Conversely, Germany has witnessed slow household income growth and an increase in income inequality, which jointly explain a significantly lower improvement in living standards during 1995-07. Sweden and the United States have performed fairly well on employment reduction and income growth, which have compensated for relatively small improvements in longevity and the rise in inequality observed in those two countries. Moreover, four countries have failed to make progress in reducing employment (Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Portugal), while only four countries have managed to reduce inequality (Belgium, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand).