Features

2006

1. Article

   95th session of the International Labour Conference, 2006
   Combining labour market flexibility and security in the West Balkans

   16 June 2006

   With Montenegro's recent decision to separate from Serbia, the break-up of the former Yugoslavia has probably come to an end. After years of steep economic decline, political turmoil and armed conflict in the West Balkan countries, growth rates picked up in the second half of the 1990s although this economic dynamism did not translate into lower unemployment levels.

2. Article

   Which is best for the economy: employment stability or employment flexibility?

   20 January 2006

   A recent article in the ILO's International Labour Review analyzes the relationship between employment stability and productivity in six major sectors in 13 European countries. According to the authors, both, extensive and short job tenure can produce adverse affects on productivity. They propose a policy of "protected mobility" on the labour market, together with active labour market policies seeking to combine both flexibility and security. ILO online spoke with Peter Auer, co-author of the article.

3. 

   Article

   The Lego experience: "Putting flexibility and security together"

   13 January 2006

   Workers who are facing layoffs may want to know why employees at Danish toymaker Lego don't worry too much if their jobs are outsourced. It has to do with what the International Labour Office and others call "flexicurity". ILO Online reports from the Lego toy factory in Denmark.