THE EMPLOYMENT INTENSITY OF ECONOMIC-GROWTH IN THE G-7 COUNTRIES

The employment consequences of technological change are addressed here , theoretically and empirically. Using French ''regulation theory'' as a framework, the authors contrast the arguments linking employment gr owth with economic growth to those of ''jobless growth''. They analyse the whole economy and manufacturing-sector performance in the G-7 cou ntries during the Fordist ''Golden Age'' (1960-73) and post-Fordist (1 980-94) periods. While there are some signs of a weakened employment/g rowth relationship in the manufacturing sector in the short term, they find no historical tendency towards such a weakening overall. Thus th e solution to employment problems, they argue, is to foster aggregate economic growth.