In the political debate, trade protectionism has been frequently associated with keeping and increasing the number of jobs at home. The argument is, however, not so simple, since international trade in products and services is organised within global value chains. Goods that are further processed and not used for final consumption play a key role in international commerce. Increasing trade barriers for those so-called “intermediates” can be particularly costly for an economy and lead to job losses in connected industries.

Regina Konle-Seidl, researcher at the IAB in Nuremberg, compares in our video interview policies and practices to faciliate labour market integration of migrants in Austria, Germany, and Sweden. She focusses on policy strategies to adapt the asylum and integration system to the high numbers of new arrivals, gives special attention to the political discourse and the role of public opinion, and explains innovative approaches and gaps with respect to labour market integration of migrants.

An interview with Tito Boeri, former President of the Italian National Social Security, on the current situation and the future of the Italian social security system.

An inteview with the IAB researcher Herbert Brücker and Yuliya Kosyakova on the second wave of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees.

Digitisation will leave a strong mark on the working world of today. Including leadership styles, structures, and cultures. The article by R. Dreyhaupt, F. Gustke, L. Pierkes and M. Schmutzler discusses what kind of leadership digitisation requires in the first place and how companies can prepare for the imminent changes.

The article focuses on online gig economy which is transnational and spans a full spectrum of skills, from data entry to software development. The gig economy offers an interesting view to the future of skills, social protection, and industrial relations in Europe.

Prof. Wilhelm Bauer describes trends of working in the digital transformation.

A good 70 percent of refugees in Germany come from eight non-European asylum seekers’ countries of origin. Their integration into the German labour market has increasingly gained momentum in recent years. Hence, the employment rate of people from these countries who have moved to Germany since the end of 2014 increased by almost 9 percentage read full article

Platform work is increasing worldwide, leaving a serious lack of social protection. In spite of the international and flexible character of platform work, extending social security is feasible – if one is ready to explore new avenues. This article is on setting out for Digital Social Security.