Preface

1. New Trends on the Labor Market, Challenges for Policies, and the Need for
Partnerships: OECD Perspectives
Sergio Arzeni

2. Public Employment Policy and Unemployment Insurance in the United States
Randall W. Eberts, Christopher J. O’Leary

3. Public Employment Policy and Unemployment Insurance in Canada
Ging Wong

4. Job Placement, Unemployment Insurance and Active Labor Market Policy in
Germany
Uwe Blien, Ulrich Walwei, Heinz Werner

5. Labor Market Trends and the Employment Insurance System in Korea
Kil-Sang Yoo, Jaeho Keum, Jai-Joon Hur, Byung Hee Lee, Jiyuen Chang

6. Concluding Remarks: Recent Developments of Employment/Unemployment Insurance
and Active Labor Market Policies
Kil-Sang Yoo

Contributors

For the last decade globalization and technological advancement have dramatically altered economic and industrial structures causing an enormous shift in the labor market situation. Indeed, labor market policies must now cover a wider range of increasingly complicated issues, and nations across the globe are conducting both active and passive labor market policies to handle these diverse issues. Employment Insurance (EI)/ Unemployment Insurance (UI) systems in each country have also undergone change in order to conform to the new environment. Although the form and function of each national EI/UI system differs, the system itself has played a major role in every country to promote labor market policy for sustainable economic growth and social integration. The Korean EI system has also made a great contribution to labor market development since its introduction in July 1995. In particular, it has contributed remarkably to overcoming the high unemployment rate after the 1997 financial crisis. And as EI/UI systems assume an even greater as the social safety net, those programs must be supplemented and improved. On September 12-13, 2001, the Korea Labor Institute (KLI), International Labor Organization (ILO), and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) jointly held the International Workshop on the Role of Employment/Unemployment Insurance under New Economic Environment in Seoul, Korea. At this workshop, recognized scholars and policy-makers from six OECD countries as well as distinguished representatives from international organizations shared the experiences and lessons of other countries. In addition, they reviewed the significant changes in the EI/UI system and documented the effects on labor markets. Policy-makers from Asian developing nations, who are currently working to introduce EI/UI systems in their countries, also participated in policy discussions and learned from the experiences of the developed countries. The goal of the international workshop was to review recent significant changes in the EI/UI system, to document their effects on labor markets and on the quality of life of workers, and to share recent experiences. This book reflects the content and process of the workshop, covering changing local labor market issues and the development of the EI/UI systems of selected OECD countries, such as unemployment insurance benefits and unemployment assistance, wage subsidy programs, vocational training programs, among others.