Labor Economics Commons^™

Labor Force Participation In Mississippi And Other Southern States: Final Report, Marta Lachowska, Stephen A. Woodbury

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

Labor force participation is a key social indicator because the economic performance of a state and the well-being of its residents are closely tied to labor force outcomes. Together, the labor force participation rate (LFPR) and the unemployment rate are of paramount concern to state governments because living standards and consumption are so closely tied to work and earnings from employment. Mississippi has historically had one of the lowest LFPRs in the United States.
The purpose of this report is threefold:
• to describe the LFPR gap between Mississippi and other Southern states during the last 35 years
• to …

Labor Force Participation In Mississippi And Other Southern States: Summary Report, Marta Lachowska, Stephen A. Woodbury

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

Labor force participation is a key social indicator because the economic performance of a state and the well-being of its residents are closely tied to labor force outcomes. Together, the labor force participation rate (LFPR) and the unemployment rate are of paramount concern to state governments because work and earnings from employment are central determinants of living standards.

America's Human Capital Paradox, Thomas A. Kochan

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

It is widely recognized that human capital is essential to sustaining a competitive economy at high and rising living standards. Yet acceptance of persistent high unemployment, stagnant wages, and other indicators of declining job quality suggests that policymakers and employers undervalue human capital. This paper traces the root cause of this apparent paradox to the primacy afforded shareholder value over human resource considerations in American firms and the longstanding gridlock over employment policy. I suggest that a new jobs compact will be needed to close the deficit in jobs lost in the recent recession and to achieve sustained real wage …

An Analysis Of Risk-Taking Behavior For Public Defined Benefit Pension Plans, Nancy Mohan, Ting Zhang

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper investigates the determinants of public pension plan risk-taking behavior using the percentage of total plan assets invested in the equity markets and the pension asset beta as measures of investment risk. We find that government accounting standards strongly affect public fund investment risk, as higher return assumptions (used to discount pension liabilities) are associated with higher equity allocation and beta. Unlike private pension plans, public funds undertake more risk if they are underfunded and have lower investment returns in the previous years, consistent with the risk transfer hypothesis. Furthermore, pension funds in states facing financial constraints allocate more …

Including Jobs In Benefit-Cost Analysis, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Public policies may affect employment by directly creating jobs, facilitating job creation, or augmenting labor supply. In labor markets with high unemployment, such employment changes may have significant net efficiency benefits, which should be included in benefit-cost analyses.
The research literature offers diverse recommendations on measuring employment benefits. Many of the recommendations rely on arbitrary assumptions. The resulting employment benefit estimates vary widely.
This paper reviews this literature, and offers recommendations on how to better measure employment benefits using estimable parameters. Guidance is provided on measuring policy-induced labor demand, estimating the demand shock’s impact on labor market outcomes, and translating …

Pension Reform: How Have Workers Fared?, Edward N. Wolff

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Occupational Licensing: Protecting The Public Interest Or Protectionism?, Morris M. Kleiner

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

The issue of the government regulation of occupations involves the role of government in reconciling the special interests of the practitioners with those of society. The strictest form of occupational regulation is occupational licensing which is extensive and growing. In 2008, nearly 30 percent of the workforce was required to hold a license up from around 10 percent in 1970. There are potential job loss implications in the growth of occupational licensing for the labor market and the economy. An alternative form of regulation, the certification of occupations, which does not impose a "closed shop" on entry and mobility, may …

The Lack Of Persistence Of Employee Contributions To Their 401(K) Plans May Lead To Insufficient Retirement Savings, Leslie A. Muller, John A. Turner

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

Many workers save for retirement through 401(k) plans. This study addresses the concern that low account balances of older workers may indicate that these vehicles are not sufficient to insure adequate retirement savings. In particular, the study shows that while they are accumulating these plans, workers are not persistent in contributing, and a weak stock market exacerbates the problem.

Inertia does not seem to hold for 401(k) saving behavior. Furthermore, the investment strategy of dollar cost averaging does not seem to hold, either. Using four biennial waves of data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) covering a six-year …

The Persistence Of Employee 401(K) Contributions Over A Major Stock Market Cycle: Evidence On The Limited Power Of Inertia On Savings Behavior, Leslie A. Muller, John A. Turner

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Many middle-income workers save for retirement through 401(k) plans. This study addresses the concern that low account balances of older workers may indicate that these vehicles are not sufficient to insure adequate retirement savings. In particular, the study shows that workers are not persistent (continuing once a worker has started) in contributing, and a weak stock market exacerbates the problem.
/="/">The study suggests that the concept of inertia, which is in vogue in behavioral economics, does not seem to hold for 401(k) saving behavior. Furthermore, the investment strategy of dollar cost averaging does not seem to hold, either. Using …

Longevity Policy: Facing Up To Longevity Issues Affecting Social Security, Pensions, And Older Workers, John A. Turner

Upjohn Press

Turner argues that public policy should recognize longevity policy as a distinct policy area. Rather than separately treating issues raised by life expectancy (e.g., Social Security, pensions, older workers), a unified approach should be developed that recognizes their interrelationship.

