Country labor markets
Articles in this subject area summarize the current state of specific labor markets. They cover the labor market issues common to all countries but also highlight important developments specific to each country context.
editorial team
Subject Editor
Barnard College, USA, and IZA, Germany
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The transformations of the French labor market, 2000–2021 Updated
The workforce is now much better educated, but crises have magnified unemployment, underemployment, and low-income work
Philippe Askenazy, February 2022France has the second largest population of countries in the EU. Since 2000, the French labor market has undergone substantial changes resulting from striking trends, some of which were catalyzed by the Great Recession and the Covid-19 crisis. The most interesting of these changes have been the massive improvement in the education of the labor force (especially of women), the resilience of employment during recessions, and the dramatic emergence of very-short-term employment contracts (less than a week) and low-income independent contractors, which together have fueled earnings inequality.MoreLess -
The labor market in the US, 2000–2020 Updated
Covid-19 ended the longest US economic expansion, pushing unemployment to its highest level with a slow and incomplete recovery
Daniel S. Hamermesh, October 2021As the largest economy in the world, the US labor market is crucial to the economic well-being of citizens worldwide as well as, of course, that of its own citizens. Since 2000 the US labor market has undergone substantial changes, reflecting the Great Recession and the Covid Recession, but also resulting from some striking trends. Most interesting have been a remarkable drop in the labor force participation rate, reversing a nearly 50-year trend; the full recovery of unemployment after 2010 and its skyrocketing in 2020; and the little-known continuing growth in post-inflation average earnings.MoreLess -
The labor market in the UK, 2000–2019 Updated
Unemployment rose only modestly during the Great Recession and fell strongly since, with productivity and wages lagging behind
Benedikt HerzThijs van Rens, February 2020Experiences during the Great Recession support the view that the UK labor market is relatively flexible. Unemployment rose less and recovered faster than in most other European economies. However, this success has been accompanied by a stagnation of productivity and wages; an open question is whether this represents a cyclical phenomenon or a structural problem. In addition, the effects of the planned exit of the UK from the EU (Brexit), which is quite possibly the greatest current threat to the stability of the UK labor market, are not yet visible in labor market statistics.MoreLess -
The labor market in the Netherlands, 2001–2016
Overall, employment and wages were accompanied by a rise in part-time work and a decline in job security
Joop HartogWiemer Salverda, January 2018The Netherlands is an example of a highly institutionalized labor market that places considerable attention on equity concerns. The government and social partners (unions and industry associations) seek to adjust labor market arrangements to meet the challenges of increased international competition, stronger claims on labor market positions by women, and the growing population share of immigrants and their children. The most notable developments since 2001 are the significant rise in part-time and flexible work arrangements as well as rising inequalities.MoreLess -
The labor market in Switzerland, 2000–2018 Updated
The Swiss labor market has proven resilient to several recent shocks, with unemployment remaining stable and real wages steadily increasing
Rafael LaliveTobias Lehmann, April 2020Switzerland is a small country with rich cultural and geographic diversity. The Swiss unemployment rate is low, at around 4%. The rate has remained at that level since the year 2000, despite a massive increase in the foreign labor force, the Great Recession, and a currency appreciation shock, demonstrating the Swiss labor market's impressive resiliency. However, challenges do exist, particularly related to earnings and employment gaps between foreign and native workers, as well as a narrowing but persistent gender pay gap. Additionally, regional differences in unemployment are significant.MoreLess -
The labor market in Sweden since the 1990s
The Swedish economy continues to have high employment and rapidly rising real wages
Nils Gottfries, July 2018The economic crisis in the early 1990s brought about a dramatic increase in unemployment and a similar decrease in labor force participation. Unemployment declined afterwards, but stabilized at around 6–7%—more than twice as high as before the crisis. Today, the unemployment rate is lower than the EU average, though Sweden no longer stands out in this respect. The 2008 financial crisis had small effects on the Swedish labor market. Employment in industry declined sharply and then remained stagnant, but employment in the service sectors has continued to grow steadily.MoreLess