This book enables the reader to understand labour markets and shows how to forecast the need for skills in developing countries. The forecasting of these skills has recently fallen into disrepute with the notion that all forecasting techniques that assessed the labour market requirements of the future were dubious and that the future lay with labour market analysis and labour market signalling. This book disputes this but acknowledges that the models of the past should be supplemented with better data and improved labour market analysis and in doing so produces its own model for analysing the needs of labour markets.

MICHAEL HOPKINS is Professor of Corporate Responsibility and Business Performance at Middlesex University Business School. He is also Managing Director of MHC International Ltd. which is a research service specialising in social development issues.