How can federal programs support low-income and low-skilled individuals find and keep employment? Searching for a job is a universal experience for nearly all Americans, but for some low-income and low-skilled individuals, job search may be especially difficult. To support these individuals as they look for employment, many federal programs offer short-term and relatively low-intensity services, known as job search assistance. This book describes an overarching framework for thinking about job search assistance programs, including an overview of service delivery methods, key program components, and the steps that make up the job search process. This book also reviews research related to the relative effectiveness of various job search methods and the components of job search assistance (JSA) programs, including federally-funded programs. The book provides an overview of current JSA programs and the existing literature related to JSA, with a focus on low-income and disadvantaged workers and heads of households.

Job satisfaction is a central concept in work and organizational psychology as it is associated with important individual as well as organizational outcomes. Work is the number one activity that occupies most of adults' waking time. Being satisfied with one's job, which is defined as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job or job experience, is related to important work-related and health-related outcomes (e.g., higher job performance, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, life satisfaction, lower absenteeism and lower counterproductive work behavior). This book discusses determinants of job satisfaction as well as workplace implications and the impact job satisfaction has on the psychological well-being of individuals.

Women's participation in labor force activities has greatly expanded since the end of World War II. Immediately following the war, less than one-third of women were in the labour force. However, women soon began to participate in greater numbers, and their labor force participation rose rapidly from the 1960s through the 1980s before slowing in the 1990s. By 1999, women reached the peak of their labor force participation, 60 percent. Since then, however, labor force participation among women has declined. Nonetheless, women's labor force participation remains relatively high by historical standards, particularly among women with children, and a large share of women work full time and year round. This book presents historical and recent labor force and earnings data for women and men from the Current Population Survey (CPS). It examines statistical data and a view of female self-employment of working women in the United States.

High fertility and declining mortality rates have led to a very young population in most Sub-Saharan African countries. The region s labor force is expected to increase by 11 million people per year over the next 10 years. Most of this increase will be new entrants seeking their first job. While the younger generation is better educated than their parents, they often lack the means to translate that education into productive employment. Today, most work is in nonwage jobs on farms and in household enterprises. Even if greater economic activity were to create the conditions for robust growth and economic transformation, the private modern wage sector in low- and lower-middle-income countries could not absorb all the applicants. This report focuses on how to improve the quality of all jobs and to meet the aspirations of youth. It emphasizes that building a strong foundation for human capital development can play an important role in boosting earnings, and it argues that a balanced approach focused on building skills, raising productivity, and increasing the demand for labor is necessary. Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa notes that many youth employment challenges are problems of employment in general. However, youth is a time of transition, and young people face particular constraints to accessing productive work. The report brings together original analysis of household and labor force surveys; it reviews the experience of a number of promising interventions across the continent; it draws from qualitative studies in several countries; and it surveys the most up-to-date evidence from rigorous evaluations of policies and programs. From this information base, the report provides guidance to policy makers on how to intervene along two dimensions human capital and the business environment and in three priority areas agriculture, household enterprises, and the modern wage sector. The ultimate goals are to increase productivity, improve livelihoods, and multiply opportunities for young people."

Workers' compensation insurance covers nearly all workers in the U.S. and provides those who are injured or become ill as a result of work with medical treatment, a portion of lost wages, and a lump sum for some permanent impairments. Nonetheless, there are limitations to conducting studies that rely on workers' compensation records since not all injuries and illnesses result in claims being filed. Furthermore, the data that are collected are not readily combined if obtained from multiple sources since requirements vary substantially among the states. This book was written to help describe elements of the workers' compensation insurance programs in the U.S. and the potential to utilise the records for public health purposes. This book also focuses on several key policy issues facing the program, including the disproportionate share of claims and program costs attributed to postal workers, the payment of FECA benefits after retirement age, the overall level of FECA disability benefits as compared with those offered by the states, and the administration of the FECA program.

The economy is recovering from the recession, but employers are still having difficulty filling certain jobs. The Department of Labor's (DOL) Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Adult and Dislocated Worker programs are designed to help jobseekers find employment and to help employers find the skilled workers they need. This book addresses how local workforce areas have identified occupations that are in demand and how they have guided participants toward training for them; and what challenges local workforce areas have faced in helping employers fill certain jobs.

