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LABOR MARKET ISSUES

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Full-Text Articles in Economics

Why Employers Use Flexible Staffing Arrangements: Evidence From An Establishment Survey, Susan N. Houseman Oct 2000

Why Employers Use Flexible Staffing Arrangements: Evidence From An Establishment Survey, Susan N. Houseman

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

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 …


Group Wage Curves, Timothy J. Bartik Sep 2000

Group Wage Curves, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Using panel data on U.S. MSAs, this paper estimates how a typical MSA's wages of different demographic groups, and prices, are affected by overall MSA unemployment, the distribution of unemployment among different groups, and national prices and wages. MSA unemployment has strong effects on MSA wages and prices, but the distribution of unemployment among different groups has weak effects on wages and prices. Using these estimates, simulations show that targeting high-unemployment groups for unemployment reductions will not reduce wage or price inflation pressures. The estimates also show that the effects of MSA unemployment on prices and disadvantaged groups' wages are …


Rising Wage Inequality In Urban Labor Markets, Thomas Hyclak Jul 2000

Rising Wage Inequality In Urban Labor Markets, Thomas Hyclak

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.


Employment-Related Child Care Issues: What We Know And What We Do Not, Jean Kimmel Apr 2000

Employment-Related Child Care Issues: What We Know And What We Do Not, Jean Kimmel

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.


Marital Status And Full-Time/Part-Time Work Status In Child Care Choices, Rachel Connelly, Jean Kimmel Mar 2000

Marital Status And Full-Time/Part-Time Work Status In Child Care Choices, Rachel Connelly, Jean Kimmel

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Using recent SIPP data, we estimate two econometric models to study the differences in the effect of child care costs on employment status and differences in the mode of child care used controlling for employment status. For both married and single women, full-time employment is more elastic with respect to changes in the price of child care than part-time employment and employment elasticities are larger for single than married mothers. In the model of child care modal choice, we find that an increased probability of full-time employment is associated with an increase in the use of center care and a …


Rising Wage Inequality: The 1980s Experience In Urban Labor Markets, Thomas Hyclak Jan 2000

Rising Wage Inequality: The 1980s Experience In Urban Labor Markets, Thomas Hyclak

Upjohn Press

Hyclak analyzes information not utilized in previous studies of wage inequality. Whereas researchers previously relied on data derived from the national labor market, Hyclak draws on data from the Area Wage Surveys (AWS), which allows him to focus on changes in the wage structure in a sample of 20 local labor markets for the period of 1974 to 1991. This source also allows him to examine changes in the structure of wages paid for some 40 different jobs found in four different occupational groups. In addition, Hyclak is able to concentrate on jobs and the skills required as the primary …


The Economics Of Medicare Reform, Andrew J. Rettenmaier, Thomas Robert Saving Jan 2000

The Economics Of Medicare Reform, Andrew J. Rettenmaier, Thomas Robert Saving

Upjohn Press

The authors propose a means for preserving Medicare as we know it. After detailing the reasons for Medicare's financial troubles, they present a cohort-based financing plan for Medicare that represents a fundamental departure from the generation transfer method currently used.


Employee Benefits And Labor Markets In Canada And The United States, William T. Alpert Editor, Stephen A. Woodbury Editor Jan 2000

Employee Benefits And Labor Markets In Canada And The United States, William T. Alpert Editor, Stephen A. Woodbury Editor

Upjohn Press

Alpert and Woodbury present a comprehensive set of explorations into the impacts that the provision of various types of employee benefits (or lack thereof) have on labor markets. And while there are, as the editors point out, substantial differences between the employee benefits systems of Canada and the U.S., these differences showcase the impacts of specific policies related to employee benefits on labor markets.


Changes In Income Inequality Within U.S. Metropolitan Areas, Janice Fanning Madden Jan 2000

Changes In Income Inequality Within U.S. Metropolitan Areas, Janice Fanning Madden

Upjohn Press

In studying MSA data that link the characteristics of metropolitan economies to significant changes in income inequality, Madden is able to study changes in poverty rates, household income inequality, and wage inequality within 182 of the largest MSAs and to identify what she says are the three factors most likely to influence changes in income inequality in metropolitan areas.


The Economics Of Sports, William S. Kern Editor Jan 2000

The Economics Of Sports, William S. Kern Editor

Upjohn Press

The contributors to this book, all economists at the forefront of the movement to study the economics of sports, show how a host of contemporary economic issues come into play in today's world of sports. These issues include industrial organization, influences on labor markets, monopsony power, the behavior of cartels, local economic development policies, and price discrimination.


