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…

This paper assesses the extent to which Rhode Island's workforce lacks skills that are in demand among the state's current and potential employers and, if so, whether such a skills gap or labor market "mismatch" significantly restrains employment growth in the state. Using an index developed by Sahin et al. (2014), we find that…

The population of recent college graduates has been growing more slowly in New England than in the rest of the United States, and New England states are concerned that an inadequate supply of skilled workers may hamper economic growth. In some sense, New England is a victim of its own success. The region's colleges and universities excel at…

The Boston metropolitan area is recognized by many for its concentration of prestigious private colleges and universities. The metropolitan area is home to over 80 private colleges and universities employing 68,600 people and attracting over 360,000 students from all over the world. This report uses employment and wage data from the Bureau of…

Data from the 1970 and 1980 censuses showed that (1) occupational and industrial segregation declined; (2) high employment growth in an occupation was associated with the decline; and (3) high employment growth is associated with improvements in relative female earnings. Results suggest that sex discrimination is lower in sectors where demand is…

Today, the Census Bureau compiles extensive information every year about the people and the economy of the United States. That is how the authors know that in 2006 the United States is going to reach an extraordinary milestone--300 million people. In this article, the authors discuss the "now and then" of the U.S. society. The authors…

Argues that the semiperipheral development of Puerto Rico since around 1975 has created a relative labor surplus in formal sectors of the economy while increasing demand for cheap labor in the informal service sector. Describes migration of Puerto Ricans to and from the U.S. and of Dominicans to Puerto Rico. (AF)

A study of a small town in the Mississippi Delta, Madison, Arkansas, questions the myth that poverty means resignation. The study concluded that the major deterrents to getting and holding jobs were lack of transportation and unsatisfactory work environments. (Author/JB)

As part of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges' Putting America Back to Work Project, this monograph examines the economic climate of the United States and the role of the community colleges in economic recovery. The first sections outline the origins and initial activities of the Putting America Back to Work Project, which…

Using data from various published sources, this report reviews the growth of higher education in India over the last 30 years, analyzes employers' needs for higher education graduates since 1950, and suggests guidelines for involving educational planning with manpower planning. The author describes the growth of Indian higher education in the…

Despite increased government investments in education, West Virginia continues to have one of the nation's highest high school dropout rates and is among the states with the highest unemployment rates. Human capital theory provides the conceptual basis for evaluating the relationship between investment in education and economic development. An…

Lying within the Cumberland Plateau of Appalachia, the Kentucky River Area Development District (KRADD) comprises eight rural Kentucky counties: Breathitt, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Owsley, Perry, and Wolfe. This report reviews regional history of economic development and examines socioeconomic indicators, including education, poverty, and the…

The Rural Manpower Service Section of the Louisiana State Department of Employment Security, responsible for providing services to agricultural and rural nonagricultural populations, implemented the Secretary of Labor's 13-Point Program. Providing manpower services to migrants, rural residents, and employers was emphasized. During 1973, 105.8…

In the late 1970s both jobs and population were growing more rapidly outside metropolitan areas. As a group, nonmetropolitan counties not adjacent to a metropolitan area experienced a faster rate of employment growth than metropolitan areas between 1975-79. Even in rural counties (no urban place of 2,500 or more) not adjacent to a metropolitan…

During 1974, the Rural Manpower Service provided a comprehensive program of service to all agricultural workers and employers in both rural and urban areas. This program was accomplished through employer relations and applicant registration programs, placement services, promotion of training programs, counseling and testing programs, collection…