01992cas a2200277 a 4500 AALejournalIMF019394 230101c9999 xx r poo 0 0eng d 5.00 USD 9781498318709 1018-5941 BD-DhAAL BD-DhAAL James, Ronald. Explaining High Unemployment in ECCU Countries / Ronald James, Jemma Lafeuillee, Mike Xin Li, Gonzalo Salinas. Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2019. 1 online resource (32 pages) IMF Working Papers <strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required <strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students In recent years, unemployment rates in some ECCU countries have been among the highest globally. This paper evaluates several factors that could explain them, finding that high unit labor costs, in a context of strong unionization, are significantly associated with high structural unemployment, while the global crisis added a cyclical component. Our analysis also suggests that high-paid jobs in the public and tourism sectors, which have been growing considerably in recent decades, could have increased the reservation wage and lowered labor force participation. We find no indication that high structural unemployment is related to the phase out of EU preferences on bananas/sugar exports or to a skills mismatch. As expected, unemployment has been substantially, but only temporarily fueled by large natural disasters. Mode of access: Internet Lafeuillee, Jemma. Salinas, Gonzalo. Xin Li, Mike. IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2019/144 Full text available on IMF http://elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/001/2019/144/001.2019.issue-144-en.xml IMF e-Library