Table 1 Country groupings according to the common nature of the most pressing challenges as identified by OECD
Countries | Main challenges | Strengths | |
|---|---|---|---|
Group 1 | ESP, GRC, ITA, PRT, SVN | High structural unemployment, low competitiveness | Productivity levels close to average |
Group 2 | CZE, EST, HUN, ERL, ISR, POL, SVK | Significant productivity gap, high long-term unemployment, low internal mobility and participation of certain groups | Flexible wage adjustments, high percentage of population with at least secondary education |
Group 3 | DNK, NORM NLD, SWE | Low average hours worked and overheated housing market | Good productivity level, above average shares of population with tertiary education |
Group 4 | AUT, BEL, FIN, FRA, LUX | Low participation of older workers and persistently high unployment. | Good productivity level, relatively high and broadly-based business R&D intensity |
Group 5 | AUS, CAN, CHE, GBR, NZL, USA | Low productivity growth, high variance in education outcomes and healthcare costs | High investment in knowledge-based capital and good quality tertiary education |
Group 6 | DEU, JPN, KOR | Fast population ageing, low participation of women, relatively weak productivity in services | High overall employment rates, strong export base, including of capital goods |
Group 7 | BRA, CHN, CHL, IDN, IND, MEX, RUS, TUR, ZAF | Widespread informality, uneven access to quality education, infrastructure bottlenecks | Strong potential for productivity catching-up, fast-growing labour force |