Unemployment Compensation And Older Workers, Christopher J. O'Leary, Stephen A. Wandner Jan 2000

Unemployment Compensation And Older Workers, Christopher J. O'Leary, Stephen A. Wandner

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Unemployment compensation in the United States is provided through a federal-state system of unemployment insurance (UI). UI provides temporary partial wage replacement to active job seekers who are involuntarily out of work. For older workers, UI is an important source of income security and a potential influence on work incentives. For many, the transition from full-time work in a career job to retirement is voluntary and orderly. For others, job displacement greatly disrupts plans. The transition often involves many intermediate steps. The chain of transitions may include full- or part-time work on another job which most often is not in …


The Policy Implications Of Nonstandard Work Arrangements, Susan N. Houseman Oct 1999

The Policy Implications Of Nonstandard Work Arrangements, Susan N. Houseman

Employment Research Newsletter

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 Sep 1999

Testimony Before The Working Group On The Benefit Implications Of The Growth In The Contingent Workforce: U.S. Department Of Labor, Susan N. Houseman

Testimonies

No abstract provided.


The Implications Of Flexible Staffing Arrangements For Job Stability, Susan N. Houseman, Anne E. Polivka May 1999

The Implications Of Flexible Staffing Arrangements For Job Stability, Susan N. Houseman, Anne E. Polivka

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

In this paper, we examine the job stability of workers in a wide range of flexible staffing arrangements: agency temporary, direct-hire temporary, on-call, contract company, independent contractor, and regular part-time work. We draw upon two data sources in our analysis. The first is a nationwide survey of employers on their use of flexible staffing arrangements conducted by the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. This survey provides evidence on why employers use various types of flexible staffing arrangements and the extent to which employers move workers in these positions into regular arrangements within their organization. The second data source is the …


The Economics Of The Great Depression, Mark Wheeler Editor Jan 1998

The Economics Of The Great Depression, Mark Wheeler Editor

Upjohn Press

This book contributes to our understanding of the Great Depression's immediate and long-term impacts on the American economy. Editor Mark Wheeler has gathered six scholars from a range of subdisciplines within economics who, together, offer a diverse look at the Depression's effects on the nation's GDP, workers and labor markets, and monetary policy.


Pensions And Productivity, Stuart Dorsey, Christopher Mark Cornwell, David A. Macpherson Jan 1998

Pensions And Productivity, Stuart Dorsey, Christopher Mark Cornwell, David A. Macpherson

Upjohn Press

Employers typically view their investment in pension plans as a means of providing retirement income for their workers. Economists, on the other hand, view pension programs as a way to increase workplace productivity. Dorsey, Cornwell and Macpherson explore the theoretical and empirical basis for this perspective and, in the process, offer a complete and up-to-date discussion on the productivity theory of pensions.


Labor Policy Evaluation: Lessons From The American Experience, Susan N. Houseman Aug 1997

Labor Policy Evaluation: Lessons From The American Experience, Susan N. Houseman

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.


Summary Findings Of A Report On Temporary, Part-Time, And Contract Employment In The United States, George A. Erickcek, Susan N. Houseman May 1997

Summary Findings Of A Report On Temporary, Part-Time, And Contract Employment In The United States, George A. Erickcek, Susan N. Houseman

Reports

No abstract provided.


New Institute Survey On Flexible Staffing Arrangements, Susan N. Houseman Apr 1997

New Institute Survey On Flexible Staffing Arrangements, Susan N. Houseman

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.


Jobs For Welfare Recipients, Timothy J. Bartik Apr 1997

Jobs For Welfare Recipients, Timothy J. Bartik

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.


Teacher Pay And Teacher Quality, Dale Ballou, Michael Podgursky Jan 1997

Teacher Pay And Teacher Quality, Dale Ballou, Michael Podgursky

Upjohn Press

Ballou and Podgursky offer solid economic analysis on issues surrounding the debate over whether increasing salaries for teachers leads to a more qualified teaching workforce. The authors find little evidence to support the link between increased salaries and teacher quality, then address two questions: (1) What went wrong? and (2) Which reforms are likely to meet with increased success?


