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- Temporary agency and other nonstandard work arrangements (33)
- Temporary employment (32)
- Temporary work (31)
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- Globalization, offshoring, and productivity (22)
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- Nonstandard work (21)
- Productivity measurement (19)
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- Job security and unemployment dynamics (16)
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- Low skill workers (13)
- Part time employment (13)
- Contract workers (12)
- Low wage workers (12)
- Offshoring (11)
- Manufacturing (10)
- Outsourcing (10)
- STC (10)
- Shared work (10)
- Short time compensation (10)
- United States (10)
- Work sharing (10)
- Flexible staffing (9)
- Wages and benefits (9)
- Globalization (8)
- Independent contractors (8)
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Articles 1 - 30 of 76
Full-Text Articles in Labor Economics
Temporary Help Employment In Recession And Recovery, Susan Houseman, Carolyn Heinrich
Temporary Help Employment In Recession And Recovery, Susan Houseman, Carolyn Heinrich
Susan N. Houseman
The temporary help industry, although small, plays a significant role in the macro economy, reflecting employers’ growing reliance on temporary help agencies to provide flexibility in meeting staffing needs. Drawing on detailed temporary-help order data between 2007 and 2011 from a large, nationally representative staffing company, we provide insights into the characteristics of temporary help work, employers’ use of temporary agencies to screen workers for permanent positions, and the industry’s role in labor market adjustment over the business cycle. We estimate that the temporary help industry accounted for a large share of gross job losses and job gains over this …
The Potential Effects Of Federal Health Insurance Reforms On Employment Arrangements And Compensation, Marcus Dillender, Carolyn Heinrich, Susan Houseman
The Potential Effects Of Federal Health Insurance Reforms On Employment Arrangements And Compensation, Marcus Dillender, Carolyn Heinrich, Susan Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) presents an opportunity to significantly improve compensation for American workers. A potential concern, though, is that employers will circumvent the employer mandate by increasing their use of workers in staffing arrangements that are not covered by the mandate: workers averaging less than 30 hours per week, working on a temporary basis, or working in organizations with fewer than 50 full-time employees. In this paper, we shed light on the likely effects that the ACA will have on employment arrangements. We first examine how part-time employment in Massachusetts changed after its health insurance reform, which is …
Full Employment Requires Job Growth In Manufacturing, Reduction In Trade Deficit / Commentary, Susan Houseman, Dean Baker
Full Employment Requires Job Growth In Manufacturing, Reduction In Trade Deficit / Commentary, Susan Houseman, Dean Baker
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Proposal 12: Encouraging Work Sharing To Reduce Unemployment, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman
Proposal 12: Encouraging Work Sharing To Reduce Unemployment, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Job Security And Work Force Adjustment: How Different Are U.S. And Japanese Practices?, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman
Job Security And Work Force Adjustment: How Different Are U.S. And Japanese Practices?, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Measurement Issues Arising From The Growth Of Globalization: Conference Papers, Susan N. Houseman, Kenneth F. Ryder
Measurement Issues Arising From The Growth Of Globalization: Conference Papers, Susan N. Houseman, Kenneth F. Ryder
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Measuring Manufacturing: How The Computer And Semiconductor Industries Affect The Numbers And Perceptions, Susan N. Houseman, Timothy J. Bartik, Timothy J. Sturgeon
Measuring Manufacturing: How The Computer And Semiconductor Industries Affect The Numbers And Perceptions, Susan N. Houseman, Timothy J. Bartik, Timothy J. Sturgeon
Susan N. Houseman
Growth in U.S. manufacturing’s real value-added has exceeded that of aggregate GDP, except during recessions, leading many to conclude that the sector is healthy and that the 30 percent decline in manufacturing employment since 2000 is largely the consequence of automation. The robust growth in real manufacturing GDP, however, is driven by one industry segment: computers and electronic products. In most of manufacturing, real GDP growth has been weak or negative and productivity growth modest. The extraordinary real GDP growth in computer-related industries reflects prices for computers and semiconductors that, when adjusted for product quality improvements, are falling rapidly. Productivity …
What Do We Know About Contracting Out In The United States? Evidence From Household And Establishment Surveys, Matthew Dey, Susan N. Houseman, Anne E. Polivka
What Do We Know About Contracting Out In The United States? Evidence From Household And Establishment Surveys, Matthew Dey, Susan N. Houseman, Anne E. Polivka
Susan N. Houseman
A variety of evidence points to significant growth in domestic contracting out over the last two decades, yet the phenomenon is not well documented. In this paper, we pull together data from various sources to shed light on the extent of and trends in domestic outsourcing, the occupations in which it has grown, and the industries engaging in outsourcing for the employment services sector, which has been a particularly important area of domestic outsourcing. In addition, we examine evidence of contracting out of selected occupations to other sectors. We point to many gaps in our knowledge on trends in domestic …
What Is The Nature Of Part-Time Work In The United States And Japan?, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa
What Is The Nature Of Part-Time Work In The United States And Japan?, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Measurement Issues Arising From The Growth Of Globalization: Conference Summary, Susan N. Houseman, Kenneth F. Ryder
Measurement Issues Arising From The Growth Of Globalization: Conference Summary, Susan N. Houseman, Kenneth F. Ryder
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Job Growth And The Quality Of Jobs In The U.S. Economy, Susan N. Houseman
Job Growth And The Quality Of Jobs In The U.S. Economy, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
