During the recent economic downturn, media and industry reports of skill shortages in the trades continued to appear. The intent of this paper is to examine the evidence for skill shortages in the trades persisting during the economic downturns over the last 20 years, using various indicators. These include employment growth, vacancy rates,…

In the first half of 1986, moderate job growth continued, but only in the service-producing sector and in construction; the level and rate of unemployment were about unchanged, as employment increases matched labor force expansion. (Author/CT)

In 1999 unemployment reached a 30-year low; more than half of all job growth was in services; federal employment increased because of Census 2000; the home health care industry began a slight recovery. Nearly half of total employment growth was in high-paying managerial and professional specialties, especially for women and blacks. (SK)

In 1993, about 93 percent of respondents previously surveyed in 1992 were reinterviewed as part of a study of the impact of labor market programs in postsocialist Hungary. The surveys investigated the impact of retraining and public service employment (PSE) on labor market success by comparing outcomes for participants to others who were…

Data from the March 1976 Current Population Survey indicate that both metro and nonmetro areas face severe youth employment problems. Although 25% of the total United States labor force is comprised of youth aged 16-24, youth account for 50% of the total number of persons unemployed. Unemployment rates for metro and nonmetro youth are equal;…