After a long decline, the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of older men in the United States leveled off in the 1980s, and began to increase in the late 1990s. We examine how changes in Social Security rules affected these trends. We attribute only a small portion of the decline from the 1960s-80s to the increasing generosity of Social…

Are highly educated workers better at locating in areas with high labor demand? To answer this question, I use three decades of U.S. Census data to estimate a McFadden-style model of residential location choice. I test for education differentials in the likelihood that young workers reside in states experiencing positive labor demand shocks at the…

In October 1999, the British government enacted the Working Families' Tax Credit, which aimed at encouraging work among low-income families with children. This paper uses panel data collected between 1991 and 2001 to evaluate the effect of this reform on single mothers. We find that the reform led to a substantial increase in their employment rate…

Concludes that there has been an upward trend in the full employment-unemployment rate, due to increases in the supply of marginal labor force groups. (BH)

Federal policy toward youth is divided between those encouraging employment and child labor laws which govern employment of those from 14-17. This study deals with quantification of the impacts of child labor laws by using Census data to identify shifting employment toward occupations not covered by these laws. (Author/JOW)

Studies the extent to which market and labor force characteristics, in addition to overt discrimination of employers, contribute to relative occupational position differences between blacks and whites in 25 Southern metropolitan areas. (MF)

Demographic differences in patterns of employment variation over the business cycle are examined. It is concluded that (1) both participation and unemployment must be considered in any analysis of cyclical changes in the labor market and (2) young people bear a disproportionate share of cyclical employment variation. (Author/CT)

This article presents an empirical analysis of self-reported reservation wages for unemployed young Black and White males. Results show that young Blacks seek wages that are comparable to those of young Whites in absolute terms but that are higher relative to what is available on the demand side of the market. (Author/CT)

Data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1967-87) revealed little change in persistence of female labor supply because women have tended to become continuous workers, replacing continuous nonworkers. Periods of reduced hours are now less prolonged among older women. Employment patterns now appear to develop before marriage. (SK)

Job searches by both the unemployed and employed jobseekers are studied through an empirical structural job search model using a choice variable of search intensity. The resulting influence of search intensity on the labor market transitions is analyzed to give the estimation results of the search and the impact of the benefit level on the search…

The paper examines the quantitative dimensions, causes, and consequences of the "new depression" in the college job market due to the changes in the industrial structure and continued growth of supply. (Author/BP)