This report summarises the outcomes of the first (micro) phase of the thematic country review (TCR) on upskilling pathways in Italy. It reflects the perspectives of both the beneficiaries of the approaches considered and the actors involved in their implementation. The TCR focuses on outreach, guidance, tailored learning and on the crosscutting…

This report makes the case for a shift in emphasis in U.S. education and workforce development policy. Specifically, the report sets out a rationale for investing more in upgrading the foundational skill levels of the U.S. workforce. The report summarizes the results of studies that used data from the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey…

This study explored sex differences in employment, reasons for unemployment, benefits, and supports among a large, international sample of adults with autism spectrum disorder. The sample included 443 adults with autism spectrum disorder (60% female; 74% residing in the United States) who consented to be part of an autism research registry and…

The authors of this report analyzed the most recent data to illustrate the impact of literacy skills on both the micro- and macro-economic levels. The report explores whether there is a case to be made for direct links between literacy skill and income level. Data relating to the ability to get a job, job retention and promotion, risk of job loss,…

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) was founded in 1986 with the intent of widening the debate on U.S. economic policies by presenting analyses that provide an alternative point of view from those of various conservative research institutions. The two papers presented in this document were originally prepared for a seminar designed to identify…

This monograph estimates both disequilibrium and equilibrium models of the U.S. labor market and compares the results and their implications for policy. Because a great deal of work in the U.S. labor market has followed the equilibrium paradigm, this essay devotes a disproportionate amount of time to discussing the problems that arise in…

A study examined existing literature on retirement practices and policy. Demographic change and the gradual development of pension benefits have led to the phenomenon of early retirement. There are three groups of early retirees. The voluntary retiree is in relatively good health, with adequate financial resources, can take full advantage of early…

This report describes the efforts conducted by the Administration on Aging in response to the congressional mandate to develop and implement a national policy for the field of aging in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Older Americans Act Amendments of 1978 (PL 95-478). The current status of education, training, and employment of…

Policies to regulate and support labor markets in the United States have mainly been an initiative of the federal government. Historically, states and localities were reluctant to act independently to build up worker rights and protections for fear of competitively disadvantaging resident industries with added costs. Federal constitutional…

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…

This study focuses on the role of the federal government in reducing persistent joblessness that prevails at relatively high levels even during periods of high employment or prosperity ("structural unemployment"). While the problem of cyclincal joblessness dominates public policy discussion at the present time, structural unemployment is…

This report describes a demonstration project conducted by Wider Opportunities for Women in which women who had been found guilty of criminal offenses, child abuse, or child neglect were trained and placed in nontraditional jobs. The project was carried out from mid-summer, 1974, to spring, 1977, in the Washington, D.C., area. The report is…

The final chapter of a seven-section report that examined the assessment of occupational competence, this chapter explores the key patterns and commonalities that have emerged from the study of occupational competency assessment. The chapter begins with a synthesis of the state of the art of competency definition and measurement under four topic…

Economic pressures, work force diversity, and advances in technology are changing the nature of work and organizational policy and management. A predicted decline in the annual growth in gross national product is expected to trigger a slowdown in the labor force, especially in occupations that employ workers with only a high school education.…

This document contains the proceedings of a conference for representatives of organized labor, business and industry, postsecondary institutions, and federal agencies which was held to (1) discuss adult learning needs and opportunities in the United States, and (2) make recommendations on those adult learning issues which ought to be matters of…