OECD Employment Protection Legislation Indicators and Reform

Abstract

This note sets out remarks for the current functioning and the need for reform of the OECD Employment Protection Legislation indicators. It discusses (1) the conceptual framework, including the methodology, of the OECD EPL Indicators, (2) the substance and coding of the indicators, including significant problems that we can see, and (3) the practical implications which flow from the Indicators as they currently stand. It suggests that convergence with other indicators, particularly those developed by the Cambridge Centre for Business Research, or the International Labour Organisation, is desirable to ensure a common legal and factual basis for assessing the economic impacts of labour rights.

Keywords: labour rights, labour law, OECD, employment protection

JEL Classification: K32, J01