Employee Benefits And Tax Reform, Stephen A. Woodbury Jul 1996

Employee Benefits And Tax Reform, Stephen A. Woodbury

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The current tax treatment of pensions and health insurance in the United States is a hybrid that lacks consistency under either an accrual income tax system or a consumption tax system. Under an accrual income tax, employer contributions to pension plans represent an addition to wealth that would be taxed at the time they are made. The interest earned on pension contributions also represents an addition to wealth that would be taxed annually. When a worker retires, all applicable taxes would already have been paid on the benefit, and the flow of retirement income received by the worker would not …


Reducing The Welfare Dependence Of Single-Mother Families: Health-Related Employment Barriers And Policy Responses, Jean Kimmel Mar 1996

Reducing The Welfare Dependence Of Single-Mother Families: Health-Related Employment Barriers And Policy Responses, Jean Kimmel

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The problem of rising health care costs and the related increased dependency on health insurance coverage has moved to the forefront of the U.S. policy agenda in recent years and was a fundamental component of President Clinton's 1992 campaign platform. However, the President's 1994 health care reform proposal was unsuccessful, and current GOP proposals to cut the rate of growth of Medicare and Medicaid spending while the eligible population and costs both continue to grow fail to address the problem of coverage. In fact, one likely side effect of the cost-shifting to private insurance carriers will be to increase the …


Employee Representation In Economies In Transition: Discussion, Christopher J. O'Leary Jan 1996

Employee Representation In Economies In Transition: Discussion, Christopher J. O'Leary

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.


Labor Law, Industrial Relations And Employee Choice: The State Of The Workplace In The 1990s: Hearings Of The Commission On The Future Of Worker-Management Relations, 1993-94, Richard N. Block, John Beck, Daniel H. Kruger Jan 1996

Labor Law, Industrial Relations And Employee Choice: The State Of The Workplace In The 1990s: Hearings Of The Commission On The Future Of Worker-Management Relations, 1993-94, Richard N. Block, John Beck, Daniel H. Kruger

Upjohn Press

Block, Beck and Kruger present detailed examples from the testimony given during the Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations (commonly called the Dunlop Commission) national and regional hearings. The Commission, by hearing from a wide range of stakeholders, sought to define the state of industrial relations and labor law in the U.S. during the 1990s. Because the Commission's final reports were concerned with policy matters, they only briefly summarized the testimony. This volume draws deeply from the testimony, citing many examples that clearly illustrate the wide variety of relationships between workers and management today. In addition, it shows how …


Workdays, Workhours And Work Schedules: Evidence For The United States And Germany, Daniel S. Hamermesh Jan 1996

Workdays, Workhours And Work Schedules: Evidence For The United States And Germany, Daniel S. Hamermesh

Upjohn Press

Hamermesh presents the first comprehensive evidence explaining how days of work, hours of work, and daily schedules are determined in the U.S. and Germany. Using an instantaneous approach to looking at unique data sets for each country, Hamermesh provides comparative analyses on factors influencing both employees' and employers' work schedules. This technique allows him to offer a new "snapshot" perspective on work scheduling that clarifies the role of fixed costs of getting to work and of adding workdays to plant schedules. He also increases our understanding of the relation between work time and the determination of employment, and presents findings …


Exploring The Underground Economy: Studies Of Illegal And Unreported Activity, Susan Pozo Editor Jan 1996

Exploring The Underground Economy: Studies Of Illegal And Unreported Activity, Susan Pozo Editor

Upjohn Press

Individually, the six contributors to this volume each provides a detailed examination of specific segments of the underground economy including its participants, attempts at measurement, and policy responses. Taken together, the essays offer a thorough overview that emphasizes the importance and magnitude of one of the largest economies in the world.


Poverty And Inequality: The Political Economy Of Redistribution, Jon Neill Editor Jan 1996

Poverty And Inequality: The Political Economy Of Redistribution, Jon Neill Editor

Upjohn Press

Despite the nation's significant and prolonged economic growth during the 1990s, the portion of aggregate income going to the poorest 20 percent of the population declined, while that of the richest 20 percent grew. The contributors to this volume examine the extent and reasons behind this distribution.


Job Growth And The Quality Of Jobs In The U.S. Economy, Susan N. Houseman Aug 1995

Job Growth And The Quality Of Jobs In The U.S. Economy, Susan N. Houseman

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

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 …


Labor Market Adjustment In Europe, Japan, And The United States, Susan N. Houseman Jul 1995

Labor Market Adjustment In Europe, Japan, And The United States, Susan N. Houseman

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.