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The aim of this technical note is to shed some light on relationship between labor market institutions and labor market outcomes in the member states of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in North America and East Asia; the New Member States of the European Union who are not members of the OECD (e.g. the Baltic states); countries in the European "Neighborhood" with aspire to accede to the EU (e.g. countries in the Western Balkans); and other European transitions countries (e.g. Ukraine, Moldova, and the Caucasus). Several estimation approaches for different data samples and explanatory variables were used to analyze the impact of labor market institutions on the labor market outcomes in European and OECD countries. This technical note, nevertheless, analyzes the impact of labor market institutions in above-mentioned regions and finds that they do affect major labor market indicators. The results show that the minimum wage tends to increase unemployment in non-European OECD sample, which is in accordance with the text-book pricing out effect. To examine the potential differences in the role of explanatory variables between the two OECD sub-samples the author applied modified Chow tests.The results of applied Chow tests examining the potential differences in the role of explanatory variables between the particular sub-samples are inconclusive. Generally, the author was not able to reject the hypothesis of stability of regression coefficients between the examined groups of countries in all tested models. While some of the estimated coefficients suggest different behavior, the available data did not allow to study this issue in detail.

Cash Transfers --- Conflict of Interest --- Economics --- Employment --- Employment and Unemployment --- Employment Protection Legislation --- Employment Rates --- Gdp --- Income Tax --- Inflation --- Insurance --- Labor Costs --- Labor Markets --- Labor Policies --- Minimum Wage --- Political Institutions --- Social Protections and Labor --- Taxes --- Trade --- Trade Unions --- Unemployment --- Workers

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Because of China's socialist legacy, until recently little attention has been paid to the rise of informal employment. Under planning urban workers enjoyed guaranteed employment, housing, pensions, and health care. The prevalence of informal employment has important implications for public policies, because informality is often associated with poverty and social vulnerability, and it affects tax collection, the enforcement of labor regulations, and the provision of adequate social protection to workers and their families. Informality thus can be characterized by dualism, including both those who engage in informal work of their own volition and those who do so involuntarily because they are systematically excluded from formal employment opportunities. The goal of this paper is to provide for the first time an accurate measurement of informal employment in China by analyzing data from recent household surveys collected in six large Chinese cities in 2010. The surveys were designed by the authors with questions included to enable measurement of informality using accepted international standards set by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as well as by considering factors relevant in the Chinese context. The authors provide a number of insights into the extent and nature of informal employment and labor market development in China. The large payroll charges for social insurance programs create a disincentive for both employers and employees to participate.

Educational Attainment --- Employment and Unemployment --- Employment Opportunities --- Employment Rates --- Health Insurance --- Household Surveys --- Informal Sector --- Job Creation --- Labor Markets --- Labor Policies --- Layoffs --- Migrant Workers --- Migration --- Older Workers --- Poverty Monitoring & analysis --- Poverty Reduction --- Severance Pay --- Small Businesses --- Social Protections and Labor --- State-Owned Enterprises --- Unemployment --- Wages --- Work & Working Conditions --- Working Hours --- Younger Workers

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High labor tax wedges and slow formal employment growth have combined to make labor tax reform an important economic policy issue in Turkey. This synthesis report presents the results of a series of empirical studies of the impact of a labor tax reform. The analysis was undertaken before the social contribution reforms that were introduced as part of the 2008 employment package. Using data from firms, households, and social insurance files, the research finds that employment does respond to changes in labor costs at levels that are comparable to those found in other middle-income and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The results show that reducing labor costs could significantly boost registered employment. However, the actual effect of lower taxes on employment would be diluted because a significant portion of the reduced tax will be captured by workers through higher wages rather than by employers through lower labor costs. As a result, tax cuts targeted towards low-wage labor would be more cost-effective than across-the-board reductions. To achieve overall fiscal neutrality, compensating additional revenues from other sources or reduced expenditures will be needed to accompany lower contribution rates.

