Skill mismatch, the discrepancy between the skill levels held by employees and those demanded by employers, has long been of interest to analysts of the labor market. Such mismatches are worth exploring to better understand the processes of recruitment and career development and the role of education in the labor market. This study aims to analyze…

Rural America has long been perceived as "left behind" by policies that leave it struggling while benefiting bustling urban cities and suburbs. That narrative holds some truth: rural America has a declining population, along with lower educational attainment and lower workforce participation than urban America. But while rural America…

Many blue-collar jobs, most of which are performed by men, are likely to be displaced by automation. These workers will, therefore, need to be retrained and reskilled, many of them choosing for engineering education as mature students. This paper uses Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to draw a complex portrait of the experience of…

This paper is the first in a series of policy reports dealing with the impact of human capital investments on the U.S. labor market. It is part of a larger series of papers from the ETS Center for Research on Human Capital and Education that uses data from the "Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies" (PIAAC) to…

Objectives: The purpose of the current article was to explore perceptions of transitional employment and training and development amongst blue collar workers employed in technical, trade, operations or physical and labour-intensive occupations within the local government system. Methods: The responses of manual workers to two national surveys…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for improving training for mature-aged workers may be offered. Design/methodology/approach: Six expert interviews were carried out by telephone, and three case studies involving company site visits were completed. Each company case study…

Despite the small numbers being hired, many women trying to increase their income or get off of welfare believe that the skilled trades are the answer. Construction Readiness Education for Women is a training program funded by the Missouri Women's Council that is designed to attract women into the trades. (JOW)

Discusses the barrier between white-collar and blue-collar workers and the problems that arise when one makes a move from one to the other. Suggests that often a mentor is what prompts people to move from blue- to white-collar positions. (JOW)

Discusses the dichotomy between new wealthy and not-so-wealthy people. Points out that the distance between the top and bottom tiers of income distribution has grown significantly since the 1970s. Looks at the reasons for the increase and what can be done about it. (JOW)

Reveals that, when exposed to poll results, blue-collar workers react negatively and white-collar workers react positively to those results. Supports the theory that an opinion poll itself can play a role as a reference group. (RL)

Lists factors, such as money, job prospects, confidence, accessibility and social factors, which may inhibit working class demand for higher education and offers some possible solutions. (JOW)

The job displacement rate for blacks converged to that for whites from 1982 to 1993. Over the same period, the rate for workers in white-collar occupations, in which blacks were underrepresented, rose, and that of blue-collar workers, in which blacks were overrepresented, fell. (Author/JOW)

The work values of 3,637 factory workers are examined. Results indicate that (1) the value placed on types of rewards is affected by general values and perceptions of needs; (2) workers tend to value what is most available from work; and (3) factory workers are not necessarily instrumentally oriented to work. (Author/CH)

The author examines the New York City Department of Sanitation's formulation of a program to introduce women into its blue-collar work force. Results indicate that comprehensive gender integration programs must pursue two distinct and often conflicting values--remediation and equity. (Author/CH)

Longitudinal data from blue-collar maintenance personnel and utility engineers were used to identify the plausible mediators between participative decision making (PDM) and job satisfaction (JS). Covariance structure analysis was also performed on the data. Role ambiguity, perceived obstacles, and performance-reward expectancy were found to…