A comparison was made of patterns of employment of women in Europe with differing levels of child care provision and of earnings forgone over a lifetime by women bearing children to those of childless women. Working mothers in Great Britain and Germany were found to have greater earning losses than those in France and Sweden. (JOW)

Using data from 151 countries, labor force participation of older men and women was analyzed and related to economic, demographic, and policy variables. Reduced participation rates are related to increased income levels, structural changes, social security programs, and, for men, the ratio of older persons to persons of standard working age. (SK)

Review of statistical data confirms worldwide trends: growth in services, decline in agriculture, and, in manufacturing, decline in industrialized economies but growth in developing ones. Although services are characterized by low productivity growth, certain types (such as research and development) exert positive influence on economic growth. (SK)

Surveys of 900 manufacturers in Hungary and Bulgaria show that transition to a market economy is (1) marginalizing women, affected by segregation, layoff risk, and discrimination; (2) diminishing labor market role of older workers; and (3) increasing difficulties faced by youth seeking employment, whose skills do not match new employment needs.…

Estimates are made of absolute poverty and employment under the hypothesis that existing trends continue. Concludes that while the number of people in absolute poverty is not likely to decline by 2000, the proportion will fall. Jobs will have to grow 3.9% per year in developing countries to achieve full employment. (JOW)

A review of econometric literature on female-male wage differences and asymmetrical distribution in occupations shows that differences in returns to human capital (i.e., discrimination) explains far more of the wage gap than differences in education and experience. Crowding of women into few occupations depresses wages. (SK)

The authors believe that one should beware of adopting too general an approach to Third World training which fails to take account of different types of education and training. At the same time, they view the economy as a whole, including the rural sector and informal activities. (Author/CT)

In recent years the economy of the Dominican Republic has experienced rapid growth without reducing urban unemployment. The research project measured the relationship between growth and employment, examining the behavior of factors affecting labor demand and supply. Available from: ILO Publications, International Labour Office, CH-1211, Geneva,…

About three-quarters of current unemployment in these countries is due to deficient labor force demand. Changes in economic policy and improvement in labor mobility are necessary elements in solving the problem. (Author/SK)

Assesses the extent of the following types of structural unemployment in the United Kingdom: technological change, skills mismatch, geographical mismatch, demographic shifts, institutional rigidity, unemployability, and capital restructuring. Concludes that measurement is difficult and the types create segmented labor markets that obstruct the…

Provides a conceptual framework within which to measure the economic aspects of child labor. Outlines reasons for concern and explains how child labor is defined and measured. Discusses policy and program implications. (Contains 45 references.) (JOW)

The tasks of the European Social Fund, the European Economic Community's social policy instrument, were reviewed in l983 in the light of the worsening unemployment situation and the priority placed on employment and vocational training policies. (Author/SSH)

This article discusses the difficulties involved in obtaining accurate labor force data for Third World women, from the point of view of interviewers, respondents, and labor statisticians or economists. Suggestions are then made regarding alternative definitions of the labor force and survey questionnaire structures in order to overcome some of…

Although it is often claimed that much current unemployment is "structural," the term is potentially misleading because it is poorly defined. The author identifies the following seven major elements in its make-up: changes in industrial structure, skill mismatch, geographical mismatch, demographic shifts, institutional rigidities,…

The conventional approach to analysis of employment problems in the modern sector, namely comparison of workforce supply and demand, is inapplicable in the traditional sector, where a distinction needs to be made between the concepts of workforce underutilization and its availability. The author discusses these concepts and presents their policy…