The Office of Workforce Development (OWD) in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, implemented Career Pathways, an innovative program designed to increase the local talent pool and help lower-skilled, unemployed, and underemployed individuals train for work in growing fields. RAND Corporation researchers evaluated…

Four minority groups are identified in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Employer Information Report: (1) Negro; (2) Oriental; (3) American Indian; and (4) Spanish Surnamed Americans. Together, these groups in 1970 numbered about 34.5 million people, or about 17 percent of the population. This paper reports on the status of…

Stagnant or declining wages for less-educated workers make policies to upgrade the job market options for low wage workers an urgent priority. One in three low wage workers lives in a low income family. The link between low basic skills and low wages is strong. No single standard of minimum skill requirements applies to all middle income jobs, and…