Policy Brief: Helping Workers Weather the Economic Storm

The world economy is in a severe economic downturn with potentially dire consequences for workers and their families. The ultimate dimensions of this crisis are not yet known, but it is already clear that it will be the deepest recession of the post-war era for the OECD area, with the average unemployment rate heading toward an all-time high of nearly 10% at the end of 2010. While the recession appears to be slowing, the recovery is expected to be initially weak; and history shows that unemployment is slow to recede, even once an economic recovery is under way.