Arbeidsmarktbeleid: enkele trends en effecten

Samenvatting

The rapid decrease of unemployment in the Netherlands since 1972 led to the following changes in labor market policy: greater priority for the reduction of unemployment, increased focus on specific target groups within the labor market, increased importance of the market rather than the public sector as a source of new jobs, & a growing interest in reallocation of employment. At the level of instrumentation, trends noted are: substantial differentiation of policy instruments, an increase in spending from 1972 to 1976, & an increased emphasis on policy instrumentation as a means of reducing the structural causes of unemployment. The main effects of these policies are analyzed: it is shown that in 1980, only 19% of the unemployed were covered by policy instruments. This result is unsatisfactory, especially considering the rise in unemployment since 1980. It underscores the weak position of the government in reducing unemployment. 6 Tables. Modified HA.