This report is a response to congressional requests for the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to identify, synthesize, and explain the core components of the workforce skills gap discourse and, to the extent possible, explore and clarify evidence on the existence of skills gaps. The report acknowledges that the skills gap label is often applied…

If a person is making a decision about education, training, or a career--or if he/she is helping someone else who is making such decisions--he/she needs to know how the labor market is expected to unfold in the future. How many jobs are likely to be available in the career a person wants? How much will they pay? What kind of training will the…

The labor force is the number of people aged 16 or older who are either working or looking for work. It does not include active-duty military personnel or institutionalized people, such as prison inmates. Quantifying this total supply of labor is a way of determining how big the economy can get. Labor force participation rates vary significantly…

This report presents findings of a National Science Foundation (NSF) assessment of the adequacy of the supply of science, engineering, and technician (SET) personnel for meeting defense and non-defense requirements between 1982 and 1987. Selected findings included in the report follow. Based on four scenarios representing combinations of low and…

The investigation explores the impact that changing economies have had and will continue to have upon Human Resources Development (HRD)--the collective body responsible for training and retraining labor--and from that perspective offers recommendations to improve the impact HRD has upon society. The challenge for HRD is to recognize the economic,…

Discusses aims and techniques of information workforce management for coping with problems caused by labor shortages and accelerated growth, including development of forecasting and planning systems sufficiently simple to be integrated with overall development plans. Unesco sponsored projects and national and regional dimensions are noted. (15…

Presents an interview with Elaine Chao, United States Secretary of Labor, in which she suggests that, because of the information-based economy, education is a more vital element in the training of America's workforce than it has ever been. Discusses an initiative that will use high-tech tools to give Americans with disabilities greater access to…

The State/Local Cooperative Labor Market Information Program has been developed to meet the needs of California's business community and work force. The program aims to improve the match between employers' needs for skilled labor and the skills of the state's workers. The program is a partnership composed of the state Employment Development…

Using current national data, this report describes emerging labor force and employment trends among industries and occupations expected to experience the fastest rates of growth or decline by the year 2000. In addition, the report analyzes the challenges and opportunities for higher education arising from a developing technological base…

Pursuant to developing an interactive system for planning and managing vocational education programs, the project focused on methods of obtaining student supply and manpower demand information. The goal was to operationalize a student data base that would facilitate planning and regulatory requirements of the Illinois Department of Adult,…

The responses to a 1999 study of Australian employers and an examination of skill shortages by Australia's Department for Employment, Work Relations, and Small Business were analyzed to identify issues affecting skill demand and supply in Australia's education and training sector. The following were among the key findings: (1) in recent years, the…

Of the 108 million women age 16 or over who were part of the 1999 civilian noninstitutional U.S. population, 65 million (about 60%) were either employed or actively looking for work. In 1999, black, white, and Hispanic women participated in the labor force at rates of 63.5%, 59.6%, and 55.9%, respectively. According to projections, women will…