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 this White Paper, the Business Roundtable recommends access to AMERICA 21, a 21st-century approach to lifelong learning for workers, as well as assistance for job dislocation. AMERICA 21 would channel funding from the myriad of existing initiatives into a modernized, streamlined system that leverages and builds on today's best private and…

The target income hypothesis as applied to health personnel is discussed in seven papers and three commentaries. The hypothesis pertains to the economic behavior of physicians, and it has recently been applied to dentists as well. The issues concern the production/supply of practitioners and the resulting cost for their services. Whether…

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)

Caribbean migration to the United States has largely resulted from capital investment in the region. Such investment attracted labor to areas targeted for high economic development, and when employment opportunities in those areas dwindled, the migrants headed toward the United States, where industries welcomed these sources of cheap labor. While…

Briefly describes the history of Mexican migration to the United States; analyzes the impact--its benefits and drawbacks--of the Bracero Program (Mexican National Program) on the agricultural industry (especially in California), the U.S. economy and the braceros themselves; considers the althernatives to the Bracero Program. (Author)

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)

In 1970, the gross national product for the United States was over $974 billion; for Mexico, it was $33 billion. The U.S. per capita national income was approximately $4,300, while Mexico's was slightly above $500. Living as neighbors with the reality of these vast differences has led to the implementation of various policy measures by both…

This article presents a broad overview of the current employment situation in industrialized market economy countries and provides a general framework for examining some of the major employment issues confronting developed countries today. It argues for a broader approach to these issues and for a change in policy at the national level. (CT)

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…

Dental school enrollments and the supply and demand of dentists in the United States and the south are examined. The growth in the supply of dentists in the South is related to an improved economy in this region and a rapid population increase. In addition to producing a large number of dental school graduates, the South is attracting graduates of…

Work years are being compressed into a smaller portion of midlife while non-work time (schooling and retirement) is growing rapidly. Analysis of these trends suggests greater future interest in flexible retirement ages, reduction of work time (work sharing) to attenuate unemployment, and part-time jobs among older workers. (MF)

The assumption that Mexican emigration to the United States provides benefits to Mexico in the form of jobs for unemployed Mexicans and wage remittances has kept Mexican officials from discouraging illegal emigration. In fact, emigration drains the Mexican economy and should be a cause for Mexican government concern. (Author/MJL)

The standard one-period labor supply model that economists have used is in some ways an inadequate tool to evaluate a Family Assistance Plan (FAP). The principal difficulty is that an FAP will have important interperiod or life cycle effects. The pure life cycle model, an extension of the work of Becker and Ghez, is derived here without reference…

The central issue of this report is the wide range of parameter estimates of labor supply responses produced by previous econometric studies based on cross sectional data. Considerable public and private debate as to how the existing welfare system should be reformed has fostered renewed study of how welfare related government policies affect…