The report reveals big, widening disparities between countries. Unemployment in the US is projected to fall from 7.6% in May 2013 to below 7% by the end of 2014. In Germany, the unemployment rate will decline from 5.3% to under 5%. But in the rest of Europe, joblessness will remain flat or even rise in many countries. By end 2014, unemployment is expected to be just over 11% in France, around 12.5% in Italy, and close to 28% in Spain and Greece.

“The social scars of the crisis are far from being healed,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría at the launch of the report in Paris. “Many of our countries continue to struggle with high and persistent unemployment, particularly among youth. Therefore, the recent commitment by OECD Ministers to do more to help youth, as set out in the OECD Action Plan for Youth, is an essential tool in our fight against the scourge of joblessness.”

The hardship of the crisis has not been shared equally, says the report:

- In many OECD countries, job losses and earnings losses have been concentrated in low-skilled, low-income households more than in those with higher skills and incomes. In the large emerging economies, employment was less affected by the crisis but many workers remain trapped in low-paid, insecure jobs with little social protection.

- Young people continue to face record unemployment levels in many countries, with rates exceeding 60% in Greece, 52% in South Africa, 55% in Spain and around 40% in Italy and Portugal.

- People on insecure, short-term contracts, especially youth and the low-skilled, were often the first to be fired as the crisis hit and have since struggled to find a new job.

- Older workers have fared much better in the crisis, with their job rates rising or falling only modestly. Many are retiring later for a variety of reasons, including better health, the closure of access to early retirement schemes and also financial pressures. New evidence in the Outlook shows that this has not been at the expense of the young. Bringing back early retirement schemes or relaxing rules for disability or unemployment benefits for older workers would be a costly mistake, says the OECD.

Governments should tackle the jobs crisis with a combination of macroeconomic policies and structural reforms to strengthen growth and boost job creation. Over the past few years, a number of countries, including Greece, Italy, Mexico Portugal and Spain, have introduced ambitious reforms to reduce the gap in employment protection between workers on temporary contracts and those on permanent contracts. These reforms have the potential, if fully implemented, to promote a more inclusive labour market and a better allocation of resources leading to enhanced productivity performance.

A growing number of people, having been unemployed for a long time in the crisis, risk losing their entitlement to unemployment benefits and having to fall back on less generous social assistance. Minimum income benefits may need to be strengthened to support families in hardship, especially where long-term unemployment remains very high.

The Outlook also says that activation policies in all OECD and large emerging economies must be strengthened to help and encourage the unemployed and other inactive groups find rewarding and productive jobs. In particular, adequate resources must be devoted to active labour market policies, such as help with job hunting and training, and ensuring that these are sufficiently funded. Spending per jobseeker has fallen sharply since the crisis, by almost 20% on average in the OECD, as pressures on public budgets have risen.

Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Greece, the average household net-adjusted disposable income is 20 440 USD a year, slightly less than the OECD average of 23 047 USD a year. But there is a considerable gap between the richest and poorest – the top 20% of the population earn six times as much as the bottom 20%.

In terms of employment, some 56% of people aged 15 to 64 in Greece have a paid job, below the OECD employment average of 66%. Some 66% of men are in paid work, compared with 45% of women, suggesting that women encounter difficulties in balancing family and career. People in Greece work 2 032 hours a year, more than the OECD average of 1 776 hours. Almost 5% of employees work very long hours, lower than the OECD average of 9%, with 6% of men working very long hours compared with 4% for women.

Having a good education is an important requisite for finding a job. In Greece, 65% of adults aged 25-64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree, less than the OECD average of 74%. This is equally true of men and women. In terms of the quality of the education system, the average student scored 473 in reading literacy, maths and science in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This score is lower than the OECD average of 497. On average in Greece, girls outperformed boys by 14 points, more than the average OECD gap of 9 points.

In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in Greece is almost 81 years, one year higher than the OECD average of 80 years. Life expectancy for women is almost 83 years, compared with 78 for men. The level of atmospheric PM10 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs – is 31 micrograms per cubic meter, considerably higher than the OECD average of 20 micrograms per cubic meter. Greece also performs below the OECD average in terms of water quality, as 69% of people say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, below the OECD average of 84%.

Concerning the public sphere, there is a moderate sense of community and moderate levels of civic participation in Greece, where 81% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in time of need, lower than the OECD average of 90%. Voter turnout, a measure of public trust in government and of citizens’ participation in the political process, was 62% during recent elections, below the OECD average of 72%.

In general, Greeks are less satisfied with their lives than the OECD average, with 71% of people saying they have more positive experiences in an average day (feelings of rest, pride in accomplishment, enjoyment, etc) than negative ones (pain, worry, sadness, boredom, etc). This figure is lower than the OECD average of 80%.