Youth Unemployment and Vocation Training focuses on the creation of good jobs for the young. The first part reviews the main factors influencing youth unemployment and the transition into the work force, bringing together evidence on demographic issues, economic growth and their interaction with institutions. Stressing the difference between general education and vocational education and training, the authors differentiate between four types of education and outline differences in the skills they convey, their places of learning and their transferability across occupations and firms. The second section provides an overview of young people's situations in major world regions, with a particular emphasis on the role of training systems and complementary active labor market policies. The authors adopt a broad understanding of regional clusters reflecting similar challenges with respect to youth unemployment on the one hand and institutional factors influencing the situation of young people on the other. Youth Unemployment and Vocation Training concludes by reviewing the most pressing policy challenges in different world regions and providing policy recommendations. The authors argue in favor of promoting vocational education and training tailored to labor market needs, all the while taking into account specific conditions found in a given national or local context. While good education and training can contribute to economic productivity and social cohesion, vocational education and on-the-job training with young workers and companies also need to involve governments, social partners or other societal actors in order to be stable and effective. Given major differences in the institutional setup in different parts of the world, the authors present options for implementing vocational training under largely differing economic and institutional conditions.

This book explores the possible economic implications of large shifts in the supply of foreign-born, hired farm labour that could result from substantial changes in U.S. immigration laws or policies. Hired labour is an important input to U.S. agricultural production, accounting for about 17 percent of variable production expenses and about 40 percent of such expenses for fruit, vegetables, and nursery products. Over the past 15 years, roughly half of the hired labourers employed in U.S. crop agriculture have lacked the immigration status needed to work legally in the United States. Thus, changes in immigration laws or policies could lead to markedly different economic outcomes in the agricultural sector and the market for hired farm labour. The same is generally true for other economic sectors that rely on large numbers of unauthorised workers.

Many recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other low-income individuals find or keep jobs for a while, but far fewer remain steadily employed, advance in the labor market, or earn wages that lift their families out of poverty. To address these issues, a number of initiatives have aimed to help low-wage workers stay employed and move up in the labour market. Several such programs, trying different strategies, were studied as part of a multiyear, multisite evaluation called the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) project. This book examines the ERA program which outlines a few strategies that succeeded in improving individuals' employment retention and earnings as well as strategies that did not. Key findings and lessons are detailed.

There is little doubt that significant income inequality persists across as well as within countries, and that wage differential exists between male and female workers across the industries and within establishments. The differences in earnings not only affect the well-being of the current generation but also have major long-term impacts on health, education and skill formation of future generations. Although an important goal of a country is to improve the well-being of their workers, the ways to achieve this goal may differ. This book presents recent research on labour economics, addressing issues such as gender wage gap, regional wage disparity, inter-and intra-industry wage inequality, the wage effects of immigration and the effects of wage negotiations in organisations. There are three parts in this book. Part A contains five chapters addressing the issue of gender wage gap. Part B also contains five chapters on regional studies to show the effects on wage, skill formation and the correlation between public and private sector employment. Part C focuses on wage negotiations in organisations. The book provides several important insights into many contemporary labour market issues.

Presenting results of original research as well reviewing and synthesizing existing studies, the publication provides an in-depth analysis of Sri Lanka's youth unemployment. The analysis follows the "4Es" conceptual framework by focusing on four key labor market aspects: employment creation, employability, entrepreneurship, and equal opportunity. In each of these areas, the publication describes main outcomes and trends, analyzes key issues, and proposes policy recommendations: Among obstacles to employment creation, the publication singles out restrictive labor market institutions that contribute to perverse labor incentives (including waiting for public sector jobs) and to labor market duality, thereby pushing workers to worse paying and also otherwise less attractive informal sector jobs. The analysis of employability shows that education system provides skills more suited for public sector, and that transition from university to work is difficult for most, with social status and the field of study, among others, determining the timing and type of employment obtained by graduates. The chapter on entrepreneurship shows that relatively few young Sri Lankan have access to training and have financial resources available to start their own enterprises, and that the prevailing social culture also represents an obstacle. In the area of equal opportunity, the volume documents the existence of a gender wage gap that cannot be explained by "productive" characteristics of workers, as young women in Sri Lanka have better characteristics than men, but are underpaid, in all sectors and among all ethnic groups, and it claims that a system of job rationing is partly based on class-based skills and social assets, putting young people from rural backgrounds at disadvantage. The volume also discusses psychological stresses and other consequences on youth of the decades of violence, including long-lasting ethnic conflict.

