The present study examined the extent to which the U.S. STEM labor market is stratified in terms of quality of employment. Through a series of cluster analyses and Chi-square tests on data drawn from the 2008 Survey of Income Program Participation (SIPP), the study found evidence of segmentation in the highly-skilled STEM and non-STEM samples,…

We examine the prevalence of nonstandard employment in the nonmetropolitan United States using the Current Population Survey Supplement on Contingent Work (1999 and 2001). We find that nonstandard work is more prevalent in nonmetropolitan than in central city or suburban areas. Logistic regression models controlling for sociodemographic and work…

Examines the reasons for part-time work and characteristics of part-time workers, legislative protection, national incentives to increase access to part-time jobs, and forms of part-time work. Explores arguments for and against part-time employment. (SK)

While employment growth has accelerated, allowing unemployment to fall significantly since 2005, many low-skilled workers are still unemployed and the duration of unemployment spells is still long. The introduction of an in-work benefit for workers in low-income households, subject to a minimum of hours worked, could lower barriers to higher…

Contingent workers are those employed in jobs that do not fit the traditional description of a full-time, permanent job with benefits. Contingent work takes the form of part-time, temporary, and contract employment. The number of contingent workers in 1988 has been estimated at between 29.9 and 36.6 million, representing 25-30 percent of the…

Part-time work is a significant aspect of the U.S. labor market, and the number of part-time jobs has increased from 6 million in 1955 to 19 million in 1987. Part-time work is done by a very diverse range of workers, particularly teenagers, older workers, and women with children. Consequently, it is probably not useful to think about the part-time…

With more mothers in the work force and greater stresses created by competing demands of work and home, nonstandard work arrangements (NSWAs), which include temporary help agency work, on-call work, day labor, contract work, independent contracting, self-employment, and part-time work, have been suggested as a remedy for this conflict. For the…

Nonstandard work arrangements (independent contracting, working for a temporary help agency, contract or on-call work, day labor, self-employment, and regular part-time employment) are growing more common in the United States. In 1995, more than 29 percent of all jobs were in nonstandard work arrangements. A study of these jobs and the…

In 1993, 10.4 million people were classified as being among the working poor. Of those individuals living in poverty, 2.4 million worked year round at full-time jobs and 7.4 million lived in a household containing someone who was employed full time throughout the year. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report identified low earnings, involuntary…

This report examines training provided to young persons by employers during the 1986-90 period. Data from the Youth cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys provided information on a sample of young men and women who were between the ages of 14 and 22 in 1979 and who have been interviewed annually since then. The study focused on three…

Recent changes in the structure of wages and in employer-provided benefits made available to young workers were examined. Changes in the wage structure and in benefits were compared by educational level. Data from the Youth, Young Men, and Young Women's cohorts of the National Longitudinal Surveys provided information on a sample of young men and…

In an effort to pare labor and benefits costs, many businesses and government employers have significantly reduced the size of their permanent, full-time work forces in favor of a part-time work force and various types of contingent workers: independent contractors, temporary workers, on-call workers and day laborers, and leased workers.…

In these addresses and panel and workshop presentations, experts from business, congressional, union, academic, and nonprofit association sectors provide a look at part-time employment issues of concern to workers, employers, and public policy officials. They describe the place of part-time workers in today's labor force; the needs of older…

Workers in flexible staffing arrangementsincluding temporary agency, direct-hire temporary, on-call, and contract workersare much less likely than regular, direct-hire employees to be covered by laws mandating or regulating workplace benefits. They are also much less likely to receive pension, health insurance, and other benefits on the job.…

Use of flexible staffing arrangements--including temporary help agency, short-term, on-call, regular part-time, and contract workers--is widespread and two-thirds of employers believe this trend will increase in the near future. A study examined which employers use flexible staffing arrangements, why they use these arrangements, and their…