throughout the 1990s and an exemplary development of the policymaking framework in the second part of the decade, Brazil suffered a major public debt and currency crisis in 2002. Though the political origin of the uncertainty cannot be ignored,...

Bulgaria has achieved impressive economic performance over the last two decades. Nevertheless, recent growth of gross domestic product (GDP) and productivity has slowed since the global financial crisis, and the country faces medium- to long-term labor shortages and skills mismatches driven by...

"The challenge for labor market policy in the transition economies has been to redress the sharp drops in employment and rises in unemployment in a way that fosters the creation of productive jobs. The authors first document the magnitude and productivity of job and worker reallocation. Then...

"The authors follow the Hellerstein, Neumark, and Troske (1999) framework to estimate marginal productivity differentials and compare them with estimated relative wages. The analysis provides evidence on productivity and nonproductivity-based determinations of wages. Special emphasis is given to...

The level of informality in Colombia's labor market is high and persistent. When measuring informality of workers in terms of their contributions to health insurance and pension systems, 74.2 percent of all Colombian labor force was considered informal in 2008. The informality debate has taken...

This Ukraine Jobs Study aims to 1) assess labor market performance in the Ukraine, 2) identify key constraints to job creation, and suggest policies that will foster job creation and productivity. The study finds that, despite relatively low unemployment, the labor market is depressed and...

This Ukraine Jobs Study aims to 1) assess labor market performance in the Ukraine, 2) identify key constraints to job creation, and suggest policies that will foster job creation and productivity. The study finds that, despite relatively low unemployment, the labor market is depressed and...

This paper examines labor market outcomes in Armenia and their impact on poverty. The outcomes are of considerable concern: relatively few persons of working age are employed, and many of those who are employed have low-productivity jobs. The problem is not only high unemployment, but also low...