The high level of unemployment in Britain in the 1980s led many people to believe that it would continue indefinitely, and many arguments were advanced to explain it. After a preliminary examination of the statistics of employment and unemployment in Britain, this 1991 book exposes the major factors determining their trends as a basis for considering the likely developments and policy options. The study covers most of the explanations found in academic debate as well as in popular belief, drawing on a wide range of empirical research, including systematic international comparisons as well as case studies of particular interest. The analysis is carried out under four main headings: structural change; the wage question; macroeconomic policy; and the international dimension. The book concludes with a consideration of the practicability of the different policies which emerge.

"...well written in a nontechnical and approachable way." David Blanchflower, Journal of Economic Literature