Wages of female workers differ significantly by industry. The average woman earns about 65% as much as the average man; 12%-22% of the gap is explained by differences in patterns of interindustry wage differentials and 15%-19% by differences in gender distribution of workers. Combined industry effects explain about one-third of the gender wage…

Data from 2,061 British companies in the Workplace Industrial Relations Survey supported the hypothesis that powerful unions reduce the external threat of job loss and therefore the pace of work in unionized firms is less responsive to such threats. (SK)

Irish business surveys in 1993 (n=654) and 1996-97 (n=215) were used to estimate productivity effects of training. General rather than specific training had positive effects on productivity regardless of changes in work organization, firm size, or level of human capital before training. (SK)

Detailed diaries from two time use studies (1975-1981) were analyzed to examine how use of time on the job affects earnings. Additional time spent on breaks at work raises earnings, but not to the same extent as additional time spent working. Effects differed for union and nonunion workers. Eliminating breaks entirely would be counterproductive.…

Presents evidence of discrimination against women in promotion to partnership in major U.S. law firms in 1969-73 and 1980. Findings indicate that women were about one-half as likely as men to achieve partnership even though they did not significantly differ from men in academic distinction, law school rank, or productivity. (Author/JOW)

Productivity and employment data were collected from nine manufacturing plants at monthly intervals over a period of four to five years, during which time cooperative labor-management programs were introduced. Results showed productivity increased in six of eight firms and employment remained stable in eight of the nine. (Author/SK)

Links between organizational performance and high-performance work practices were studied using data from the National Employment Survey, measures of work practices comparable across organizations, and a longitudinal design incorporating data predating use of high-performance practices. Practices raise employee compensation without necessarily…

Analysis of panel data on immigrants to Germany 1984-94 focused on the relationship of language proficiency and productivity. Results show how time-varying measurement errors can lead to downward bias on the effect of fluency on earnings. Language proficiency is thus far more important than studies have suggested. (Contains 30 references.) (SK)

This study presents econometric estimates of the effects of unionism on productivity in 83 West Virginia coal mines in the early 1920s. Results show that unionism significantly reduced productivity at small mines but not at large mines. The author ascribes this effect to systematic differences between small and large operations in the quality of…

This study tests a standard model of the production process and an augmented model that incorporates a linkage from worker attitudes to total factor productivity and the total unit cost of production. The authors estimate these models with data on the U.S. automobile industry for the years 1959-76. (Author/CT)

Examines the difference in productivity between union and nonunion contractors in the construction industry within two samples, one of 83 commercial office buildings completed in 1973-1974 and the other of 68 elementary and secondary schools completed in 1972. The analysis includes controls for differences in capital-labor ratios, observable labor…

Data from the 1984 Survey of Income and Program Participation showed that 62% of differences in wages offered to black and white men and 67% of differences in observed wages were not due to productivity differences. Wage discrimination reduced the relative employment rate of black men from 89% to 82% of white men's rate. (SK)

Data from university economics departments from 1973, 1977, 1982, and 1987 show that departments ranked highest in scholarly productivity were least likely to hire female faculty; those hiring fewer women in the 1970s declined in publication rank; and the research output of women in the 1970s was greater than men at comparable institutions. (SK)

A 1997 replication of a 1992 study received 683 responses from businesses. Results show rapid diffusion of high performance work organization (HPWO) practices; adoption of self-managed teams was slower than other practices. HPWOs were associated with increased layoffs and no compensation gains, so restructuring benefits were not mutually shared by…

The purpose of the study is to examine A. F. Shorrocks's 1971 conclusion in the light of post-1969 events, examining first, the relation between imports and employment; second, the changes in unemployment in the steel industry, both in steel producing centers and nationally; and third the role of capacity utilization. (Author)