Labour market policy in the crisis: the UK in comparative perspective

This article examines labour market policy measures adopted to counteract the effects of the current economic crisis, comparing the UK policy response to reactions of governments in other developed countries. It shows that, despite having entered the crisis with one of the least developed packages of policies to support unemployed people of any country, the UK has done unusually little to bolster provision in this field, despite the social and economic benefits that increased investment would bring. In the light of this, the article critically revisits the UK's status since the late 1990s as a labour market policy 'success story'.