Employment --- Employment Rates --- Energy Subsidies --- Health Insurance --- Income Tax --- Informal Sector --- Job Creation --- Labor Costs --- Labor Markets --- Labor Policies --- Labor Standards --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Older Workers --- Political Economy --- Private Sector --- Social Funds and Pensions --- Social Protections and Labor --- Taxation & Subsidies --- Trade Unions --- Unemployment --- Workers

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This note presents and analyzes the main design features of an inventory of non-publicly provided Active Labor Market Programs (ALMPs) in Arab-Mediterranean Countries (AMCs), with a specific focus on programs targeted at youth. Despite considerable international evidence, there is little systematic analysis on the effectiveness of ALMPs in AMCs as most programs and investments remain largely un-assessed. Since most AMCs lack unemployment insurance systems or other safety nets for the unemployed, ALMPs constitute a relevant instrument to address the consequences of labor market frictions, such as high unemployment and slow school-to-work transition. Programs from nine countries are included in the inventory: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. Benchmarked against international best practices, assessment of the programs covered in the inventory reveals that the majority lack the necessary mix of design features that make programs effective. These findings call for urgent reforms in program design and delivery, especially given the sizeable financial investments in programs and the urgency to improve labor market outcomes among youth. This policy note constitutes a first step towards understanding and assessing provision of ALMPs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and intends to provide policy makers and financiers with options for reform to enhance efficiency of existing programs and improve the design of future interventions. In addition to specific aspects of program design and implementation, stakeholder coordination needs to be strengthened and put at the forefront of ALMP reform.

Access to Information --- Accounting --- Curriculum --- Data Quality --- Decision Making --- Disadvantaged Groups --- Education --- Education For All --- Educational Attainment --- Employment Opportunities --- Employment Rates --- Employment Services --- Human Capital --- Innovation --- Job Creation --- Job Search Assistance --- Labor Markets --- Labor Policies --- Labor Regulation --- Layoffs --- Leadership --- Literacy --- Market Economy --- Occupations --- On-the-Job Training --- Participation Rates --- Poverty Impact Evaluation --- Poverty Reduction --- Primary Education --- Private Sector --- Productivity --- Schools --- Small Businesses --- Social Protections and Labor --- Teachers --- Unemployment --- Unskilled Workers --- Workers --- Working Hours

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Almost four years since the onset of the global financial and economic crisis, unemployment and underemployment remain stubbornly high in many G20 countries, and many workers remain trapped in low paid, often informal, jobs with little social protection. Job creation has been anemic in many countries, too slow to fully reabsorb the mass of unemployed and underemployed or, particularly in some emerging market economies, to keep pace with labour force growth and the pressures of rural-urban migration. This raises concerns about the long-term negative effects on human capital, growing inequality and lower future output growth. The political pressures are high, and the risk of a drift towards protectionist measures aimed at 'keeping jobs at home' cannot be ignored. While there is substantial variation in national contexts, G20 countries can help minimize these risks through collective and collaborative work aimed at identifying and implementing credible policy reforms that will boost job creation, employment and the quality of jobs. The report aims at providing a preliminary review of countries' experiences against the backdrop of an evolving economic outlook and could form the basis of a more in-depth analysis, should Ministers request it. Improving labour market outcomes involves several challenges relating to both the quantity and quality aspects of job creation. There is a need in all countries to harness growth to generate labour market opportunities that correspond to labour force growth.

Central Banks --- Child Rearing --- Developing Countries --- Employment Protection Legislation --- Employment Rates --- Employment Services --- Family Responsibilities --- Health Insurance --- Human Capital --- Income Inequality --- Informal Sector --- Infrastructure Investment --- Interest Rates --- Job Creation --- Job Search Assistance --- Labor Markets --- Labor Policies --- Lifelong Learning --- Living Standards --- Monetary Policy --- Older Workers --- On-the-Job Training --- Part-Time Employment --- Poverty Reduction --- Purchasing Power --- Respect --- Rule of Law --- School Attendance --- Secondary Education --- Skilled Workers --- Social Protections and Labor --- Temporary Workers --- Tertiary Education --- Unemployment --- Unemployment Insurance Benefits --- Urban Areas --- Workers