For example, only about 20 percent of the respondents to the July NABE business conditions survey indicated their firms face shortages of skilled labor. 11 And if skills mismatch was a large ongoing problem, we’d expect to see wages rising much faster for those with the skills in excess demand. Here, there is evidence of larger wage increases in some occupations, but the degree of wage-growth dispersion does not appear to be unusual. Wages Indeed, wage growth in general continues to be very modest–at a bit over 2 percent per year. That is a long way from the 3 to 4 percent benchmark implied by productivity growth and our inflation objective. Indeed, over the past three years, the unemployment rate has fallen by a percentage point per year; yet real wage growth has barely budged. It’s hard for me to imagine a full labor market recovery without genuine improvement in compensation growth. But am I wrong? Has the wage Phillips curve completely broken down? Some claim the answer is no – you just have to look at the right measure of unemployment.
The regulation should allow for a wide range of banks and other financial institutions conducting their activities on a level playing field. The degree of regulation and supervision should be commensurate to the size, nature and complexity of their activities. I wish you luck in your endeavours to reform your banking and financial services industry. As you know, you may call on the IMF to assist you with advice or TA for capacity building or for other purposes. BIS Review 104/2006  7