Over the past decade, Egyptian women have made significant progress in improving their economic and social status. The government s commitment to women s empowerment is strong at the highest political levels. Yet continued disparities remain in the country s labor market and in the business arena. 'Egyptian Women Workers and Entrepreneurs' analyzes these disparities and makes recommendations for needed change to ensure a level playing field. This groundbreaking book brings together data and extensive evidence on barriers to women s entry into business in Egypt and makes the case for actions to ensure gender equality. This book is based on a study that the Egyptian Ministry of Investment and Ministry of Manpower and Migration, and the National Council for Women requested to assist in analyzing the factors that influence women s low participation rate in economic activities, including the labor market and entrepreneurship. 'Egyptian Women Workers and Entrepreneurs' aims to fill the significant research gap on these subjects in Egypt as well as to provide suggestions to address continued gender inequalities. This book will be useful for donors, nongovernmental organizations, and researchers working to address gender barriers."

For the majority of employees in the US and elsewhere, their job is by far their most important property; with jobs providing not only a principal source of wealth, but also being a key source of social status and individual psychological well-being. While the US political system provides extensive protection to capital, it paradoxically offers only very limited protection to labour. This lack of protection is evidenced, above all, by the fact that the protection afforded to US workers against unfair, capricious or unnecessary dismissals is amongst the weakest of all industrialised nations. The primary agenda of this book is to map out the institutional choices, which have prevented the comprehensive, European-style, regulation of dismissal in the United States; and to explore how these choices have been supported, modified and maintained against attempts by US workers to secure greater job security. This book examines the issue dismissals and job security in a roughly historical order.

Historically high unemployment rates remain a grave concern for American households. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for February 2011 was an unacceptably high nine percent. Recognizing the need to create jobs and get Americans back to work, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is uniquely positioned to conduct a broad-based, economy-wide examination of the barriers that stand in the way of job growth and economic recovery. This book will examine the industries that have been hardest hit by the recession, with an emphasis on understanding their challenges and identifying rules cited as costly and problematic.

Public debate in Nigeria on the country s progress since its return to democracy in 1999 has been dominated by two seemingly opposite themes. The first theme is the strong growth performance of the non-oil economy. This success has been marked by sharp increases in agriculture, trade, and construction and by the emergence of new industries in the financial, telecommunications, and entertainment sectors, supported by sound macroeconomic policies and structural reforms. The second, opposing theme is the seeming failure of Nigeria s much improved economic performance to reduce unemployment, especially among the young. Rising levels of unemployment have increased militancy among the young and impacted negatively on public order. 'Putting Nigeria to Work: A Strategy for Employment and Growth' looks at the ways in which Nigeria s improved economic performance has impacted the labor market. A number of relevant factors are carefully examined and analyzed, including industrial policy and the investment environment, the effects of restrictive trade policies on growth, and the ability of the technical and vocational education system to address the country s skills gap. The book proposes a strategy that will allow Nigeria to increase the availability of quality jobs, reduce rising youth unemployment, and sustain and further accelerate the country s economic performance and growth. At the core of this strategy are targeted interventions aimed at removing binding constraints to growth in sectors of the economy that are already growing fast, but have the potential to grow faster and have significant employment-creating potential."

In Understanding the Social Economy, Jack Quarter, Laurie Mook, and Ann Armstrong integrate a wide array of organizations founded upon a social mission - social enterprises, nonprofits, co-operatives, credit unions, and community development associations - under the rubric of the 'social economy.' This framework facilitates a comprehensive study of Canada's social sector, an area often neglected in the business curricula despite the important role that these organizations play in Canada's economy.

