The Great Recession left a crater in the labor market that has been devastating for unemployed Americans of all ages. After more than two years of unemployment at well over 8%, there is a hole of more than 11 million jobs, with average spells of unemployment lasting nearly nine months. The weak labor market has been particularly tough on young…

In an overview of the main factors that have contributed to the currently high rates of unemployment in OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, the author examines in particular labor supply; structural and technological change; the functioning of the labor market; and macroeconomic policies. (Author/CT)

This paper studies the assignment of heterogeneous workers to heterogeneous jobs. Owing to the anonymity of a large labor market, workers use mixed strategies when applying for jobs. This randomness generates coordination frictions. Two workers may apply for a particular job, whereas an identical job gets no applications. The model generates…

The purpose of this study is to explain the changing and increasing participation of females in the American labor force during this century, especially since 1940. Although the pre-1940 changes are smaller and may be attributable to improvements in census enumeration techniques, there has been a significant increase since 1940 in participation…

Describes recent research efforts to document the size of the illegal alien population and its economic and societal impact. Discusses legislative and other federal responses to the problem. (SK)

The study employs economic models of supply decisions, employer demand decisions and market interactions to examine scientific, engineering, and technical manpower utilization. The introduction surveys the major reasons for the perennial concern about manpower supply in the field, and examines problems of defining the occupations under study. A…

This planning report summarizes the results of the Kansas Master Planning Commission analysis of the labor force requirements of Kansas to 1985. The study objectives were analyzed in terms of demography, geographic, and economic considerations. Accumulative and annual labor force requirements were analyzed in terms of region, occupational group,…

Discusses a number of forces that will determine the labor supply and demand in the United States in the 1990s: growth in the economy, automation, national policy, immigration policies, changing family, and technical advances. Examines steps a company can take in relation to these forces and makes suggestions concerning future labor needs. (CT)

About three-quarters of current unemployment in these countries is due to deficient labor force demand. Changes in economic policy and improvement in labor mobility are necessary elements in solving the problem. (Author/SK)

Papers concerning the need for labor market concepts and information at a variety of levels are presented in this conference report, along with discussions of major issues. Major areas emphasized in this document are (1) data needs for manpower planning and policy-making by public officials for rural areas, (2) employer needs for labor market…

This paper discusses recent histories of labor shortages in Singapore, Japan, and several western European countries. Emphasis is upon the economic effects of severe shortages of labor. Fearing that these shortages would seriously handicap further economic progress, many people in these countries have advocated large-scale immigration or increased…

The study is concerned with the causes and economic consequences of the employment of foreign manpower in the more industrialized countries of Europe. The focus of the study was an analysis of the relationship between the forms in which the foreign work force is utilized and the functioning of the labor market, and an assessment of certain…

A description of methods of making appropriate projections of manpower requirements and supply in an advanced economy in which a substantial part of economic life is not centrally planned, is the special focus of this paper. Some elements of the methods described are equally relevant to sectors of the economy which are planned, but absence of a…

The conventional approach to analysis of employment problems in the modern sector, namely comparison of workforce supply and demand, is inapplicable in the traditional sector, where a distinction needs to be made between the concepts of workforce underutilization and its availability. The author discusses these concepts and presents their policy…

Conditions in Kenya and Poland concerning the labor market and educational preparation for jobs are discussed, along with public policy. In the decade of the 1980s, both nations reached saturation in the labor market and underwent changes in the demand for university-trained workers. Kenya needed highly trained personnel to replace expatriates…