During the 1980's employment grew rapidly in the United States, prompting many analysts to label the U.S. economy the great American job machine. But while aggregate employment increased rapidly during the 1980's, many did not benefit from the expansion. Among less educated prime-age males, unemployment rates rose and labor force participation rates declined sharply. Moreover, although job growth was high, many argued that the quality of American jobs as measured by wages, benefits, and job security deteriorated. The decline of jobs in the high-paying manufacturing sector and the growth of jobs in the low-paying services sector, the growth in part-time …
Does Employment Protection Inhibit Labor Market Flexibility?: Lessons From Germany, France And Belgium, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman
Does Employment Protection Inhibit Labor Market Flexibility?: Lessons From Germany, France And Belgium, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
Laws in most West European countries give workers strong job rights, including the right to advance notice of layoff and the right to severance pay or other compensation if laid off. Many of these same countries also encourage hours adjustment in lieu of layoffs by providing prorated unemployment compensation to workers on reduced hours. This paper compares the adjustment of manufacturing employment and hours in West Germany, France and Belgium, three countries with strong job security regulations and well-established short-time compensation systems, with that in the United States. Although the adjustment of employment to changes in output is much slower …
Outsourcing, Offshoring, And Productivity Measurement In U.S. Manufacturing, Susan N. Houseman
Outsourcing, Offshoring, And Productivity Measurement In U.S. Manufacturing, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
I discuss reasons why manufacturing productivity statistics should be interpreted with caution in light of the recent growth of domestic and foreign outsourcing and offshoring. First, outsourcing and offshoring are poorly measured in U.S. statistics, and poor measurement may impart a significant bias to manufacturing and, where offshoring is involved, aggregate productivity statistics. Second, companies often outsource or offshore work to take advantage of cheap (relative to their output) labor, and such cost savings are counted as productivity gains, even in multifactor productivity calculations. This fact has potentially important implications for the interpretation of productivity statistics. Whether, for instance, productivity …
Do Temporary Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes? A Pilot Analysis With Welfare Clients, David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman
Do Temporary Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes? A Pilot Analysis With Welfare Clients, David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
We draw upon administrative data from an unusual policy experiment in the state of Michigan to study the effects of temporary agency employment among welfare-to-work clients on job retention, program recidivism, and earnings. To identify these effects, we exploit the fact that welfare-to-work clients in one Michigan county were randomly assigned to service providers who had substantially different placement rates in temporary agencies but otherwise similar policies. Our findings indicate that moving welfare clients who otherwise would have been unemployed into temporary agency jobs provides some benefits to these workers, primarily by increasing their short-term earnings. Temporary agency jobs also …
SubcontratacióN Y MedicióN De La Productividad En La Industria Estadounidense, Susan Houseman
SubcontratacióN Y MedicióN De La Productividad En La Industria Estadounidense, Susan Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
The Policy Implications Of Nonstandard Work Arrangements, Susan N. Houseman
The Policy Implications Of Nonstandard Work Arrangements, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Manufacturers' Outsourcing To Employment Services, Matthew Dey, Susan N. Houseman, Anne E. Polivka
Manufacturers' Outsourcing To Employment Services, Matthew Dey, Susan N. Houseman, Anne E. Polivka
Susan N. Houseman
We estimate the effects of manufacturers' use of employment services—comprised primarily of temporary help and professional employer organizations—on measured employment and labor productivity in manufacturing between 1989 and 2004. A major contribution of the paper is the construction of panel data on employment by occupation and industry from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. We use these data to document the dramatic rise of production and other manual occupations within the employment services sector and, in conjunction with information from the Contingent Worker Supplements, to estimate the number of employment services workers assigned to manufacturing over the period. Although measured employment …
Part-Time And Temporary Employment In Japan, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa
Part-Time And Temporary Employment In Japan, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
The Growth Of Nonstandard Employment In Japan And The United States: A Comparison Of Causes And Consequences, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa
The Growth Of Nonstandard Employment In Japan And The United States: A Comparison Of Causes And Consequences, Susan Houseman, Machiko Osawa
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Testimony Before The Working Group On The Benefit Implications Of The Growth In The Contingent Workforce: U.S. Department Of Labor, Susan N. Houseman
Testimony Before The Working Group On The Benefit Implications Of The Growth In The Contingent Workforce: U.S. Department Of Labor, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Short-Time Compensation As A Tool To Mitigate Job Loss? Evidence On The U.S. Experience During The Recent Recession, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman
Short-Time Compensation As A Tool To Mitigate Job Loss? Evidence On The U.S. Experience During The Recent Recession, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
During the recent recession only 17 states offered short-time compensation (STC)—pro-rated unemployment benefits for workers whose hours are reduced for economic reasons. New federal legislation will encourage the expansion of STC. Exploiting cross-state variation in STC, we present new evidence indicating that jobs saved during the recession as a consequence of STC could have been significant in manufacturing, but that the overall scale of the STC program was generally too small to have substantially mitigated aggregate job losses in the 17 states. Expansion of the program is necessary for STC to be an effective counter-cyclical tool in the future.