Invaluable for business programs that address issues such as community economic development, co-operatives, and nonprofit studies and management, Understanding the Social Economy presents a unique set of case studies as well as chapters on organizational design and governance, social finance and social accounting, and accountability. The examples provide much needed context for students and allow for an original and in-depth examination of the relationships between Canada's social infrastructure and the public and private sectors. With this work, Quarter, Mook, and Armstrong illuminate a neglected facet of business studies to further our understanding of the Canadian economy.

Unemployment levels are on the rise nearly everywhere, and the rate is particularly high among young people. If this trend is not reversed, the potential long-term economic and social damage is incalculable. For this reason a particular urgency attended an international conference on the subject held in March 2009 at the Marco Biagi Foundation in Modena, Italy, in the course of which specialists in labour law, human resources management, labour economics, sociology, education, and statistics met to present and compare research. This issue of the Bulletin of Comparative Labour Relations includes a selection of the papers presented at that conference. Although the selected essays present findings on specific issues in particular countries, the general applicability at the global level is evident. Assessing measures taken to deal with youth unemployment in thirteen countries (Italy, Spain, Russia, Sweden, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Israel, Nigeria, the United States, China, and Singapore), twenty-five leading authorities describe and analyse such aspects of the problem as the following: − vocational education and training; − quality of employment as well as quantity; − links between educational institutions and local, national and international enterprises; − consultation and co-operation between employers' associations and trade unions; − job security vs. employment security; − funding for postgraduate programmes, internships, and on-the-job vocational training; − career development for future managers; − safeguards for workers in a framework of flexibility; − labour market pressure from unskilled immigrant workers; − 'earn-as-you-learn' schemes; − work in the informal economy; and − the rationale behind the phasing out of passive labour market measures for school leavers such as unemployment benefit. Admirably fulfilling the need for a critical analysis of today's increasing rate of youth unemployment with a comparative and interdisciplinary approach - and highlighting in particular the growing mismatch between the expectations of graduates and what the labour market is actually able to deliver - the research papers in this volume provide invaluable indicators for labour lawyers, educators, and policymakers seeking to address this issue in their specific regional and national contexts.

In Europe, work has long been a symbol of full citizenship and today work is a fundamental goal of European social policy. However, although every person has the 'right' to work, it is becoming clearer all the time that unemployment is not due merely to a lack of encouragement to exercise this right, but (at least in part) to some deeper defects in the implementation of effective employment policies. As a contribution to defining the nature of these problems, this important collection of essays targets the phenomena of multilevel governance, both vertical (European, national, regional, local) and horizontal (administrative institutions, trade unions, business representatives, NGOs), showing, with detailed analysis and data, how coordination or conflict between the various levels advances, or fails to advance, the goals of employment policy. Regarding the EU, five EU Member States are examined- plus, for comparative analysis, the parallel Canadian federal model - with the authors addressing such concrete issues as: - the impact of globalisation and Europeanisation on employment policies; - distribution of tasks in the Open Method of Coordination (OMC); - involvement of private and economic agents; - the increasing significance of international political agents; - flexicurity as an employment strategy; - the difficulty of integrating the excluded; - coordination with education and fiscal policies; - social inclusion from the point of view of international human rights; and - gender 'mainstreaming' as an essential element of the EU guarantee of gender equality. The essays originated in a research meeting held at the Instituto Internacional de Sociologia Juridica at Onati (Spain) in June of 2007. Some of the contributors, all employment law experts, discuss problematic aspects of the European Employment Strategy (EES) and its influence on the decentralization of employment policies and related elements of social protection. Other authors concentrate on 'built-in' multilevel problems resulting from existing constitutional and administrative structures, while a third group focuses on substantive approaches to employment policies within individual member states. The Bulletin contains updated versions of all papers. In this book the degree of administrative, legal, political, and cultural intricacy involved in a serious engagement with multilevel governance of employment on the European model is put on full view. As a deeply informed analysis of how the idea of multilevel governance has played out within the political and administrative reality of Member States, the book will prove of enormous value to labour and employment law professionals anywhere, as the problems identified here have a global reach.

