When discouraged unemployed black males are accounted for, real wage growth for black men over 1969-98 is reduced by about 40% and black-white wage convergence by about one-third. An important source of selection bias is the changing gap between wages of workers and potential wages of nonworkers. (Contains 20 references.) (SK)

Data on 1,192 students from the National Longitudinal Survey-High School Class of 1972 showed that, although the precollege characteristics of black students who attended historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs) predicted lower wages, the value added to future wages from HBCU attendance was 38% higher than that from attending traditionally…

Data on women in labor unions in 1988 reveal the following facts: (1) women are becoming an increasingly important part of membership in organized labor, as the total number of workers in unions declines; (2) in 1988, nearly 6 million of the 47.5 million employed women in the United States, or about 13 percent, were members of unions; (3) since…

This study examines the relative earnings of black men from a time series perspective covering 1930 to 1990. Regression analyses were fitted to annual data to isolate factors responsible for changes in relative earnings. National and regional data on population growth and employment growth by industry were analyzed to determine the degree of…

A recent national survey suggests that women and Blacks receive less on-the-job training and training opportunities in their jobs than White males. This is especially true of young Black men. The factor of low wage does not seem to play a large part in this discrepancy. (CT)

Wages and salaries are influenced by many factors, including the employer's perception of the productivity and availability of workers with different levels of education. They are also affected by economic conditions in the industries that typically employ workers with different levels of education. Annual earnings are influenced by the number of…

Women have made slow, steady progress in the labor market since 1979, but the wage gap has not narrowed significantly. This briefing paper updates a September 1987 paper based on "Male-Female Differences in Work Experience, Occupations, and Earnings: 1984" (Current Population Reports, Household Economic Studies, Series P-70, No. 10, issued in…

A study used data from the 1998 Current Population Survey to document job growth in the public and private sectors and examine the quality of jobs in terms of wages and benefits. Findings indicated public sector employment declined for both women and men during the period from 1979-98 with a somewhat sharper decline among men. In 1998, median…

Analysis of North Carolina survey data indicates that females' average hourly wages were 71% of males', and blacks' wages were 78% of whites'. Human capital factors (educational attainment and occupational experience) explained 31% and 3% of the racial and gender gaps, respectively. Job gender composition explained 56% of the gender gap; job…

Policy options for increasing the earnings of the young welfare recipients were explored by analyzing the incomes of nearly 12,000 young women in Baltimore, Maryland, whose 19th birthday fell between April 1, 1985, and March 31, 1989, and who had at least one spell of welfare dependency between their 19th and 29th birthdays. An analysis of the…

Patterns of employment in U.S. industry today were studied in order to explore factors behind the low income and lagging occupational status of black women workers. The data collected for this group were contrasted with similar data for white women workers. The study found (1) substantial underrepresention in hiring black women at all income…

This study was designed to explain the earnings differentials between metropolitan areas for six labor types, identified by level of education: 0-7, 8, 9-11, 12, 13-15, and 16 or more. Three separate models relate the average earnings of these types to several area variables. Multiple regression equations, based on 1960 Census and related data,…

This analysis of entry into the labor force by American men between the ages of 30 and 39 was based on a set of about 1,600 retrospective life history interviews, approximately half from whites and half from blacks. At the time of entry the mean level of whites' education was higher than that of blacks and this was translated into jobs with higher…

Although average annual earnings of blacks are considerably lower than those of whites, the earnings distributions have large overlapping areas. (Editor)

Compares pre-CETA and post-CETA earnings and income for racial and sexual categories, controlling for age and education. It was found that White gains exceed those for Blacks but that the White income distribution appears to converge with that of Blacks after CETA. (CT)