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…

It is generally accepted that human capital is an important factor in economic growth, but its impact on growth depends on the demand for education and skills on the labor market. Demand for human capital is largely determined by the institutional environment that governs the basic conditions for economic activity. The author expresses ten doubts…

The Great Recession that began in December 2007 laid bare many of the shortcomings of the American workforce, especially the lack of workers with postsecondary education. A large majority of jobs lost in the recession and in the recovery had been held by workers with a high school diploma or less. The only real gains made during the still…

The rising cost of college education and high unemployment levels among recent college graduates are raising the question "Is college worth its cost?" in the minds of many Americans. A recent study published by the Associated Press found that one out of every two recent college graduates is jobless or underemployed, suggesting maybe college isn't…

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies provide a range of services to help people with disabilities become employed. How services are delivered, however, depends on several factors including client interests and abilities as well as economic opportunities within the local community. For better or worse, rural and urban clients face vastly…

As is well known, a worker's attitude toward labor is to a considerable extent determined by his age. During the Soviet era this was the cause of many problems, such as the high turnover in cadres, very poor labor discipline, and the decline of labor's role in the system of value orientations. Researchers pointed out that it was most often young…

Examines the trend toward compression of working hours into fewer days per week. Compares the workweeks of goods- and services-producing industries, white- and blue-collar workers, and public employees. (SK)

Export-related industries accounted for almost half of the rebound in manufacturing employment after the decline of 1984-86. (Author)

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)

There are many blue-collar workers who aspire to work in the white-collar world. Work histories of employed adults from an industrial area of Baltimore who were classified as Realistic (based on the Holland Vocational Preference Inventory) show most adults are apparently unable to move out of this classification. (Author)

Women workers are establishing an identity for themselves in the traditionally male-dominated work world of mechanics, carpenters, construction workers, technicians, and engineers, drawn by incentives ranging from higher pay to training and advancement opportunities. Of the over 12.5 million women employed in industrial and service occupations,…

Findings from this survey revealed that employers differ in their hiring practices depending on the occupation for which they are filling a vacancy. Most employers value on-the-job training and prior related, work experience more than vocational training when selecting and evaluating workers. (Author)

Relationships between age and employee satisfaction with intrinsic and extrinsic outcomes were investigated in samples of female (n=177) and male (n=96) blue-collar operatives. Results indicated a linear approximation of the age-satisfaction relationships is adequate, and satisfaction with intrinsic outcomes is related to age. (Author)

As total employment grows by 20 percent from 1974 to 1985, the number of jobs for white-collar and service workers is projected to rise 28 percent and blue-collar employment will increase 13 percent the supply of college graduates will outstrip demand, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections. (Editor)

Most occupations are projected to experience sustained growth during the 1980s; service jobs will grow the fastest and white-collar jobs will provide the most openings. Prospects for more than 250 occupations are given here, along with each occupation's estimated employment in 1980. (Author/CT)