News stories on the impact of job loss appear daily in the media. Less reported is that working conditions in many countries around the world have deteriorated as rapidly as jobs have been lost--and this affects ten times as many people. Working conditions significantly impact our health, the amount of time we can spend with family, our options during momentous life events (such as the birth of a child or the death of a parent), and whether we keep or lose a job when the unexpected occurs. Inexplicably, the global community has nearly universally accepted the argument that any country that guarantees a floor of decent working conditions will suffer higher unemployment and will be less competitive.
"Raising the Global Floor" shatters this widely held view by presenting the first ever, global analysis of the relationship between labor conditions, national competitiveness, and unemployment rates in 190 countries. The authors' findings are dramatic. They show that there is no relationship between unemployment rates and providing basic protections in a series of critical areas. Strikingly, data also indicate that good working conditions can make countries "more" competitive. There are no long-term economic gains to be had if workers are denied paid sick leave, paid annual leave, paid parental leave, the right to a day of rest, and many other basic protections that would improve the quality of their lives.

"Few of the countless real-life stories of workplace discrimination suffered by men and women every day are ever told publicly. This book boldly and eloquently rights that wrong, going where no plaintiff testimony could ever dare because these stories are often too raw, honest, ambiguous, and nuanced to be told in court or reported in a newspaper." from the Foreword Telling Stories out of Court reaches readers on both an intellectual and an emotional level, helping them to think about, feel, and share the experiences of women who have faced sexism and discrimination at work. It focuses on how the federal courts interpreted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Offering insights that law texts alone cannot, the short stories collected here all but two written for this volume help readers concentrate on the emotional content of the experience with less emphasis on the particulars of the law. Grouped into thematic parts titled "In Their Proper Place," "Unfair Treatment," "Sexual Harassment," and "Hidden Obstacles," the narratives are combined with interpretive commentary and legal analysis that anchor the book by revealing the impact this revolutionary law had on women in the workplace.At the same time, the stories succeed on their own terms as compelling works of fiction, from "LaKeesha's Job Interview," in which a woman's ambition to move from welfare to work faces an ironic obstacle, to "Plato, Again," in which a woman undergoing treatment for cancer finds her career crumble under her, to "Vacation Days," which takes the reader inside the daily routine of a nanny who works at the whim of her employer."

"Few of the countless real-life stories of workplace discrimination suffered by men and women every day are ever told publicly. This book boldly and eloquently rights that wrong, going where no plaintiff testimony could ever dare because these stories are often too raw, honest, ambiguous, and nuanced to be told in court or reported in a newspaper." from the Foreword Telling Stories out of Court reaches readers on both an intellectual and an emotional level, helping them to think about, feel, and share the experiences of women who have faced sexism and discrimination at work. It focuses on how the federal courts interpreted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Offering insights that law texts alone cannot, the short stories collected here all but two written for this volume help readers concentrate on the emotional content of the experience with less emphasis on the particulars of the law. Grouped into thematic parts titled "In Their Proper Place," "Unfair Treatment," "Sexual Harassment," and "Hidden Obstacles," the narratives are combined with interpretive commentary and legal analysis that anchor the book by revealing the impact this revolutionary law had on women in the workplace.At the same time, the stories succeed on their own terms as compelling works of fiction, from "LaKeesha's Job Interview," in which a woman's ambition to move from welfare to work faces an ironic obstacle, to "Plato, Again," in which a woman undergoing treatment for cancer finds her career crumble under her, to "Vacation Days," which takes the reader inside the daily routine of a nanny who works at the whim of her employer."

In the second edition of Interviewing, experienced educators Rob Anderson and G. Michael Killenberg explain and demystify the interviewing process, offering students a practical guide to the fascinating art of asking and answering questions. Throughout, they urge students not to view interviewing as a procedure or as a collection of techniques; instead, they present the process of interviewing as a fascinating opportunity for learning through dialogue. The basic motivation for interviewing is learning something new.
Each chapter features two sections: "The Basics," which describes essential skills, and "Beyond the Basics," which places them into a relevant context. Moreover, interviewing skills are clearly divided into three interrelated types: Listening, Questioning, and Framing. To highlight the practical, real-world significance of interviewing, the authors encourage students to apply their learning actively and to connect their skills with ideas from other communication, social science, and humanities courses. This student-friendly text also includes the following features:
* An emphasis on how interviewing contributes to the quality of public dialogue
* An integrated approach to both interviewer and interviewee roles
* In-depth coverage of culture and ethics
* Innovative boxed supplements, including:
- "Interviewers/Interviewees in Action" boxes, featuring first-person accounts
- "Trying Out Your Skills" boxes
- End-of-chapter "Making Your Decision" boxes, which present interactive hypothetical situations designed to generate class discussion
In addition, each chapter includes "The Interview Bookshelf," an annotated section recommending booksthat students will find helpful for further reading or for future interviewing-related assignments in other classes. A comprehensive online Instructor's Resource Guide is also available and provides suggestions for class activities, resources, and assignments.

