In Belgium, questions on the wage-setting system also interfere with the "regionaiisation" debate. Among the suggested reforms, the regionaiisation of the collective bargaining system turns out frequently. It relies on the assumption that the productivity differences between regions are not...

In order to facilitate employment adjustment by firms and to reduce the unemployment rate, legislation regarding temporary employment has been relaxed in Belgium (as in most European countries) over the last 20 years. Accordingly, the share of temporary employment as a percentage of total...

Firms very rarely cut nominal wages, even in the face of considerable negative economic shocks. This paper uses a unique survey of fourteen European countries to ask firms directly about the incidence of wage cuts and to assess the relevance of a range of potential reasons for why the firms...

En Belgique, la question de la formation des salaries n’échappe pas à la communautarisation des débats. Parmi les réformes suggérées apparaît de manière récurrente la régionalisation des négociations salariales. Ses partisans estiment notamment que les différences de productivité...

In Belgium, 2007 has been marked by long coalition negotiations over an agreement on a new government. The main bone of contention had been related to the reform of the Belgian Federal State. Among the suggested reforms, the regionalisation of the collective bargaining system turned out...

The rarity with which firms reduce nominal wages has been frequently observed, even in the face of considerable negative economic shocks. This paper uses a unique survey of fourteen European countries to ask firms directly about the incidence of wage cuts and to assess the relevance of a range...