Traces the patterns of wage premiums for college graduates since 1963. Also examines the wage differentials between high school dropouts and graduates, and between college dropouts and graduates. The dramatic rise in the wage premium is due to the huge increase in the demand for college-trained workers. (Author/BJV)

Newly revised to include new data and information on the Internet, this guide for GED instructors offers lesson plans and helps teachers develop as professionals. It also gives adult learners an opportunity to practice writing, use graphs, read charts, and analyze research findings on the economic impact of the GED. The original version of this…

A study examined the earnings losses suffered by a group of experienced workers who separated from their firms in the early and mid-1980s. The quarterly earnings histories of a large number of Pennsylvania workers covering the period 1974 through 1986 merged with employment information about their firms served as the data set. Workers' earnings…

This report describes differences in the employment experiences of high school dropouts and high school completers, taking into account several personal background and education characteristics. Such variables as labor force status, wage rates, type of occupation, job satisfaction, and other job-related activities are compared for two groups of…

Job displacement represents a serious labor market problem affecting a broad spectrum of the labor force. A study used data from the January 1984 Displaced Worker Survey, a supplement to the Current Population Survey, which analyzed patterns of job displacement, the post-displacement reemployment, and earnings experience of displaced workers. The…

In the 18-month study of the concentrated employment program in Boston, preliminary analysis indicated that program analysis was not possible without first examining the operation of the low-wage labor market. Accordingly, an exploration was made of the dynamic relationship between manpower programs and the economic and social environment in which…

Segmented labor market theory is used to explain how the structure of the library labor market may determine salary differences by type of library. Evidence that segmentation exists at intraoccupational levels and the possibility that comparing entire occupations may obscure results are also reported. (Author/CLB)

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) are designed to provide a national picture of the rate at which secondary school students with disabilities complete high school and how they fare in their early postschool years. Further, comparisons of findings from NLTS2 and the original NLTS enables an investigation of changes in…

All but 3-4% of the 91,189 complaints of alleged discrimination received by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1994 were dismissed for lack of sufficient proof of discrimination. A 1995 study of the extent of voluntary affirmative action found that 37% of a sample of 138 employers surveyed in the Philadelphia area had implemented steps…

This collection of papers looks at the employment status of the U.S. Hispanic population, a significant and growing segment of the nation's labor force. It analyzes characteristics of Latino workers, including educational attainment by Hispanic subgroups, work experience and skills, and computer literacy. The eight papers are: (1) "What…

Describes a class experiment where students search a hypothetical job market for jobs paying wages in a known range but with an unknown wage distribution. The experiment is divided into three "trials", each one introducing different variables (unemployment insurance, search costs, and recession). Includes experiment instructions and a…

The contemporary academic labor market is examined using concepts from labor market economics and sociology to elucidate why teaching, universally acknowledged to be at the center of American academic life, is not at the center of the academic labor market and is only modestly rewarded. First, tenets of the neoclassical labor market model are…

A study explored the feasibility of using the New Youth Cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Behavior (NLS Youth) database to examine the effects of vocational education on handicapped individuals. During the study, researchers examined the labor market experiences of 73 handicapped youths who manifested a self-reported…

Papers presented at the 25th meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association (IRAA) covered issues that are central to industrial relations in North America. Papers and discussions dealt with these major issues: (1) Prices and Income Policy: Comparative Aspects, (2) Dispute Settlement in the Public Sector, (3) Manpower Policies in Canada…

A study estimated the aggregate effects of antipoverty policies on wages and unemployment of different groups. The context was one in which emphasis was on labor supply policies, such as welfare reform or job training, and not on policies to increase labor demand for the poor, such as public employment or subsidizing private employers to hire the…