European Labour Market Adjustment

Time: 3-4 December 2009
Venue: Frankfurt am Main, Eurotheum, Germany

The ECB will hold the 6th joint ECB/CEPR labour market workshopon the topic of "European Labour Market Adjustment". The workshop organisers particularly welcome papers that address any of the following issues:

1. Adjustment of unemployment, employment and wages
2. The roles of reforms and polices in influencing labour market outcomes
3. Tools for analysing the labour market situation

1. Adjustment of unemployment, employment and wages:

• How do labour markets respond and adjust to a slowdown in economic activity and various economic shocks?
• Is there symmetry between upturns and downturns? Have these adjustment mechanisms changed in the current crisis environment?
• What are the possible trade-offs between employment versus wage adjustments?
• How does the euro area differ compared to other economies; what cross-country and/or cross-sector differences exist and how have they evolved?

2. The roles of reforms and polices in influencing labour market outcomes:

• What is the role of labour market institutions in the ways and extent to which labour markets adjust in the face of shocks?
• How have the series of structural reforms implemented in European countries over the last decade affected this role?
• How helpful is the inclusion of such reforms in the modelling of European labour market dynamics?

3. Tools for analysing the labour market situation:

• They are particularly interested in submissions that apply new theoretical or empirical tools to analyse and project developments in the labour market or tools that allow to quantify concepts of equilibrium unemployment and wages.

Information of submissions:

• Deadline: 31 August 2009
• Send by e-mail: NClarke@cepr.org