The author highlights the predominance of the five-day, 40-hour workweek. Although finding little change in recent years in the proportion of workers on 40-hour schedules, Smith notes that there have been some changes in work patterns, with a still small but growing group of workers on "compressed" full-time weeks of less than five days.…

Presents highlights of the issue's eight other articles that examine data from a special 1985 household survey covering topics such as the number of workers who moonlight, who work at home, who have flexible hours, or who would prefer to work more or fewer hours per week. (Author/CT)

The self-employed began to more closely resemble wage and salary workers during 1972-79. Their workweek was shortened, they tended to be younger, and were more likely to be women than in the past, but they continued to earn less than other workers. (Author)

The number of Americans working for themselves continues to increase, reaching 9.1 million in 1983. They tend to be older than other workers, and although they work longer hours, their earnings are lower. (SK)

Tom Peters packs 36 hours of work into the confines of a 24-hour day. Without breaking a sweat, he juggles multiple collaborative projects, which currently include an Illinois academic library shared storage facility; a multistate virtual reference and instruction service for blind and visually impaired individuals (InfoEyes); a virtual meeting…

Examines the trend toward compression of working hours into fewer days per week. Compares the workweeks of goods- and services-producing industries, white- and blue-collar workers, and public employees. (SK)

The author discusses the problems of scheduling shift work, touching on such topics as employee desires, health requirements, and business needs. He presents a method for developing shift schedules that addresses these three areas. Implementation hints are also provided. (CH)

This report contains the final recommendations of the task force on youth employment for the state of Wisconsin. The task force was specifically charged with studying issues related to working teenagers, reviewing existing laws and regulations on child labor, and developing recommendations to ensure that when teenagers work, their jobs do not…

Examines changes in employment, unemployment, and hours of work in manufacturing, with particular focus on the five major metal-using and producing industries which are particularly sensitive to economic cycles. (SK)

Discusses policies which, combined with sound macro-economic policies, can contribute to reducing structural and cyclical unemployment without compounding inflation. Topic areas considered include: structural employment policies; temporary measures to promote employment during recovery; restructuring of working time; and role of collective…

Updates a 1976 article explaining the stability of hours of work per week in the U.S. since World War II. It introduces a revised series of the ratio of female to male wages over time. In a reply to this article, Kniesner presents estimates which support his 1976 conclusions. (CT)

Bureau of Labor Statistics data show the industrial sector as a whole in healthy shape, but a few manufacturing industries in deep trouble. These industries include tobacco manufacturers, iron and steel foundries, leather products, and steel manufacturers. Also examines shifts in employment and output, job quality, and outlook for the future. (CT)

During the 1970s, increasing health care demands resulted in a greatly increased work force and a need for highly skilled workers. Wages and salaries of health personnel remained below and absences above national averages. (Author/SK)

The author focuses on laws governing maximum working hours, explaining how their coverage became restricted to women and children and how organized labor showed renewed interest in universal hour laws during the Depression. She advances three hypotheses to explain how laws that once were protective became restrictive. (CT)

Time sharing, in which professionals distribute their working hours among several enterprises through part-time contracts, creates jobs, enables small businesses to take advantage of skills and experience, and gives flexibility. The question of how benefits, retirement, and unemployment insurance apply remains to be resolved. (SK)