The Transformation Of The American Pension System: Was It Beneficial For Workers?, Edward N. Wolff

Upjohn Press

The share of Americans with defined contribution pension plans now exceeds the share of those with defined benefit plans. Wolff refers to this as the "great transformation" and it leads him to examine recent evidence to see whether there are winners and losers resulting from this switch away from traditional pension plans.

Imagining The Ideal Pension System: International Perspectives, Dana M. Muir Editor, John A. Turner Editor

Upjohn Press

Muir and Turner gather an international roster of pension experts who present what they think would be the ideal pension systems for their countries and why. Those countries include the United States, the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Poland, and Japan.

An International Comparison Of Trends In Labor Market Policy, Christopher J. O'Leary

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Use Of Administrative Data To Track Employees And Firms: The Case Of Auto Workers And Their Communities, Randall W. Eberts

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Auto Workers And Their Communities: What We Know, Don't Know, And Would Like To Know, Randall W. Eberts

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Outcomes Of Policies For Displaced Workers: An American Perspective, Christopher J. O'Leary

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Women's Work After War, Meredith A. Kleykamp

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

In the more than 30 years following the all-volunteer force (AVF), the proportion of women serving in the military has increased from 1.8 percent just before the AVF to 14.2 percent in 2008. The majority of women do not stay in the military for a 20-year or longer career; like men, most women only serve a few years before transitioning to the civilian workforce. Although the fraction of the military who are women has risen, as has the fraction of veterans who are women, little research informs how female veterans of the AVF fare economically after leaving service, or whether …

Policies For Displaced Workers: An American Perspective, Christopher J. O'Leary

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

American employment policy for displaced workers started in the Great Depression with programs for the employment service, unemployment insurance, work experience, and direct job creation. Assistance for workers displaced by foreign competition emerged in the 1960s along with formalized programs for occupational job skill training. The policy focus on displaced workers was sharpened in the 1980s through the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and the Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance Act. Field experiments on services to dislocated workers led to Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services systems in all states, and federal rules adopted as part of the North …

The Time Use Of Mothers In The United States At The Beginning Of The 21st Century, Rachel Connelly, Jean Kimmel

Upjohn Press

Connelly and Kimmel focus on the time use of mothers of preteenaged children in the United States from 2003 to 2006. They explore how mothers use their time in order to better understand their lives, the lives of their partners, and the lives of their children.

Solving The Reemployment Puzzle: From Research To Policy, Stephen A. Wandner

Upjohn Press

Wandner examines the research and evaluation of U.S. employment and training programs over the past 25 years. He also discusses the impact such research can have and how misuse of research findings can hamper program effectiveness.

Pension Policy: The Search For Better Solutions, John A. Turner

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Pension Policy: The Search For Better Solutions, John A. Turner

Upjohn Press

Turner identifies the current problems facing pension policy for U.S. employer-provided pension plans and recommends solutions to those problems based on his examination of pension systems in other industrialized nations.

Human Resource Economics And Public Policy: Essays In Honor Of Vernon M. Briggs Jr., Charles J. Whalen Editor

Upjohn Press

This book pays tribute to Vernon Briggs and his enduring mark on the study of human resources. The chapters, by his students and colleagues, explore and extend Briggs’s work on employment, education and training, immigration, and local labor markets. His unwavering emphasis on institutional reality, public policy, and economic dynamics animates the entire collection.

Employment And Training Policy In The United States During The Economic Crisis, Christopher J. O'Leary, Randall W. Eberts

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Employment And Training Policy In The United States During The Economic Crisis, Christopher J. O'Leary, Randall W. Eberts

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

This paper examines labor market conditions and public employment policies in the United States during what some are calling the Great Recession. We document the dramatic labor market changes that rapidly unfolded when the rate of gross domestic product growth turned negative, from the end of 2007 through early 2009. The paper reviews the resulting stress on labor market support programs and the broad federal response. That response came through modifications to existing programs and the introduction of new mechanisms to help Americans cope with job loss and protracted unemployment. The particular focus is on federally supported public programs for …

Sustainable Prosperity In The New Economy?: Business Organization And High-Tech Employment In The United States, William Lazonick

Upjohn Press

Lazonick explores the origins of the new era of employment insecurity and income inequality, and considers what governments, businesses, and individuals can do about it. He also asks whether the United States can refashion its high-tech business model to generate stable and equitable economic growth.

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

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

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 …

Strategies For Improving Economic Mobility Of Workers: Bridging Research And Practice, Maude Toussaint-Comeau Editor, Bruce D. Meyer Editor

Upjohn Press

The contributors to this book provide a provocative assessment of the effectiveness of various policies and practices designed to help disadvantaged segments of our population overcome the obstacles in their path to upward economic mobility.

U.S. Training And Re-Training Programs In The Economic Crisis, Randall W. Eberts

Periodical Articles

No abstract provided.

Women, Work, And Welfare Reform, Kristin S. Seefeldt

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.