Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

Recent research shows that although trade and technological advances yield important benefits for economies overall, some workers and regions can be negatively affected. Policies aimed at helping workers adjust to the impact of trade or technological changes can provide a helping hand to the workforce and increase the benefits of open trade and new technologies. This publication contributes to the discussion on how governments can help make international trade more inclusive and ensure that the benefits of open trade are spread more widely. It responds to the growing demand from policy-makers for further research on adjustment policies, building on previous WTO work on the labour market effects of trade.
The publication includes an extensive review of the literature on this topic and provides case studies on adjustment policies written by experts from seven countries across four continents. The contributions cover a broad range of policy measures taken by governments to help labour markets adjust to the impact of globalization, including trade openness, using a variety of approaches. They provide valuable insights into those policies and useful information for all those interested in the social dimensions of globalization and technological change.