“Higher demand will be met increasingly by supplies that come to market at higher cost. With farmland area expected to expand only slightly in the coming decade, additional production will need to come from increased productivity, including by reducing productivity gaps in developing countries,” the Organization of Economic Co-operation (OECD) and Development and the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) state in the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook.

The report estimates that agricultural output growth will slow to an average of 1.7 per cent annually over the next 10 years, increasing resource constraints and environmental pressures, as well as driving up food prices.

“For consumers, especially for the millions of people living in extreme poverty, high food prices have caused considerable hardship,” FAO’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, said in a news release. “We need to redouble our efforts to bring down the number of hungry people. We must focus on increasing sustainable productivity growth, especially in developing countries, and especially for small producers.”

The report calls for governments to implement policies to address productivity and sustainability, while also recognizing that the private sector will be crucial for agriculture in the future.

“Governments should encourage better agronomic practices, create the right commercial, technical and regulatory environment and strengthen agricultural innovation systems (e.g. research, education, extension, infrastructure), with attention to the specific needs of smallholders,” the report notes.

It also emphasizes that developing countries should promote agricultural infrastructure investment in rural areas to improve storage, transportation and irrigation systems, as well as electrification, information and communication systems.

In addition, investing in human capital will also be crucial and public spending on health care, education and training should be assigned for this purpose.

The 2012 International Migration Outlook says that permanent migration into OECD countries fell by about 2.5% in 2010 from the previous year, to 4.1 million people.

Migration to the United States fell by 8% in 2010. It dropped by 3% to European OECD countries – excluding intra-European movements – and rose by more than 10% to Canada, Korea and Mexico. Recent national data suggest that migration picked up in 2011 in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and in most European OECD countries, with the exception of Italy, Spain and Sweden.

“Labour market developments and migration flows are closely linked. The decline in labour demand has been the driving force behind the fall in migration during the crisis, not restrictions imposed by migration policies, as our 2012 Migration Outlook shows,” said OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría, presenting the report in Brussels, with EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion László Andor and EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström.

“Countries should therefore pay more attention to their long-term labour market needs, focus on skills and devise policies for the integration of migrants, particularly the young, whose competencies will be needed as the global economy recovers,” he added.

The jobs crisis is putting more immigrants at risk of marginalisation. Between 2008 and 2011, the number of youth not in employment, education or training, so-called NEETs, rose sharply among migrants, the OECD said.

Young immigrants have also ended up in part-time and temporary employment more often than native-born youth or adult immigrants in many OECD countries. Long-term unemployment has increased significantly among immigrants, notably in Europe.

Over the past decade, new immigrants accounted for 70% of the increase in the labour force in Europe, and 47% in the US. This positive role of migration in maintaining the size of the labour force in many countries is expected to become more important as more baby-boomers retire. By 2015, immigration – at the current level – will not be sufficient to maintain the working age population in many OECD countries, especially in the EU.

The share of migrants from Asia among immigrants to OECD countries rose from 27% in 2000 to 31% in 2010, with China alone accounting for about 10%. China and India between them also account for 25% of international students in OECD countries. In the long-term, as Asia develops and offers more attractive jobs locally and itself attracts more skilled workers from abroad, OECD countries will be less able to rely on this steady stream of skilled workers.

The Phase 3 report on Greece by the OECD Working Group on Bribery evaluates and makes recommendations on Greece‟s implementation and enforcement of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and related instruments. The report considers country-specific (vertical) issues arising from changes in the Greece’s legislative and institutional framework, as well as progress made since the Greece Phase 2 evaluation in 2005. The report also focuses on key Group-wide (horizontal) issues, particularly enforcement. The report concludes that the Working Group could not conduct a proper examination of many issues because of the Greek authorities‟ failure to provide timely information, detailed statistics and translated legislation. This may be explained by the on-going financial crisis in the country. Greece is therefore required to undergo a Phase 3bis evaluation in order to review specific issues identified throughout this report. The Working Group will decide the precise timing and scope of the Phase 3bis evaluation in June 2013.

The Working Group is especially concerned over the Greek authorities‟ inaction in a case in which three Greek nationals allegedly committed foreign bribery. Despite learning of the allegations for almost two years, the Greek authorities failed to open a domestic investigation until after the on-site visit in January 2012. The Working Group will further examine this case in Greece‟s Phase 3bis evaluation. In the meantime, it recommends that Greece take all necessary measures to ensure that foreign bribery cases are seriously investigated and prosecuted as appropriate. Greece should also raise the awareness of foreign bribery among judges and prosecutors through appropriate training, and ensure that all competent law enforcement authorities have the power to investigate this crime. In addition, the Working Group recommends that Greece rationalise and eliminate duplicative statutory provisions that apply to the offence of foreign bribery, liability and fines against legal persons, confiscation, and foreign bribery-related accounting misconduct. Greece should also improve its system for seeking and providing mutual legal assistance and clarify the types of assistance available.

