Pass and move

摘要

When Spain won the World Cup in July, it confirmed its reputation for fluid and efficient football. If only its economy worked as well, gdp growth is sluggish and a fifth of the workforce is unemployed. Two features of Spain's jobs market share much of the blame: the high cost of firing permanent workers, and a wage system that binds firms to industrywide pay deals. On June 16th, the day Spain played its first World Cup match, the government set out its plans to cure these ills. The reform bill, passed by parliament on September 9th, falls well short of what was needed but may nevertheless do some good.