High and persistent unemployment is a key policy issue in many OECD countries, particularly in Europe. Many initiatives have been taken to reduce this problem. In 1994, the OECD launched the OECD Jobs Study, which contained both a thorough analysis of the issue and a comprehensive set of policy...

High and persistent unemployment is a key policy issue in many OECD countries, particularly in Europe. Many initiatives have been taken to reduce this problem. In 1994, the OECD launched the OECD Jobs Study, which contained both a thorough analysis of the issue and a comprehensive set of policy...

This paper deals with trends and cycles of unemployment and labour-force participation. Empirical evidence on both trends and cyclical movements in unemployment and participation is presented. Some of the mechanisms behind the observed developments are also analysed, examining how well they fit...