The Working Group is also concerned about Greece‟s limited ability to detect foreign bribery. Awareness of Greece‟s foreign bribery laws among the private sector, especially accountants and auditors, is low and needs to be raised. Finally, the Group noted that Greece still has not adopted appropriate measures to protect whistleblowers in both the public and private sectors from discriminatory or disciplinary action.

The report also notes some positive developments, such as Greece‟s efforts to improve its anti- money laundering framework, and to enact legislation to impose debarment from public procurement as a sanction for foreign bribery. Other Parties to the Convention have expressed appreciation of Greece‟s provision of mutual legal assistance in foreign bribery cases.

The report and its recommendations reflect findings of experts from Ireland and Korea and were adopted by the OECD Working Group on 14 June 2012. It is based on legislation and other materials provided by Greece and research conducted by the evaluation team. The report is also based on information obtained by the evaluation team during its three-day on-site visit to Athens from 31 January to 2 February 2012, during which the team met representatives of the Greek public sector, judiciary, private sector and civil society.

The report, to be discussed by Ministers attending the OECD Ministerial Meeting in Paris this week, analyses the causes of continuing inequalities and recommends measures governments can take to create a more level playing field.

“Meeting the challenge of delivering strong and sustainable long-term growth that benefits everyone can only be achieved if everyone is on board,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. “Giving men and women the opportunity to contribute at home and at work will boost growth and well-being and create a fairer society for all.”

Good progress has been made in education. Increased in educational attainment is responsible for half of the GDP growth across the OECD over the last 50 years. Every extra year of education of the population leads to an average increase of around 9% in GDP per capita, says the report.

More progress will be essential for countries to benefit from the economic contributions women can make and to not waste the years of investment in the education of girls and young women.

Bringing more girls to higher levels of education is also key for developing countries. Making schools safer and affordable for everyone would boost attendance in lagging regions, notably Eastern, Middle and Western Africa and Southern Asia.

In OECD countries, in 2009 nearly 60% of university graduate students were female. But men and women still choose different study and career paths. More than 75% of health and social science graduates are women, while some 70% engineering, manufacturing and construction graduates are men. New ways must be found to attract women to study and pursue careers in male-dominated sectors, which often offer better career and earnings prospects.

Employment rates are 13 percentage points lower for women than for men in OECD countries. Women are also much more likely to work part-time. Better and more affordable child care and more flexible work conditions are key to helping parents to be in paid work or increase hours and work full time, says the report.

Pay gaps also remain stubbornly high: on average in OECD countries women earn 16% less than men and female top-earners are paid on average 21% less. Across the OECD less than one-third of managers and only 10% of board members are women.

Governments can help drive change, through policies and setting an example by ensuring equality of opportunity in the public sector. Companies should review their corporate culture and working practices to give everyone the same chance to get ahead and make the best use of their talent.

Going forward, the OECD will develop specific recommendations and will rely on its well established methods of peer reviews to monitor and benchmark progress in the institutional, legal and economic frameworks to ensure gender equality in education, employment and entrepreneurship.

The Greek economy contracted sharply in 2011 due to strong fiscal retrenchment, severe economic dislocation and weak exports. Unemployment has risen rapidly, especially among the young. Output is set to decline further until the second half of 2013 when the pace of fiscal consolidation is expected to ease somewhat, wide-ranging structural reforms to boost competitiveness and promote investment start to bear fruit, and international demand strengthens. These projections assume that the EU/IMF programme of fiscal consolidation and structural reform is fully implemented.

The economic adjustment programme approved in March 2012 gives Greece time to proceed with the fundamental reforms it needs. It should be implemented rigorously to restore growth and stabilise the public finances.

According to OECD Outlook, the global economy is, once again, trying to return to growth, helped by a modest pick-up of trade and an improvement in confidence. It is doing so, however, at different speeds, with the United States and Japan growing at a stronger pace than the euro area and large emerging economies enjoying a moderate cyclical upswing. Different dynamics are also developing in labour markets in the United States, where unemployment is slowly decreasing, and in the euro area, where instead it keeps rising.

OECD noted: “Almost five years ago, in the summer of 2007, turbulence in the US subprime market sparked off the most dramatic financial and economic crisis in several decades. After five years we cannot yet say that the crisis is behind us. More than once signs of recovery have disappointed. Policy mistakes have been made, sometimes reflecting inaccurate reading of events, at other times reflecting policy and political failures. Is it different this time? As long as confidence is not rebuilt on a solid basis with the right policy choices, downside risks will prevail. This is important everywhere but particularly so in the euro area, where crisis management goes hand in hand with the building of the institutions needed for a monetary union to work properly.”