In early 2007, there were approximately 140 living wage ordinances in place throughout the United States. Communities around the country frequently debate new proposals of this sort. Additionally, as a result of ballot initiatives, twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia, representing nearly 70 percent of the total U.S. population, maintain minimum wage standards above those set by the federal minimum wage.In A Measure of Fairness, Robert Pollin, Mark Brenner, Jeannette Wicks-Lim, and Stephanie Luce assess how well living wage and minimum wage regulations in the United States serve the workers they are intended to help. Opponents of such measures assert that when faced with mandated increases in labor costs, businesses will either lay off workers, hire fewer low-wage employees in the future, replace low-credentialed workers with those having better qualifications or, finally, even relocate to avoid facing the increased costs being imposed on them.The authors give an overview of living wage and minimum wage implementation in Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut to show how these policies play out in the paychecks of workers, in the halls of legislature, and in business ledgers. Based on a decade of research, this volume concludes that living wage laws and minimum wage increases have been effective policy interventions capable of bringing significant, if modest, benefits to the people they were intended to help.

In early 2007, there were approximately 140 living wage ordinances in place throughout the United States. Communities around the country frequently debate new proposals of this sort. Additionally, as a result of ballot initiatives, twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia, representing nearly 70 percent of the total U.S. population, maintain minimum wage standards above those set by the federal minimum wage.In A Measure of Fairness, Robert Pollin, Mark Brenner, Jeannette Wicks-Lim, and Stephanie Luce assess how well living wage and minimum wage regulations in the United States serve the workers they are intended to help. Opponents of such measures assert that when faced with mandated increases in labor costs, businesses will either lay off workers, hire fewer low-wage employees in the future, replace low-credentialed workers with those having better qualifications or, finally, even relocate to avoid facing the increased costs being imposed on them.The authors give an overview of living wage and minimum wage implementation in Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut to show how these policies play out in the paychecks of workers, in the halls of legislature, and in business ledgers. Based on a decade of research, this volume concludes that living wage laws and minimum wage increases have been effective policy interventions capable of bringing significant, if modest, benefits to the people they were intended to help.

Deindustrialization is not simply an economic process, but a social and cultural one as well. The rusting detritus of our industrial past the wrecked hulks of factories, abandoned machinery too large to remove, and now-useless infrastructures has for decades been a part of the North American landscape. In recent years, however, these modern ruins have become cultural attractions, drawing increasing numbers of adventurers, artists, and those curious about a forgotten heritage.

Through a unique blend of oral history, photographs, and interpretive essays, Corporate Wasteland investigates this fascinating terrain and the phenomenon of its loss and rediscovery. Steven High and David W. Lewis begin by exploring an emerging aesthetic they term the deindustrial sublime, explaining how the ritualized demolition of landmark industrial structures served as dramatic punctuations between changing eras. They then follow the narrative path blazed by urban spelunkers, explorers who infiltrate former industrial sites and then share accounts and images of their exploits in a vibrant online community. And to understand the ways in which geographic and emotional proximity affects how deindustrialization is remembered and represented, High and Lewis focus on Youngstown, Ohio, where residents and former steelworkers still live amid the reminders of more prosperous times.

Corporate Wasteland concludes with photo essays of sites in Michigan, Ontario, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania that pair haunting images with the poignant testimonies of those who remember industrial sites as workplaces rather than monuments. Forcing readers to look beyond nostalgia, High and Lewis reinterpret our deindustrialized landscape as a historical and imaginative challenge to the ways in which we comprehend and respond to the profound disruptions wrought by globalization."