Can smaller countries teach employment creation to bigger countries?
Apparently so, says a new ILO study 1 prepared for a high-level meeting 2 held recently in Geneva. Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands have shown that “employment success is also feasible in Europe’s welfare states”. Factors explaining this success – social dialogue, macroeconomic policy and labour market policy – may provide new solutions to unemployment problems which have afflicted Europe over the past two decades. GENEVA – Contrary to some of the bigger European countries, which still suffer from depressed labour markets with sometimes very high levels of unemployment, including youth and long-term unemployment, Austria, Denmark, Ireland and The Netherlands have been experiencing a remarkable labour market recovery or have maintained low unemployment over the long term. In addition, some of the countries have recently seen a rapid increase in employment and in employment rates. In most cases, gender gaps have been reduced, but remain large, the ILO study says. Youth unemp