The Skills Strategy, to be discussed by Ministers at the OECD Ministerial Meeting in Paris this week, acknowledges that with public finances under pressure, governments have tough budgetary decisions to make. But spending on education and skills is an investment for the future and must be a priority.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, said: “Skills have become the global currency of 21st Century economies. They transform lives and drive economies. Governments must invest more effectively in the education and skills that people will need in tomorrow’s workplace. They need to deploy their talent pool more strategically so that these investments translate into better jobs and better lives. Achieving this is everyone’s business, and employers and unions have a central role to play.”

Today, one in five young people leave school in OECD countries without completing upper secondary education. And in many countries, a third of adults lack the minimum core skills needed to engage in further learning and get a good job.

The social and economic costs are huge: OECD analysis shows that people with poor skills are at much greater risk of unemployment, poverty and reliance on social benefits.

The Strategy tailors recommendations to particular needs in individual countries. In the short-run, the focus in most countries should be on helping youth acquire the skills required by the labour market.

The economic crisis has hit the young and low-skilled particularly hard. The youth joblessness rate is in double digit rates in most OECD countries and two to three times that of adults.

Despite today’s high unemployment rate, a lack of skilled workers means many vacancies remain unfilled. Even at the height of the crisis, more than 40% of employers in Australia, Japan, Mexico and The United States said they couldn’t find people with the right skills.

The OECD Skills Strategy provides a framework for countries to analyse their strengths and weaknesses and recommends ways they can develop the skills of their young people and adults.

Among its recommendations are that countries should:

- improve the quality of learning outcomes by putting the premium on skills-oriented learning instead of qualifications-focused education upfront;

- involve employers and trade unions more closely in designing and delivering education and training programmes;

- encourage adults to invest in further learning, especially in small and medium-sized firms. A levy on firms to increase their contribution to staff training that targets particular sectors or regions should be considered;

- facilitate the internal and cross-border mobility of skilled workers;

- calibrate tax and benefit systems to make work pay;

- help employers make more effective use of their employee’s skills;

- help local economies to move up the value-added chain, foster entrepreneurship and stimulate the creation of more high-skilled jobs.

To help countries get a clearer picture of their workforce’s skills and see how they compare to other countries, the OECD is carrying out the most comprehensive international survey of adult skills ever conducted. The first OECD Survey of Adult Skills will test the skills of more than five thousand people aged 16 to 65 in each of the 26 countries taking part. The first results will be published in October 2013 in an OECD Skills Outlook.

The current level of commitment to the rescue funds is not enough to restore market confidence, he said. A credible financial firewall will provide governments with the breathing space they need to focus crucially on revitalising Europe’s economic growth and competitiveness.

“Weak financial conditions, fiscal consolidation and economic adjustment are restricting demand in the short-term before the long-term benefits on stability and growth are felt,” Gurría said. “Decisive action to restore confidence and support demand is needed now.”

Presenting the OECD’s Economic Surveys of the Euro Area and the European Union in Brussels, Mr. Gurría said: “The recent measures already taken to strengthen fiscal discipline, provide liquidity and implement growth-enhancing reforms – particularly in Greece, Italy, Portugal  and Spain -  are  important advances towards a brighter economic outlook, but the challenges remain daunting.”

The economic, fiscal and financial imbalances of the area have led to weak bank balance sheets, high unemployment and low growth.

The survey calls for an ambitious programme of reforms in product and labour markets, tax systems and education to rebalance the economies, restore competitiveness, boost growth and bring down stubbornly high levels of unemployment – particularly among the young. It argues many reforms would stimulate growth even in the short-term.

“Europe is stalling. It needs to get out of first gear and make growth the number one priority,” said Mr. Gurría.

To boost economic activity at the EU level, a step change in the political commitment to the Single Market is needed. The OECD says national regulations, rigidities and poor implementation of existing EU rules are frequently holding back cross-border economic activity, growth and job creation, and are undermining the EU economy’s efficiency and competitiveness. Greater progress is needed in opening services markets.  The report calls for an annual review for each country of the obstacles to benefitting fully from a market of 500 million consumers.

Despite some 24 million unemployed people across Europe, most EU countries expect growing skill shortages in certain sectors. Labour mobility within Europe is low. The EU should encourage migration in order to help workers and firms to achieve the most productive job matches.

The two surveys highlight the need for Europe to make fundamental changes to financial supervision and regulation.  Europe needs an effective system of crisis resolution and excessively close ties between domestic banks and governments need to be undone.