Temporary Agency Work, Susan Houseman
Measuring Offshore Outsourcing And Offshoring: Problems For Economic Statistics, Susan N. Houseman
Measuring Offshore Outsourcing And Offshoring: Problems For Economic Statistics, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Work And Retirement Plans Among Older Americans, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman
Work And Retirement Plans Among Older Americans, Katharine G. Abraham, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
We compare older workers' plans for work and retirement with their subsequent work and retirement outcomes using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study. Among those with retirement plans, about half indicate they would like to cut back on their work hours or otherwise change the type of work they do prior to, or instead of, fully retiring. Yet, the fraction that follows through on these alternative plans is dramatically lower than the fraction that realizes plans to stop working. Our analysis shows that individuals who likely would need to change jobs in order to reduce their work hours …
Labor Standards In Alternative Work Arrangements, Susan Houseman
Labor Standards In Alternative Work Arrangements, Susan Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
The Benefits Implications Of Recent Trends In Flexible Staff Arrangements, Susan N. Houseman
The Benefits Implications Of Recent Trends In Flexible Staff Arrangements, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
Workers in flexible staffing arrangements - including temporary agency, direct-hire temporary, on-call, and contract workers - are much less likely than regular, direct-hire employees to be covered by laws mandating or regulating workplace benefits. Workers in such arrangements, in turn, are much less likely to receive pension, health insurance, and other benefits on the job. This paper documents these differences in coverage by benefits regulations and differences in benefits receipt. The paper also reviews evidence on the incentives employers have to use workers in these various flexible staffing arrangements. Although reducing benefits costs is not the only reason employers use …
Offshoring Bias In U.S. Manufacturing, Susan Houseman, Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann, Benjamin Mandel
Offshoring Bias In U.S. Manufacturing, Susan Houseman, Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann, Benjamin Mandel
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.
Why Employers Use Flexible Staffing Arrangements: Evidence From An Establishment Survey, Susan N. Houseman
Why Employers Use Flexible Staffing Arrangements: Evidence From An Establishment Survey, Susan N. Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
This paper examines which employers use flexible staffing arrangements, why they use these arrangements, and their implications for workers and public policy, drawing on a nationally representative survey of private sector establishments. Use of flexible staffing arrangements-including temporary help agency, short-term, on-call, regular part-time, and contract workers-is widespread and two-thirds of employers believe this use will increase in the near future. Traditional reasons concerning the need to accommodate fluctuations in workload or absences in staff are the most commonly cited reasons for using all types of flexible staffing arrangements. Many employers also use agency temporaries and part-time workers to screen …
Offshoring And The State Of American Manufacturing, Susan N. Houseman, Christopher Kurz, Paul A. Lengermann, Benjamin J. Mandel
Offshoring And The State Of American Manufacturing, Susan N. Houseman, Christopher Kurz, Paul A. Lengermann, Benjamin J. Mandel
Susan N. Houseman
The rapid growth of offshoring has sparked a contentious debate over its impact on the U.S. manufacturing sector, which has recorded steep employment declines yet strong output growth—a fact reconciled by the notable gains in manufacturing productivity. We maintain, however, that the dramatic acceleration of imports from developing countries has imparted a significant bias to the official statistics. In particular, the price declines associated with the shift to low-cost foreign suppliers generally are not captured in input cost and import price indexes. To assess the implications of offshoring bias for manufacturing productivity and value added, we implement the bias correction …
Job Security In America: A Better Approach, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman
Job Security In America: A Better Approach, Katharine Abraham, Susan Houseman
Susan N. Houseman
No abstract provided.