Country | |
Year | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| | | | | |
Variable | | | | | | | |
Cost of labour | Minimum wages (Percentage of median wage) | | 44.7 | 44.9 | 45.37 | 45.38 | 45.61 | 45.92 |
Minimum cost of labour (Percentage of labour cost of median worker) | | 44.03 | 44.45 | 44.58 | 44.44 | 44.67 | 45 |
Net income replacement rates for unemployment benefits (Percentage of earnings) | Short-term (first year) | | 65.55 | 65.38 | 64.96 | 66.16 | 65.83 | .. |
Long-term (after 5 years) | | 54.83 | 53.45 | 52.54 | 52.13 | 51.92 | .. |
Average tax wedge on labour (Percentage of total labour compensation) | At 67% of average worker earnings | | 33.93 | 33.99 | 33.71 | 33.89 | 33.86 | 33.53 |
At 100% of average worker earnings | | 30.32 | 30.43 | 30.19 | 30.22 | 29.86 | 29.65 |
Marginal tax wedge on labour (Percentage of total labour compensation) | At 100% of average worker earnings | | 46.96 | 46.84 | 46.34 | 47.05 | 46.12 | 46.1 |
At 200% of average worker earnings | | 49.44 | 48.87 | 48.5 | 48.88 | 48.46 | 48.58 |
Labour taxation (Percentage of average worker earnings) | Implicit tax on continued work: early retirement | | 31.1 | .. | 27.75 | .. | 23.93 | .. |
Implicit tax on continued work: old-age pension | | 26.7 | .. | 26.47 | .. | 19.98 | .. |
Implicit tax on returning to work (Per cent of gross earnings in new job, at 67% of average worker earnings) | Second earner: Increase in social contributions and income tax | | .. | 23.98 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
Second earner: Decrease in benefits | | .. | 2.62 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
Second earner: Childcare fees | | .. | 35.33 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
Second earner: Total increase | | .. | 61.93 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
Lone parent: Increase in social contributions and income tax | | .. | 17.23 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
Lone parent: Decrease in benefits | | .. | 35.17 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
Lone parent: Childcare fees | | .. | 26.53 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
Lone parent: Total increase | | .. | 78.92 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
Income support for disability and sickness | Per cent of population aged 20-65 years old receiving disability benefits | | .. | 6.69 | .. | 6.74 | .. | .. |
Number of weeks per employed person lost due to sickness leave | | 1.11 | 1.08 | 1.1 | 1.03 | 1.08 | .. |
Employment Protection Legislation (EPL) (Index scale of 0-6 from weakest to strongest protection) | Protection for regular employment | | 2.12 | 2.12 | 2.12 | 2.12 | 2.1 | 2.11 |
Protection for temporary employment | | 1.76 | 1.76 | 1.78 | 1.78 | 1.79 | 1.77 |
Protection for collective dismissals | | 2.99 | 2.98 | 2.98 | 2.95 | 2.95 | 2.96 |
Difference between coverage rates of collective bargaining agreements and trade union density rates | | .. | 26.55 | .. | .. | .. | .. |
Product market regulation (Index scale of 0-6 from least to most restrictive) | Restrictiveness of economy-wide product market regulation | | 1.62 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1.36 |
Restrictiveness of of extent of severity of administrative regulation | | 1.65 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1.31 |
State control of business operations (Index scale of 0-6 from least to most restrictive) | Exent of public ownership | | 3.22 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2.91 |
Restrictiveness of regulatory burden on business procedures | | 1.55 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1.18 |
Barriers to entrepreneurship (Index scale of 0-6 from least to most restrictive) | Administrative burdens on corporations and sole proprietor start-ups | | 1.92 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1.63 |
Sector-specific administrative burden | | 1.61 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1.36 |
Barriers to entry (Index scale of 0-6 from least to most restrictive) | Legal barriers to entry in industries | | 1.41 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1.02 |
Complexity of administrative procedures | | 1.49 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1.07 |
Barriers to foreign direct investment | | 1.62 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1.34 |
Importance of external trade tariffs | | 1.21 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 0.97 |
Sectoral regulation in the transport sector (Index scale of 0-6 from least to most restrictive) | Airlines sector | | 1.98 | 1.83 | 1.66 | 1.57 | 1.37 | .. |
Rail sector | | 4.12 | 4.03 | 3.67 | 3.64 | 3.57 | .. |
Road sector | | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.24 | 1.24 | 1.26 | .. |
Sectoral regulation in the energy sector (Index scale of 0-6 from least to most restrictive) | Electricity sector | | 2.56 | 2.34 | 2.24 | 2.19 | 1.97 | .. |
Gas sector | | 3.22 | 3.08 | 2.69 | 2.62 | 2.44 | .. |
Sectoral regulation in the post and telecommunications sector (Index scale of 0-6 from least to most restrictive) | Telecommunications sector | | 1.73 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.47 | 1.37 | .. |
Post sector | | 3.09 | 3.09 | 2.9 | 2.84 | 2.71 | .. |
Sectoral regulation in retail and professionnal services (Index scale of 0-6 from least to most restrictive) | Retail sector | | 2.33 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2.37 |
Professionnal services | | 2.15 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2.03 |
Educational attainment (Percentage of population aged 25-34 and 45-54) | Upper-secondary education: Percentage of population aged 25-34 | | 75.45 | 77.11 | 76.98 | 77.89 | 79.12 | .. |
Upper-secondary education: Percentage of population aged 35-54 | | 61.69 | 63.86 | 63.97 | 64.99 | 66.84 | .. |
Tertiary education: Percentage of population aged 25-34 | | 29.49 | 31.03 | 32.15 | 33.17 | 34.15 | .. |
Tertiary education: Percentage of population aged 35-54 | | 21.93 | 22.98 | 23.58 | 24.35 | 24.87 | .. |
Average of PISA scores in reading, mathematics and science | | 0 | .. | .. | 0 | .. | .. |
Health expenditure | | 8.78 | 8.88 | 8.9 | 8.94 | 9.07 | .. |
Producer support estimate to agriculture | | 30.43 | 30.03 | 28.32 | 26.2 | 22.48 | 21.28 |
Public investment | | 3.11 | 3.14 | 3.01 | 3.06 | 3.13 | 3.28 |
Financial support for private R&D investment | Direct public funding of business R&D | | 0.1 | 0.11 | 0.1 | 0.11 | 0.11 | .. |
Rate of tax subsidies for one dollar of R&D | | .. | 0.11 | .. | 0.13 | .. | 0.11 |