IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nbb/ecrart/y2015mjuneiip32-52.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The relationship between economic growth and employment

Author

Listed:
  • K. Burggraeve

    (National Bank of Belgium)

  • G. de Walque

    (National Bank of Belgium)

  • H. Zimmer

    (National Bank of Belgium)

Abstract

The article finds that productivity in Belgium has tended to slow down over the past three decades. After controlling for that fundamental tendency, the relationship between persons in employment and economic activity appears generally stable over time throughout the business cycle and is generally unaffected by recessions. In Belgium in particular, in terms of deviation from their respective trends, a 1 % rise in GDP brings a 0.5 % increase in employment. That figure is in line with the European average. The downward trend in productivity is accompanied by a shift to the tertiary sector of the economy. That is also one of the factors behind the decline in average working time. Although the relationship between employment and GDP is very stable throughout the business cycle, the recent financial crisis differs from previous recessions in a general tendency to protect jobs at first, in all twelve economies studied in the article. However, that soon came to an end and the situation returned to normal ; if employment is struggling to pick up, that is essentially because of the weakness of the economic recovery. Finally, it is very clear that firms initially respond to fluctuations in the economy by adjusting the hours worked. In Belgium, the elasticity of those hours to economic activity is about 50 % greater than the elasticity of the number of persons employed in all sectors sensitive to the business cycle.

