Policy Network, 2010 See article on original website Most
projections now show that the Organization for Economic Co-
operation and Development countries will have extraordinarily
high rates of unemployment for several years to come. While
there are differences across countries, in most the unemployment
rate is not projected to return to normal levels until 2014 or
2015. Sustained levels of high unemployment are unacceptable,
especially when we know how to bring the rate of unemployment
down to normal levels. However, there are political obstacles to
the sort of fiscal and/or monetary stimulus needed to restore
full employment levels of output. Given these obstacles to
increasing output, governments can instead look to sustain full
employment by reducing hours and dividing the required labour
among the willing workforce. This policy of work sharing has
proven remarkably successful in Germany and the Netherlands. It
has prevented their unemployment rates from rising in the
downturn even though these countries b