1887

OECD Economics Department Working Papers

Working papers from the Economics Department of the OECD that cover the full range of the Department’s work including the economic situation, policy analysis and projections; fiscal policy, public expenditure and taxation; and structural issues including ageing, growth and productivity, migration, environment, human capital, housing, trade and investment, labour markets, regulatory reform, competition, health, and other issues.

The views expressed in these papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the OECD or of the governments of its member countries.

English, French

Limiting Long-Term Unemployment and Non-Participation in Sweden

After the onset of the crisis, unemployment in Sweden increased markedly, though much less than expected and than during the early 1990s, even as participation in the labour market held up well. The challenge going forward is to ensure that high unemployment does not become entrenched or leads to withdrawals from the labour force. The government has taken measures to mitigate this risk, particularly in the areas of job-search incentives and enrolment in education. Nevertheless, additional reforms are needed to ensure a sustained job-rich expansion. Such reforms should focus on increasing the flexibility of the labour market and strengthening job-search incentives further. This Working Paper relates to the 2011 OECD Economic Survey of Sweden (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/Sweden).

English

Keywords: minimum wage, public employment services, Sweden, employment protection legislation, labour market dualism, labour costs
JEL: H20: Public Economics / Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue / Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue: General; J08: Labor and Demographic Economics / General / Labor Economics Policies; K31: Law and Economics / Other Substantive Areas of Law / Labor Law; J60: Labor and Demographic Economics / Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers / Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers: General; J30: Labor and Demographic Economics / Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs / Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: General
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