Analysing the labour market; a tension gauge

In this paper by Floris van Ruth, a graphical tool is presented for analysing the labour market. The state of the labour market, defined as tightness, is characterised via the interaction of supply of and demand for labour, enabling a more comprehensive analysis. Supply is defined as the proportion of the labour force holding a job, whilst demand is represented by the average of several indicators of labour demand. This approach results in a new and more general characterization of the state of the labour market, presented in an easy to interpret visual manner.