The authors discuss changes in the labor market during 1987, including a drop in the unemployment rate to 5.9 percent. Figures are broken down by industry and information is provided on hours of work and civilian employment. They also feature a comparison of employment figures from 1913 and 1987, with a breakdown of types of work. (CH)

Manufacturing productivity, as measured by output per hour, rose in 1984 in the United States and 11 other industrial countries studied. (Statistics are presented in the following areas: productivity trends, employment and hours, hourly compensation, unit labor costs, and relative productivity and labor cost trends.) (CT)

Examines the impact of a services economy on the work and income of Black women in relation to current labor theory, employment patterns of Black and White women, and future policy implications. Discusses the growing feminization of poverty as the product of a growing subculture of low-wage work. (JS)