Recession not inevitable, says OECD – and other economy stories you need to read this week

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Stephen Hall, Writer, Formative Content 1. Recession not inevitable but economic slowdown is, OECD says The global economy can avoid a recession next year, but the worst energy crisis since the 1970s will trigger a sharp slowdown and […]

Which countries have the highest minimum wages in the OECD?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Stefan Ellerbeck, Senior Writer, Formative Content Japan has become the latest OECD country to put forward plans to raise its national minimum wage, by a record 3.3%. Luxembourg, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Germany pay some of […]

3 charts that show the state of the job market in OECD countries

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Victoria Masterson, Senior Writer, Formative Content Unemployment across the 38 member countries of the OECD stabilized at 5% in May 2022. Two-thirds of OECD countries say unemployment is “below or equal to” pre-pandemic levels. 90% of OECD countries […]

Global OECD welcomes Colombia as its 37th Member

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Today Colombia has formally become an OECD Member, the 37th country to do so in the Organisation’s near 60-year history. Colombia has now completed its domestic procedures for ratification of the OECD Convention and deposited its instrument of accession. This brings to a successful conclusion an […]

2019 data on official development aid & online discussion of ODA’s role in the Covid-19 crisis

  This article is brought to you in association with OECD.   The OECD will release 2019 official development assistance (ODA) data at 16:00 Paris time (14:00 GMT) on Thursday 16 April. Journalists and civil society representatives are invited to a Zoom presentation of the data with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Chair […]

OECD Secretary-General: coronavirus “war” demands joint action

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría called today for sweeping joint action by governments to defeat the health, economic, and social threats of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.  In calling on governments to better coordinate their efforts, Gurría announced that the OECD would channel its efforts into immediate support […]

New systemic approach needed to tackle global challenges

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. The impacts of the coronavirus on people’s health and daily life, stock markets, and businesses illustrate the increasingly interconnected nature of the challenges facing governments around the world. Putting systemic thinking at the centre of policy making will be essential to address these issues in an […]

Corporate bond debt continues to pile up

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. The volume of corporate debt reached an all time high in real terms of USD 13.5 trillion at the end of 2019, driven by the return of more expansionary monetary policies early in the year. At the same time, the overall quality of corporate debt has […]

Ireland: prepare now for rising fiscal pressures, external risks

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Ireland needs to prepare itself to meet rising pressures on public finances from an ageing population and significant external risks such as new EU-UK trade barriers post Brexit. Another important development could be future changes to the international tax rules, according to a new OECD report. […]

OECD presents analysis showing significant impact of proposed international tax reforms

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. New economic analysis shows that a proposed solution to the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy under negotiation at the OECD would have a significant positive impact on global tax revenues. The analysis, released today, puts the combined effect of the two-pillar solution […]

Violence in North and West Africa increasingly targeting civilian and border areas – OECD/SWAC

  This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Violence in North and West Africa is increasingly targeting civilian and border regions as today’s conflicts involve non-state actors with diverging agendas, according to a new report by the OECD’s Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC).   The report uses granular data to assess the […]

Harmonised Unemployment Rates (HURs), OECD – Updated: February 2020

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. The OECD unemployment rate remained stable at 5.1% in December 2019. Across the OECD area, 32.6 million people were unemployed, around the level before the financial crisis. In the euro area, the unemployment rate declined to 7.4% in December (from 7.5% in November), the same level […]

Teenagers’ career expectations narrowing to limited range of jobs, OECD PISA report finds

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Huge changes to the world of work over the past two decades have made little impact on teenagers’ career expectations, which have become more concentrated in fewer occupations, according to a new OECD report. Dream jobs: Teenagers’ career aspirations and the future of work says 47% […]

Statement by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría on the outcome of COP 25

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. I am very disappointed that COP25 in Madrid did not achieve the decisive, collective and ambitious outcomes that the climate emergency demands from world leaders. Despite the commendable efforts by Chile as Chair and the impressive work by Spain as host, this unsatisfactory result reflects the […]

Brazil identifies a clear pathway for aligning its transfer pricing framework with the OECD standard

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Brazil has identified a clear pathway for bringing its existing transfer pricing framework into alignment with the international consensus, and is weighing two options – immediate or gradual implementation, according to a new joint report by the OECD and Receita Federal, Brazil’s federal revenue authority (RFB). […]

India: step up reform efforts to increase quality jobs and incomes

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. India is set for a modest recovery after a loss of momentum, as reforms to simplify taxation, lighten business regulations and upgrade infrastructure start to bear fruit. Further reforms to modernise the economy are now needed to drive the creation of high-quality jobs, as well as […]

Tax revenues have reached a plateau

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Tax revenues in advanced economies reached a plateau during 2018, with almost no change seen since 2017, according to new OECD research. This ends the trend of annual increases in the tax-to-GDP ratio seen since the financial crisis. The 2019 edition of the OECD’s annual Revenue […]

