Summary - Displacement on the labour market

Original title: "Verdringing op de arbeidsmarkt"

Job displacement is a concept that is used readily and often but which is also a source of much confusion and difference of opinion. It is not a neutral concept, but one with negative connotations; one person’s job is taken by someone else, and for many people that implies a problem. But what if the person whose job is taken subsequently finds another job; can we then still speak of displacement? Or what if the job taken by one person does not directly replace the job held by someone else? Against this background, an insight into the existence of displacement and the mechanisms behind it is essential.

In this publication, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) and the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) provide that insight by focusing attention on displacement that may occur due to migration, changes in the age and skills profile of the labour force and active labour market policy. They do this by examining whether there is evidence for displacement, but also by asking people who may be affected by displacement how they feel about it.