The availability of a flexible labour force might influence adjustment decisions regarding the rigid part of the labour force. To test this idea, we contrast the use of trainees (fixed-term contracts) and normal-contract workers (open-end contracts) when a reform made it more costly to use...

Carling, Holmlund and Vejsiu reported in the October 2001 issue of the Economic Journal that a cut in the unemployment insurance replacement rate from 80 to 75 percent caused a 10 percent increase in the job finding rate. They also identify an anticipatory reform effect up to five months before...

This paper uses longitudinal data from three contrasting datasets (matched Labour Force Surveys, the British Household Panel Survey and matched New Earnings Surveys) to estimate the impact of the introduction of the UK minimum wage (in April 1999) on the probability of subsequent employment...