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Retraining displaced workers : what can developing countries learn from OECD nations?

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  • Leigh, Duane E.

Abstract

The governments of most industrial countries provide financial support for adult training programs intended to retrain displaced workers. The author draws lessons from the experience of six industrial countries (Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, Sweden, and the United States) on how to design and implement such retraining programs in low-income developing nations and middle-income countries. By retraining, the author means both improving job skills and remediating deficiencies in basic education. These are the lessons he emphasizes: Training programs should be independent of the educational system, with its rigid ties to degree requirements and academic schedules; links to employers must be developed and maintained so that trainees have marketable skills on completing the program. Training programs should be designed to minimize trainees'foregone earnings; basic education should be relevant to the jobs the trainees might seek. External providers of education must be made accountable - but with care; the system of accountability should also ensure that the needs of displaced workers most likely to suffer long-term unemployment are met. Not all displaced workers require relatively expansive retraining; some may need only inexpensive job-search assistance services. A permanent, institutionalized training system is preferable to short-term intervention.

Suggested Citation

  • Leigh, Duane E., 1992. "Retraining displaced workers : what can developing countries learn from OECD nations?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 946, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:946
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Howard S. Bloom, 1990. "Back to Work: Testing Reemployment Services for Displaced Workers," Books from Upjohn Press, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, number btw, November.
    2. Anders Björklund, 1990. "Evaluations of Swedish labor market policy," Finnish Economic Papers, Finnish Economic Association, vol. 3(1), pages 3-13, Spring.
    3. Patricia Anderson & Walter Corson & Paul Decker, "undated". "The New Jersey Unemployment Insurance Reemployment Demonstration Project: Follow-Up Report," Mathematica Policy Research Reports eba060d41b8145b5a230fa76b, Mathematica Policy Research.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bach, Henning & Datta Gupta, Nabanita & Høgelund, Jan, 2007. "Employment Effects of Educational Measures for Work-Injured People," IZA Discussion Papers 2657, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Dar, Amit & Gill, Indermit S, 1998. "Evaluating Retraining Programs in OECD Countries: Lessons Learned," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 13(1), pages 79-101, February.

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