This paper proposes a one-dimensional index for the gap between the demand and supply of skills; this index can be estimated based on the labour market performance of groups defined with characteristics (e.g. education) that are only imperfectly correlated with labour market skills. Using data...

This paper endogenises the job offer arrival rate in a standard search model in order to test the hypothesis that unemployment-related benefits may affect the job search behavior of unemployed workers independently of any reservation wage effect. Using a pooled cross-section of 1484 unemployed...

State sponsored employment agencies are an important source of job matching in Britain. This study tracks Jobcentre use in Britain over the previous decade and the effectiveness of Jobcentre use in securing entry into employment for those who utilise its services. Amongst the unemployed, use of...

This paper is a study of the process by which employers in five relatively low-wage British firms fill vacancies. It studies the determinants of the number and quality of applicants, the way in which these applicants are selected for interviews and offered jobs. The main conclusions are that the...