Press Release: Governments must do more to help workers adapt to new global economy, says OECD

Rather than seeing globalisation as a threat, OECD governments should focus on improving labour regulations and social protection systems to help people adapt to changing job markets.

That is the message from the 2007 edition of the OECD’s annual Employment Outlook. It reviews the possibility that offshoring may have reduced the bargaining power of workers, especially low-skilled ones. Whether real or threatened, the prospect of offshoring may be increasing the vulnerability of jobs and wages in developed countries.

As ageing populations put more downward pressure on economic growth in the coming decades, it is essential that OECD countries improve labour market performance. This edition of OECD's annual report on labour markets brings the reader not only detailed information on recent labour market developments, but also in-depth analysis of the effects of various policy measures and prospects through 2007. The analysis includes coverage of labour markets in OECD Countries as well as in Brazil, China, India and Russia; labour market policies and productivity; the vulnerability of OECD workers in the global economy, and the employment effect of financing social protection.

OECD Employment Outlook 2007 http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?CID=&LANG=EN&SF1=DI&ST1=5L4RVC9LVKMX

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