Easing the impact of economic restructuring on displaced workers in New Zealand

This chapter presents the rationale behind prevention and early intervention policies to support workers in the process of economic restructuring and describes how the impact of restructuring can be reduced through employment protection legislation, short-time work schemes and other early intervention measures used in other OECD countries. It then looks specifically at the income situation of displaced workers after their dismissal and the role of different actors (the family, the company, the public system and the insurance market) in this regard and at solutions that provide better income protection to all displaced workers in New Zealand.