New OECD work to support citizen engagement with governments

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. OECD Observatory of Civic Space will measure access, recommend steps to safeguard public role in policy The OECD unveiled at the Paris Peace Forum today a new Observatory of Civic Space, an initiative to support countries in promoting and protecting an environment that enables citizens and […]

OECD and European Commission join forces to further support structural reforms in European countries

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. The OECD and the European Commission’s Structural Reform Support Service (SRSS) sealed a new agreement today in Paris that will see the OECD provide wide-ranging policy support to advance structural reforms in European countries. OECD Chief of Staff, Gabriela Ramos, and Director General of the SRSS, […]

OECD leading multilateral efforts to address tax challenges from digitalisation of the economy

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Today the OECD Secretariat published a proposal to advance international negotiations to ensure large and highly profitable Multinational Enterprises, including digital companies, pay tax wherever they have significant consumer-facing activities and generate their profits. The new OECD proposal brings together common elements of three competing proposals from […]

Top global firms commit to tackling inequality by joining Business for Inclusive Growth coalition

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. A group of major international companies has pledged to tackle inequality and promote diversity in their workplaces and supply chains as part of an initiative sponsored by the French Presidency of the G7 and overseen by the OECD. The Business for Inclusive Growth (B4IG) coalition will […]

Sustainable development funding is broken. Here’s how to fix it

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent an urgent call for action to end poverty and reduce inequality, while protecting our planet, […]

Malaysia has achieved high levels of growth, but must do more to address governance and social challenges

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Malaysia’s economic performance has been very successful, but public policy can do more to address social and governance challenges while making growth stronger, greener and more inclusive, according to a new report from the OECD. The latest OECD Economic Survey of Malaysia discusses how boosting productivity and implementing […]

Citing public anger and youth activism, OECD Secretary-General urges governments to heed calls for climate action

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría today said governments must face up to mounting anger, particularly among youth, on climate inaction. In a major speech in Geneva, he named OECD countries leading the way to decarbonise their economies, and listed worrisome developments in other key countries that are slowing down […]

OECD strengthens co-operation with Morocco – Renews Morocco Country Programme Agreement

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. The OECD and the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco signed today a Memorandum of Understanding to renew the Country Programme, for a period of three years, to support Morocco’s reform agenda. OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría and Mr. Saad Dine El Otmani, Head of Government of […]

Countries must make teaching profession more financially and intellectually attractive

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Countries need to make the teaching profession more financially and intellectually attractive to meet a growing demand across the world for high-quality teachers, according to a new OECD report. Based on the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the report, Teachers and School Leaders […]

OECD presents revised Codes on capital flows to G20

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Cross-border capital flows are an integral component of international finance, but require a balanced framework for removing unnecessary barriers to the movement of capital while providing governments flexibility to cope with instances of economic or financial instability,  OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said today. The recently revised […]

OECD joins with Japan to fight financial crime by establishing new academy

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría and Japan’s Minister of Finance Taro Aso presided today over a signing ceremony to establish a new centre of the OECD International Academy for Tax Crime Investigation in Wako, Japan. The signing, which took place in the margins of the meeting of […]

Latvian economy is thriving, but boosting productivity, improving social protection and transitioning to a low-carbon productive model are vital for sustainable and inclusive growth

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. The Latvian economy is thriving, with strong job growth driving convergence with more advanced economies. Efforts should now focus on reducing inequality, responding to the challenges posed by population ageing and making growth stronger, inclusive and greener, according to two new OECD reports. The latest OECD Economic […]

Migration policy affects attractiveness of OECD countries to international talent

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. The most attractive OECD countries for highly qualified potential immigrants are Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, New Zealand and Canada, in part because of favourable admission and stay conditions. Most countries can increase their attractiveness by accelerating application procedures and offering better residence conditions to highly qualified migrants […]

International trade statistics: trends in first quarter 2019

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Growth in G20 international merchandise trade, seasonally adjusted and expressed in current US dollars, remained weak in the first quarter of 2019. G20 exports rose marginally by 0.4% quarter‑on‑quarter while imports fell by 1.2%. Compared to the third quarter of 2018, when the first round of new tariff measures affecting US-China trade […]

Forty-two countries adopt new OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. OECD and partner countries formally adopted the first set of intergovernmental policy guidelines on Artificial Intelligence (AI) today, agreeing to uphold international standards that aim to ensure AI systems are designed to be robust, safe, fair and trustworthy. The OECD’s 36 member countries, along with Argentina, […]

Joint OECD and World Bank report urges governments to improve resilience to disasters and related fiscal risks

This article is brought to you in association with OECD. Rapid economic development and climate change are increasing our vulnerability to natural disasters, and a new joint OECD-World Bank report calls for pro-active management of the financial costs of those disasters before they strike. Released during the annual OECD Forum in Paris, Fiscal Resilience to Natural Disasters estimates that natural […]