Job Market Monitor
Politics & Policies
Youth Unemployment in Africa: creativity and talents could be harnessed
With the youngest population in the world, Africa’s youth unemployment is becoming worrisome. However, the abundant creativity and talents of Africa’s young people could be harnessed to help turn the continent’s socioeconomic fortunes around, reports Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor Senegalese opposition politicians denounced the country’s high unemployment rate to mobilize youth against former President Abdoulaye … Continue reading
Canada Job Grant / Deeply flawed say Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation and the Caledon Institute for Social Policy
Ottawa’s proposed Canada Job Grant is deeply flawed and should be abandoned, a joint report to be released Monday by two policy think tanks says. Despite the upbeat TV ads Ottawa is running in support of its new $15,000 a person training program, it’s far from clear the program will deliver the promised results or … Continue reading
India / Must focus on jobs for growth says Just Jobs
India must make employment a key driver of its growth strategy as higher economic growth by itself does not create more jobs, according to a leading US research organisation advocating sustainable development. “Indian policymakers cannot assume that higher economic growth will automatically lead to more jobs,” Sabina Dewan, founder and director of Just Jobs at … Continue reading
US/ Minimum Wage / Available research finds “no evidence of a meaningful adverse employment effect” – Council of Economic Advisers
A meta-analysis by Doucouliagos and Stanley (2009) of 64 studies on the minimum wage published between 1972 and 2007, encompassing over 1,000 estimates, finds that most estimates are concentrated around zero, indicating no detectable effect (see figure). The authors conclude that the available research finds “no evidence of a meaningful adverse employment effect” of the … Continue reading
US States / Relying on Tax Breaks, Work-Share to Create Jobs
States this year awarded tax breaks to businesses, touted worker-training programs and even poached jobs from each other to boost their economies and create work for the nearly 12 million Americans still unemployed. Oregon, for example, inked a 30-year tax deal to keep Nike from relocating. Wisconsin created a new “work-share” program that allows employers … Continue reading
Europe / Framework of Actions on Youth Employment presented
At a press conference, on 11 June 2013, ETUC, BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME and CEEP presented their Framework of Actions on Youth Employment, resulting from social dialogue negotiations. With youth unemployment rates currently at 24.4% in the euro area and 23.5% in the EU27, urgent and determined action is needed. Europe cannot afford such a waste of … Continue reading
Yes, Unemployment Benefits may rise Unemployment But … writes Krugman
A reader writes in, having just heard somebody or other claim that the current unemployment rate would be much lower if unemployment benefits were even less generous, and asks whether this can be true. And the answer is no. People who say things like this are fundamentally confused about what the economic research actually means. … Continue reading
US / The low-wage model: a single 300-person Wal-Mart Supercenter store could cost could cost taxpayers up to $1,744,590 per year to taxpayers
« Rising income inequality and wage stagnation threaten the future of America’s middle class » writes the Democratic staff of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workfororce in The Low-Wage Drag on Our Economy: Wal-Marts low wages and their effect on taxpayers and economic growth (Adapted chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor to follow), adding that while … Continue reading
Greece, Spain and Portugal / The Limits to the Unemployment Benefit Safety Net
Unemployment benefits are one of the safety nets available for people affected by the economic crisis in Greece, Spain and Portugal. This system — along with other social benefits such as pensions and increased remittance inflows from family members abroad, as well as aid from family members at home and, to some extent, informal economic activities — is somewhat … Continue reading
The Canada Job Grant / What do you think about it ?
Tell us what you think about the Ottawa’s proposed Canada Job Grant. Use the DISCUSSION section at the bottom of this page and enter your comment at the end of this post. As Lina Dib wrote in La Presse, “Ottawa is trying to sell a product that Quebecers do not yet exist and that will probably … Continue reading
Canada / Is the widespread assumption that Canada is suffering from a growing shortage of labour true?
“When the Royal Bank of Canada was recently caught up in a maelstrom of bad publicity over its use of temporary foreign workers, it led politicians and pundits to scrutinize and question the growing use by Canadian firms of imported, short-term labour” Kevin McQuillan in ALL THE WORKERS WE NEED: DEBUNKING CANADA’S LABOUR- SHORTAGE FALLACY (Adapted … Continue reading
Germany / To Help Spain, Portugal and Greece and Greece on youth unemployment
The German government on Wednesday (22 May) announced a series of conferences and bilateral programmes to help youngsters from Spain, Portugal and Greece find a job, as regional statistics show 17 times more unemployed youngsters in northern Greece compared to Bavaria. According to the EU’s statistical office Eurostat, youth unemployment in the northern-Greek region of … Continue reading
China / Liuzhou city to help graduates find jobs
Liuzhou city in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region pledged to work to help college graduates find jobs in the so-called toughest job market this year. It is estimated that the number of new college graduates who are expected to leave campus this summer will reach 6.99 million, the highest record in China. As many … Continue reading
France / The right Job Plan ?
The man charged with reviving France’s shrinking economy and attracting businesses to invest here is gaining a reputation for doing the opposite. As the country’s first-ever minister for industrial renewal, Arnaud Montebourg has told the world’s largest steelmaker it is not welcome in France; exchanged angry letters with the head of an American tire company … Continue reading
Spain and Germany sign an agreement to provide vocational training
Germany signed up on Tuesday to provide vocational training and jobs for young Spaniards starved of opportunities in their crisis-hit home country, ministers said. “Each year nearly 5,000 young Spaniards will be able to benefit from vocational opportunities or even from stable and skilled jobs in Germany,” Spain’s Employment Minister Fatima Banez said after signing … Continue reading
