Regional Labor Market Disparities in Belgium

August 1, 2002

Preview Citation

Format: Chicago

Marcello M. Estevão Regional Labor Market Disparities in Belgium, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2002) accessed November 23, 2024

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

Regional labor market discrepancies have been widening in Belgium in the last two decades and are more evident within particular demographic groups. These developments can largely be accounted for by worse matching of people to jobs in the high-unemployment provinces. Using a structural VAR, it is also shown that labor market dynamics in Belgium produce a strong attenuating effect on employment growth, in contrast to the United States where initial labor demand shocks are expanded in the long run. After the short-run adjustment is over, there is less labor migration in Belgium than in the United States or Europe, corroborating the perception that Belgians move "too little."

Subject: Employment, Labor, Labor force, Labor force participation, Labor markets, Unemployment rate

Keywords: Divergences, Dynamics, Employment, Employment growth, Employment response, Europe, Geography, Industry employment, Job-skill mismatch, Labor, Labor force, Labor force participation, Labor markets, Mismatch problem, Reductions in depressed areas, Unemployment rate, Wage, Wage differentiation, Wage dispersion, Wage reduction, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

29
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2002/134
Stock No:

WPIEA1342002
ISBN:

9781451855616
ISSN:

1018-5941

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