Work is not running out

The opinion is often expressed that highly developed economies are running out of work. This thesis is supported, among other things, by the argument that technological progress is eliminating jobs and that work is also being moved to low wage countries. The analysis of employment development using selected indicators in the major OECD countries shows that in the past 25 years the number of employees and the volume of labour has increased. Despite the increase in the working age population, per capita gainful employment has not declined. This overall favourable development is due to countries in which institutions and economic policies are employment friendly. These include, in particular, the Netherlands, the USA and Spain. In contrast, countries such as France, Germany and Japan display a rather unsatisfactory employment development.