As we approach this Labor Day, the Pennsylvania economy is growing steadily. Working families are sharing in prosperity in a more sustained way than at any point since 1980--although many families still struggle to make ends meet and, in our polarized nation, a big partisan divide exists in perceptions of whether the economy is better than four…

Child care has been in a downward spiral for twenty years and is a main factor exacerbating the growing worker shortage. New attention before and financial aid during the pandemic perhaps slowed the spiral, but it hasn't reversed it. The primary cause of the shortage in Greater Minnesota is simple: family child care providers, who supply the bulk…

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented economic and policy challenges to the United States and other countries. Navigating out of the pandemic slowdown is another novel experience, which makes it more difficult to answer the question addressed each year in the "State of Working Pennsylvania": How is the Pennsylvania economy…

Every person deserves the opportunity for dignified employment that provides living wages and potential for advancement. However, for many in America today, this is far from reality, as they are caught in a cycle of low-wage work, earning poverty wages, and unable to move up in the economy. Local leaders, firms, and workers need to adapt quickly…

International collaboration is a rapidly growing aspect of university research and a priority of research funding agencies. This article investigates the rationales that underlie Canadian federal research councils' support of international research collaborations. Such support has deep roots in Canadian science and technology policy but has taken…

The authors examine how the American economy has experienced sharp contractions in overall levels of output, income, and wealth resulting from the recent financial crisis, and how these losses have had an impact on the nation's labor market. The significance of these trends to American higher education is summarized in these terms: "Large labor…

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…

Every two years, the Educator Licensing Division of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is tasked with producing a report on the supply and demand of teachers. By statute, that report must contain data collected by surveying Minnesota public school districts, charter schools, and teacher preparation institutions (Minnesota Statute 127A.05,…

States that, in countries where industrialization is underway, governments must identify occupations for which skill training is required, monitor the relevance of training, and provide incentives to attract and retain people in important occupations. Discusses issues raised by manpower planning and development as well as measures that governments…

This collection contains studies of two large-scale national survey databases that have rich information on on-the-job training. The following papers are included: "On-the-Job Training/Sorting: Theory and Evidence," by John Bishop and Suk Kang; "The Magnitude and Determinants of On-the-Job Training," by John Bishop; "Impacts of Training," by John…

The decline in manufacturing employment associated with the recent recession, coupled with the continued growth of services, has renewed interest in the distribution of employment among the three major sectors: agriculture, goods-producing, and service-producing industries. (Author/SSH)

Human capital--the productive capacity that is embedded in people--is one of the most important contributors to the growth in nations' output and standard of living. Globalisation and technological change have increased the importance of human capital in recent years, to the point that there are now only two options to sustain high profits and…

Work histories from three Japanese mobility surveys were used to measure the extent of permanent employment, finding that historical events and postwar economic development have affected it. Mobility differences were greatest among young workers. White-collar workers in large firms had the lowest mobility, blue-collar, small-firm workers the…

In 1989, the Midland College Business and Economic Development Center conducted a survey of manufacturing and oil-related businesses in the Midland area of Texas who were members of the Midland Chamber of Commerce. A comparable study was conducted in 1990 of businesses who were members of the Big Spring Chamber of Commerce. For the Midland survey,…

Economic self-sufficiency is the key to reviving and maintaining a strong Indian culture; therefore, the goal of the Passamaquoddy Enterprise Zone Project was to develop an understanding of the types of business that do well in the area and those that do not do well. The study used interviews with business managers as well as case studies of 12…