The number of persons working part-time for economic reasons increased 60 percent (by 2.112 million workers) between 1979 and 1985. Although total wage and salary employment is up since 1979, nearly one in five new positions is a part-time job filled by a worker unsuccessful in finding full-time employment. Sixty-two percent of those working…

Blacks, Hispanics, and women are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed than white males, regardless of economic conditions. This conclusion was drawn from an analysis of data gathered from the March Current Population Survey for the years 1971 through 1980, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, and state and local unemployment rates…

In October 1984, unacceptably high levels of unemployment persisted in many regions of the United States. Figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that nearly 8.5 million Americans, or 7.4 percent of the civilian labor force, are still without work. When the 5.5 million Americans working part-time because of economic reasons, as…

Social statistics may exaggerate the degree of hardship caused by labor market problems. Yet, in many ways social statistics underestimate the degree of hardship caused by extended unemployment, underemployment, and low wages. Therefore, new measures are needed to reassess long-term and cyclical labor market developments, the changing status of…