Evidence-based policy making
IZA World of Labor is an online platform that provides policy analysts, journalists, academics and society generally with relevant and concise information on labor market issues. Based on the latest research, it provides current thinking on labor markets worldwide in a clear and accessible style. IZA World of Labor aims to support evidence-based policy making and increase awareness of labor market issues, including current concerns like the impact of Covid-19, and longer-term problems like inequality.
View our content on Covid-19—Pandemics and the labor market
Labor market consequences of the college boom around the world
Updated更好的通知ation on university quality may reduce underemployment and overeducation in developing countries
As the number of secondary school graduates rises, many developing countries expand the supply of public and private universities or face pressure to do so. However, several factors point to the need for caution, including weak job markets, low-quality university programs, and job–education mismatches. More university graduates in this context could exacerbate unemployment, underemployment, and overeducation of professionals. Whether governments should regulate the quantity or quality of university programs, however, depends on the specific combination of factors in each country.
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Hours vs employment in response to demand shocksUpdated
Evaluating the labor market effects of temporary aggregate demand shocks requires analyzing both employment and hours of work
Robert A. Hart, February 2023The responses of working hours and employment levels to temporary negative demand shocks like those caused by the Great Recession in 2007–2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020–2022 have shown that consideration of both is important. Workers’ desired rises in working hours in times of recession also serve to modify the standard measure of unemployment. During Covid-19, both jobs and earnings were temporarily protected among workers forced into short-time work schemes, providing a useful comparison with the provision of improved unemployment insurance to unemployed workers at that time.MoreLess -
Air pollution and worker productivityUpdated
Higher levels of air pollution reduce worker productivity, even when air quality is generally low
Matthew Neidell Nico Pestel, February 2023Environmental regulations are typically considered to be a drag on the economy. However, improved environmental quality may actually enhance productivity by creating a healthier workforce. Evidence suggests that improvements in air quality lead to improvements in worker productivity at the micro level across a range of sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, and the service sectors, as well as at more aggregate macro levels. These effects also arise at levels of air quality that are below pollution thresholds in countries with the highest levels of environmental regulation. The findings suggest a new approach for understanding the consequences of environmental regulations.MoreLess -
Temperature, productivity, and income
Rising temperatures due to climate change could dampen productivity growth for decades
Olivier Deschenes, February 2023Climate change is rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions through droughts and floods, hurricanes, wildfires, rising temperatures, and more frequent and longer heatwaves. A growing literature has shown how higher temperatures reduce worker productivity and economic output. These effects are more pronounced in poorer countries and in climate-exposed economic sectors like agriculture, construction, and manufacturing. The development of new technologies that mitigate exposure to heat among workers, combined with better temperature control in the workplace, will be essential to reduce the economic burden of climate change.MoreLess -
Female poverty and intrahousehold inequality in transition economiesUpdated
An unequal distribution of resources within the family is a special concern for female poverty
Luca Piccoli, February 2023Transition to a market economy is accompanied by a period of greater economic uncertainty. Women are likely to suffer substantial disadvantages from this uncertainty compared to men as they are, for example, more likely to lose their job. This not only implies a monetary loss for the entire family, but also degrades female bargaining power within the household, possibly further aggravating their well-being. When intrahousehold inequality—an unequal distribution of resources among family members—exists, female poverty might be significantly larger than what can be deduced using standard household-based poverty measures.MoreLess
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Feb 21, 2023
England’s RFU announces new maternity policy; Company in US fined for illegally employing children
今天的全球新闻摘要带来影响England, the US, and the UK, and discusses issues as diverse as maternity leave, child labor, and the four-day week. -
Feb 14, 2023
Cyclone Gabrielle highlights NZ inaction on climate change; Tanzanian government bans popular children’s book
今天的全球新闻摘要带来影响New Zealand, Tanzania, and the world, and discusses issues as diverse as climate change, LGBTQ rights, and women in AI. -
Feb 07, 2023
Air pollution causes chess players to make more mistakes; Businesses call for change to UK apprenticeship levy
今天的全球新闻摘要带来影响Germany, the UK, and Mexico and discusses issues as diverse as air pollution, apprenticeships, and obesity. -
Jan 31, 2023
Long Covid hurting US economy; Union support rising in UK despite strikes
今天的全球新闻摘要带来影响the USA, the UK, and France and discusses issues as diverse as long Covid, strikes, and pensions. -
Jan 24, 2023
Japan’s population crisis; Portugal to swap Cape Verde debt for environmental investment
今天的全球新闻摘要带来影响Japan, Cape Verde, and the USA and discusses issues as diverse as birth rates, environmental investment, and tech job loss. -
Jan 17, 2023
China’s population falls; UK government blocks Scottish gender bill
今天的全球新闻摘要带来影响China, the UK, and the globe and discusses issues as diverse as population decline, trans rights, and extreme wealth and poverty. -
Jan 10, 2023
Long-term illness hitting UK economy; American childhood obesity guidance revised
今天的全球新闻摘要带来影响the UK and the US and discusses issues as diverse as economic inactivity, obesity, and hybrid working.
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May 12, 2023 - May 13, 2023
SOLE Annual Meeting
Philadelphia, United States
The Society of Labor Economists will hold its Twenty-Eighth Annual Meetings May 12–13, 2023, at the Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square.
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Jul 05, 2023 - Jul 06, 2023
25th Anniversary IZA Conference in Labor Economics
Berlin, Germany
The conference will feature keynotes by Ayşegül Şahin and Patrick Kline, as well as about 15 plenary presentations and a poster session. The conference will conclude with a panel discussion on the German labor market featuring leading policymakers and labor economists (Application deadline: March 15, 2023).
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Sep 21, 2023 - Sep 23, 2023
EALE 2023 Conference
Prague, Czech Republic
You can submit your paperhere.
IZA World of Labor discussion on higher education
IZA World of Labor discussion on the environment and the labor market
IZA World of Labor discussion on inflation and the labor market
Mergers and the labor market
“If you have your health, you have everything”? The true value of health
Labor market concentration and competition policy across the Atlantic
The gift of a lifetime: The hospital, modern medicine, and mortality
The impact of limiting the outsourcing of jobs
Air pollution and the labor market