Suggested Citation

  • K. Burggraeve & G. de Walque & H. Zimmer, 2015. "The relationship between economic growth and employment," Economic Review, National Bank of Belgium, issue i, pages 32-52, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbb:ecrart:y:2015:m:june:i:i:p:32-52
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nbb.be/en/articles/relationship-between-economic-growth-and-employment-0
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Davide Furceri & Ernesto Crivelli & Mr. Joël Toujas-Bernate, 2012. "Can Policies Affect Employment Intensity of Growth? A Cross-Country Analysis," IMF Working Papers 2012/218, International Monetary Fund.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hawkins, Raymond J. & Li, Yichu, 2022. "Okun loops and anelastic relaxation in the EU15," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 593(C).
    2. Brand, Claus & Obstbaum, Meri & Coenen, Günter & Sondermann, David & Lydon, Reamonn & Ajevskis, Viktors & Hammermann, Felix & Angino, Siria & Hernborg, Nils & Basso, Henrique & Hertweck, Matthias & Bi, 2021. "Employment and the conduct of monetary policy in the euro area," Occasional Paper Series 275, European Central Bank.
    3. Richard Gardiner & Petr Hajek, 2020. "Interactions among energy consumption, CO2, and economic development in European Union countries," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 723-740, July.
    4. Amy Dict-Weng Kwan & Tuck-Cheong Tang, 2020. "We Bring You Capital and Job – Foreign Investment and Employment in Malaysia," Capital Markets Review, Malaysian Finance Association, vol. 28(1), pages 49-63.
    5. Klaas Mulier & Mike Mariathasan & Ozan Guler & Andrea Caggese, 2022. "Firing Costs and Productivity: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Working Papers 1376, Barcelona School of Economics.
    6. Petra Vašaničová & Katarína Bartók, 2024. "Exploring the Nexus between Employment and Economic Contribution: A Study of the Travel and Tourism Industry in the Context of COVID-19," Economies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-21, May.
    7. Raymond J. Hawkins, 2024. "Okun’s law and anelastic relaxation in advanced and developing economies," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 261-276, September.
    8. Fernando Sánchez López, 2024. "Tourism and Economic Misery: Theory and Empirical Evidence from Mexico," Economies, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-19, April.
    9. Mindaugas Butkus & Laura Dargenytė-Kacilevičienė & Kristina Matuzevičiūtė & Dovilė Ruplienė & Janina Šeputienė, 2024. "When and for Whom Does Growth Becomes Jobless?," Economies, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-21, January.
    10. Mindaugas Butkus & Laura Dargenyte-Kacilevièiene & Kristina Matuzevièiute & Janina Šeputiene & Dovile Rupliene, 2023. "Age- and Gender-specific Output-employment Relationship across Economic Sectors," Journal of Economics / Ekonomicky casopis, Institute of Economic Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, vol. 71(1), pages 3-22, January.
    11. Laura Dargenyte-Kacileviciene & Mindaugas Butkus & Kristina Matuzeviciute, 2022. "Gender-, Age- and Educational Attainment Level-Specific Output–Employment Relationship and Its Dependence on Foreign Direct Investment," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Abdih, Yasser & Behar, Alberto & Cevik, Serhan & Chami, Ralph & Dougherty-Choux, Lisa & Furceri, Davide & Janus, Nick & Zimand, Paul, 2012. "A Template for Analyzing and Projecting Labor Market Indicators," MPRA Paper 82682, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Nathalie Gonzalez Prieto & Prakash Loungani & Saurabh Mishra, 2018. "What Lies beneath? A Sub-National Look at Okun’s Law in the United States," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 835-852, September.
    3. repec:ocp:rpaper:rp-1703 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Holger Gorg & Cecilia Hornok & Catia Montagna & George E. Onwordi, 2020. "Employment to output elasticities and reforms towards flexicurity: Evidence from OECD Countries," Discussion Papers 2020-24, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    5. repec:zna:indecs:v:19:y:2021:i:4:p:94-105 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Mungase, Sachin & Nikam, Supriya & Kothe, Satyanarayan, 2024. "Structural Change and Labour Productivity in BRICS," MPRA Paper 121607, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Adegboye , Abidemi C. & Arodoye , Nosakhare L., 2023. "Structural Changes and Employment Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does Demographic Structure Matter?," Journal of Economic Development, The Economic Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, vol. 48(2), pages 143-166, June.
    8. Željko Kuèiš & Irena Paliæ, 2021. "Empirical analysis of the elasticity of employment to output gap in the republic of croatia," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 19(1), pages 94-105.
    9. Monia Ghazali and Rim Mouelhi, 2018. "The Employment Intensity of Growth: Evidence from Tunisia," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 43(3), pages 85-118, September.
    10. Ms. Magda E. Kandil & Mrs. Genevieve M Lindow & Mr. Mario Mansilla & Mr. Joel Chiedu Okwuokei & Jochen M. Schmittmann & Qiaoe Chen & Xin Li & Marika Santoro & Solomon Stavis, 2014. "Labor Market Issues in the Caribbean: Scope to Mobilize Employment Growth," IMF Working Papers 2014/115, International Monetary Fund.
    11. Ferdinand Pavel & Yann Girard & Arno Hantzsche & Anselm Mattes & Julius Pahlke & Katherina Peter, 2014. "Wachstumsfaktor Telekommunikation: zum Beitrag der Telekommunikationsbranche zur wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung in Deutschland; Endbericht," DIW Berlin: Politikberatung kompakt, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, volume 78, number pbk78.
    12. Martin Lábaj & Karol Morvay & Martin Hudcovský, 2015. "Labour Elasticity in V4 countries: Structural decomposition analysis," Department of Economic Policy Working Paper Series 009, Department of Economic Policy, Faculty of National Economy, University of Economics in Bratislava.
    13. Tregenna, Fiona., 2015. "Sectoral dimensions of employment targeting," ILO Working Papers 994867013402676, International Labour Organization.
    14. Mindaugas Butkus & Laura Dargenyte-Kacilevièiene & Kristina Matuzevièiute & Janina Šeputiene & Dovile Rupliene, 2023. "Age- and Gender-specific Output-employment Relationship across Economic Sectors," Journal of Economics / Ekonomicky casopis, Institute of Economic Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, vol. 71(1), pages 3-22, January.
    15. João Tovar Jalles, 2019. "On the Time‐Varying Relationship between Unemployment and Output: What shapes it?," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 66(5), pages 605-630, November.
    16. Mohamed Goaied & Seifallah Sassi, 2015. "Trade liberalisation and employment intensity of sectoral output growth: Lessons from Tunisia," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 26(2), pages 261-275, June.
    17. Bellos Sotirios K., 2016. "IMF programs and policies assessment in the transition economies during the transition and the post-transition period," Journal of Heterodox Economics, Sciendo, vol. 3(2), pages 102-127, December.
    18. Görg, Holger & Hornok, Cecília & Montagna, Catia & Onwordi, George E., 2018. "Employment to Output Elasticities & Reforms towards Flexicurity: Evidence from OECD Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 12004, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Coffie Francis José N'GUESSAN, 2022. "L‘intensité en emploi de la croissance en Côte d’Ivoire en période d’expansion et en période de contraction," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 55, pages 39-53.
    20. Laurence Ball & Davide Furceri & Daniel Leigh & Prakash Loungani, 2019. "Does One Law Fit All? Cross-Country Evidence on Okun’s Law," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 30(5), pages 841-874, November.
    21. Ms. Louise Fox & Cleary Haines & Ms. Jorge Huerta Munoz & Mr. Alun H. Thomas, 2013. "Africa's Got Work to Do: Employment Prospects in the New Century," IMF Working Papers 2013/201, International Monetary Fund.
    22. Selda Gorkey & Asli Tasbasi, 2023. "Employment Intensity of Economic Growth in Southern Europe: Evidence from Multidimensional Panel Data," Croatian Economic Survey, The Institute of Economics, Zagreb, vol. 25(1), pages 5-32, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    employment; hours worked; labour productivity; business cycle; labour market; Okun’s law;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E20 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nbb:ecrart:y:2015:m:june:i:i:p:32-52. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/bnbgvbe.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.