Are We Running out of Work?

The labour market in industrialised countries undergoes constant change. Fears that jobs are being lost are countered by projections that the decline in the workforce as a consequence of demographic ageing will impair growth. The study discusses five hypotheses on why there might be not enough work in the long term (technological change, saturation thesis, globalisation, skills shortages, inadequate investment in the future), and investigates forecasts of short- and medium-term unemployment following the crisis of the financial market. Its chief finding is that both fears can be counteracted by a strategic economic policy. Such a policy must not attempt to solve key objectives individually and constantly change its priorities, but must rather develop an overall concept to tackle problems relating to the labour market, ecological renewal, accelerating growth and budget consolidation jointly, in a long-term approach and in the spirit of solidarity.