A Closer Look

VET in Europe – Policies addressing early leaving from education and training

Conditions for policy learning and mainstreaming measures tackling early leaving Cedefop has identified five key conditions in measures and policies that have proved to be successful. The policy messages linked to each of these (highlighted in green below) were discussed with Member States representatives. Leadership and commitment over time A high level of commitment by … Continue reading →

Asylum Seekers in EU (2015) – 333 350, an increase of 72% compared with 2014

The 28 Member States of the European Union (EU) granted protection status to 333 350 asylum seekers in 2015, an increase of 72% compared with 2014. Since 2008, a total of nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers have been granted protection status in the EU. The largest group of beneficiaries of protection status in the EU … Continue reading →

Japan – The demographic demographic problem in one chart

Japan has a major demographic problem: 26 percent of its population is elderly, the largest percent of any country in the world. That’s because Japan’s birthrate is declining, as is its overall population. In other words, a huge chunk of its population is getting old and leaving the workforce, and not enough people are being … Continue reading →

Population Pyramids of the the world’s frontier markets

There are basically two big demographic stories in the world right now: Populations in developed markets (and emerging Europe) are shrinking, while the populations in emerging and frontier markets are rapidly growing. These population pyramids explain what’s going on with the world’s frontier markets. Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  Frontier market demographic … Continue reading →

Social Security and Life-Expectancy Gap in US – Benefits that men earning $20,000 or $80,000 could expect to receive

A study led by Stanford University economist Raj Chetty, showed that life expectancy differed for the top 1% and bottom 1% of the income distribution by 15 years for men and by 10 years for women. Now, a new study from the Government Accountability Office shows the dramatic effect this is having on Social Security. To show the effect of … Continue reading →

Technical Change and Early Retirement in US – Once a certain degree has been reached, the probability to retire early decreases again

In a new research paper published in the IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Lorenzo Burlon (Bank of Italy and IZA) and Montserrat Vilalta-Bufí (University of Barcelona) reexamine the effect of technical progress on early retirement in the US. They find that technical progress affects early retirement in two opposing ways. On the one hand, it … Continue reading →

Immigration to United States – At a numerical high, reaching 42.4 million people in 2014

What is the size of the overall immigrant population, and how does its share of the total U.S. population compare with earlier eras? How many people immigrate to the United States? How many become U.S. citizens? What is the size of the unauthorized population? What jobs do immigrants hold? How do today’s top source countries … Continue reading →

Immigration in Sweden – The next few years that will be the fastest recorded

In relation to its size, Sweden has long accepted more refugees than any other European country. So when over a million migrants came to Europe last year, with even more on their way this year, a large share sought asylum in Sweden. Attracted by Stockholm’s generous immigration policies, more than 160,000 migrants applied for refugee … Continue reading →

Kids Career Counselling – Who + Why = What

Students who don’t already have a career in mind, she says, are then encouraged to think in terms of two other questions: “What do you like?” and “What are you good at?  ”Those are both perfectly fine questions, as far as they go. “But they don’t go nearly far enough,” Fortgang says. “Counselors — and … Continue reading →

High-income in US – Those above $250,000 paid 51.6% of all individual income taxes in 2014

In 2014, people with adjusted gross income, or AGI, above $250,000 paid just over half (51.6%) of all individual income taxes, though they accounted for only 2.7% of all returns filed, according to our analysis of preliminary IRS data. Their average tax rate (total taxes paid divided by cumulative AGI) was 25.7%. By contrast, people with incomes of less than … Continue reading →

A Training Gap, Not a Skills Gap – Interview with Professor Peter Cappelli

Knowledge@Wharton: One of your chapters in the book is called “A Training Gap, Not a Skills Gap.” You have some figures showing that in 1979, young workers received an average of two and a half weeks of training per year. By 1991, only 17% of young employees reported getting any training during the previous year, … Continue reading →

Robots and the future of work – Interview with Professor Richard Freeman (video)

Education, Skills and Economic Opportunity in US – Fourteen Economic Facts

The Payoff to Skills is High Fact 1: Both cognitive and soft skills—such as perseverance, tenacity, and social skills—play an important role in shaping economic outcomes. Fact 2: The skills premium has increased dramatically. Fact 3: Educational attainment has increased in the United States, especially among women. Fact 4: Americans who did not attend college form … Continue reading →

College in US – A’s were the most common grade

A’s were the most common grade on college campuses in 2013, accounting for 45% of grades awarded to students, according to an analysis of grade data at more than 80 schools by Stuart Rojstaczer, an independent researcher, and Chris Healy, a computer science professor at Furman University. By contrast, college students were most likely to … Continue reading →

White-Guy Jobs Gap in US – 2.3 percentage points (or about 1.1 million jobs), a larger shortfall than any other group

By some measures, people in their prime working years have a long way to go to recoup the losses of the 2007-09 recession — and white men are further behind than most. On average over the three months through March, a nonseasonally adjusted 86 percent of white men between the ages of 25 and 54 were … Continue reading →