The paper compares employment structures in five Continental welfare states. These countries feature broad similarities in their reliance on a more dualised model of labour market flexibility, particularly in service occupations with low skill requirements. However, a closer look also reveals...

The current crisis, while of a global nature, has affected national labor markets to a varying extent. While some countries have experienced a steep increase in unemployment, employment in other developed economies has not fallen in parallel with a significant decline in GDP. Our analysis shows...

This paper explores the empirical evidence for the claim that non-employed men and women in post-industrial labour markets are more likely to make the transition into employment than has previously been the case. It concludes that whilst the unemployed and the inactive remain distinct groups...

The paper takes a comparative perspective on the labour market impact on G20 and EU countries of the financial and economic crisis that began in 2008. It starts from the observation that the decline in employment and rise in unemployment in relation to output or GDP reductions varies...

The European Employment Strategy has set the goal of raising the retirement age of workers in the EU through a strategy of active ageing. Yet despite some progress over the last decade, empirical data show persistent diversity across EU member states. Institutional arrangements of social and...

This paper studies the role and performance of social policies in different European welfare states regarding minimum income protection during periods of crisis. To achieve this goal, the paper expands its analytical focus to include other tiers of social protection, in particular upstream...

Der vorliegende Forschungsbericht (IZA Research Report) Nr. 13 stellt den Endbericht des vom Bundesministeriumfür Wirtschaft und Technologie geförderten Forschungsprojektes „Wachstumsaspekteder Arbeitsmarktpolitik – Von den Nachbarn lernen“ dar, welches zwischen Januar und April 2007...

This study provides an overview of the situation of immigrants in the European Union, by focusing on the process of their integration and its impact on the labour market. Section 1 provides information on the scale of the migration phenomenon, focusing on the origin patterns of immigrants to the...

Labor market segmentation refers to a salient divide between secure and insecure jobs and is related to problems in important areas, including macro‐economic efficiency, workers' wellbeing and repercussions for social cohesion. European countries have started a new wave of labor market reforms...