When the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the economy back into recession in early 2020, it laid bare a fragile and profoundly inequitable labor market. The economic expansion that reigned from 2009 through 2019 brought historically low unemployment and inflation but failed to reduce income inequality or arrest the decline in the number of high-quality,…

Examines historic functions of young people in the labor force and discusses how social, demographic, and economic changes since the late 1950s have pushed youth into consuming goods and services and prevented them from entering the primary labor market. Focuses in particular on the economic plight of minority youth. (GC)

Examines two government voluntary job creation programs: the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act in the 1970s, that have created conflicts with the logic of capitalist production for profit. Suggests principles and policies for a progressive government work program. (JOW)

The problem of measuring impacts of employment and training programs when workers not receiving services are affected by the program is explored, using a reemployment bonus program as an example. The conventional measures of bonus impacts may significantly overestimate the net impact of the bonus offer. (SLD)

Intended to inform local communities (especially the business sector) of ways to join government-sponsored employment and training programs with the private employment market, this handbook provides broad guidelines for use in the establishment and operation of the Private Industry Council (PIC). (The PIC is the primary vehicle created by Title…

Effects of variations in the structure of targeted employment subsidy programs on the attainment of program objectives are explored in this paper. First, the objectives that underlie targeted subsidy programs are outlined in relation to individual program characteristics and the economics of such programs are discussed. Then the wide range of…

Local job banks, computer aided man-job matching systems, are the spearhead of the multiphased Federal program to improve the functioning of the labor market information system. As evaluated here, the program may eventually achieve this objective but the evidence concerning the first phase is not encouraging. (DS)

The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), less than one year old, represents a promising start and demonstrates that Federal, State, and local governments can work together to help people with serious employment problems compete more effectively for jobs. (Author/MW)

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is a benefit paid to workers who lose their jobs in industries that face increasing competition from imported goods. TAA is supposed to offset political pressures for protectionist legislation, and it has been justified on grounds of equity and efficiency as well. Research on TAA shows that it has failed to aid…

Recent economic trends led to several pieces of manpower legislation and the establishment of several programs: the Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973, and the Emergency Jobs and Employment Assistance Act of 1974. This legislation opened public service jobs and established Federal…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed the labor market links and vocational training performance of the Job Corps, which is an employment and training program aimed at providing severely disadvantaged youth with a comprehensive array of services in residential settings. Data were collected from the following: interviews with Job Corps…

This document contains the text and a section-by-section analysis of the proposed Reemployment Act of 1994, along with President Clinton's message in transmitting the act to Congress. The document reports that job seekers today have a difficult time getting information about jobs and training. The underlying problem is the lack of a coherent…

Members of the target population that came in contact with the Concentrated Employment Program (CEP) in Columbus, Ohio were studied. Virtually all were black and most were young males. Their employment histories fit the "hard-core unemployed" label, but their attitudes did not match this discouraged and alienated stereotype. