The economic effects of educational mismatch include its negative impact on economic growth, which is due to the inefficient allocation of resources it generates. The main causes of this phenomenon need to be determined to correctly implement policies to avoid such mismatches. This paper investigated the determinants of educational mismatch from a…

Quality jobs, a multidimensional construct, have been perceived differently in labour management literature. The view that the quality of earnings is the primary determinant of job quality has been criticized. This study, therefore, investigates the characteristics and major factors determining quality jobs among the youths in Lagos, Nigeria.…

The economic boom of the 1990s veiled a grim reality: in addition to the growing gap between rich and poor, the gap between good and bad quality jobs was also expanding. The postwar prosperity of the mid-twentieth century had enabled millions of American workers to join the middle class, but as author Arne L. Kalleberg shows, by the 1970s this…

Since 2008, classroom learning activities on the working poor and the living wage have been included in an introductory core course that focuses on community services and professions in the School of Community Resources and Development at Arizona State University. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2008 that 8.9 million people were classified as…

This article explores the potential role of low-wage service sector unions in engaging in equity-minded school reform. The members of many such unions are parents of children attending poorly resourced public schools. In seeking to address the interests of their members, labor unions can draw upon resources, organizing strategies, and political…

The primary focus of this research is the impact of wages on the decision not to continue with an apprenticeship or traineeship. The approach taken is to model three wages relevant to apprentices and trainees: the wage during training; the expected wage in alternative employment; and, the expected wage on completion. The results of these models…

This report compares Vermont's experience with two federally funded programs aimed at reducing unemployment. The first was a Special Work Project (SWP) directed toward providing work experience rather than skill training for welfare recipients, and also for low-income families. A second approach was through the Public Employment Program (PEP).…

Because average wages are higher in manufacturing than in services, some observers view employment shifts to services as shifts from "good" to "bad" jobs. However, a deeper assessment reveals that within each industry, especially in services, a range of job quality exists. (Author)

The shift in employment from manufacturing to services in 1981-86 slowed the increase in average annual pay of U.S. nonagricultural workers, with greater impact in nonmetro than metro areas. However, the distribution of employment in high, middle, and low paying jobs changed little. (Author/SV)

This document contains two essays: "Toward a High-Wage, High-Productivity Service Sector" by Lester Thurow; and "Service Sector Wages, Productivity and Job Creation in the U.S. and Other Countries" by Louise Waldstein. The first essay analyzes the recent and currrent U.S. economy under headings called Growth Nodes, Falling…

The statistics are based on a household survey, collected annually, and are related to one year's earnings experience of family heads and unrelated individuals. Data show that after-tax earnings for the 30 million persons surveyed rose in 1973 by 5.8 percent but fell 0.4 percent after adjustment for consumer price increases (real after-tax…

An overview is provided of what is known about working class women and work (based on census data and the currently available body of research). The findings from an ongoing study of women in blue-collar and service occupations in three California cities are discussed. (Author/GC)

A study was conducted to describe the segments of the U.S. labor force that have been affected by the recent deterioration in U.S. trade. The methodology involved computer modeling of the effects of eliminating the 1987 merchandise trade deficit on employment by detailed industry and occupation, by geographic region, and by wage group. This was…

In this study, a theoretical model of profit maximization was developed in which the Selective Reenlistment Bonus (SRB) is treated as a wage premium payable to military personnel who are more productive, more costly to recruit and train, and less likely to continue in the Army in the absence of the SRB. Empirical estimation of the model is based…

Employee assistance programs, or EAPs, are an employee benefit designed to help workers meet their work and family needs. However, questions have been raised about the design, utilization, and scale of services that EAPs make possible for low-wage workers. This article explores whether on college campuses an EAP benefit can simultaneously meet the…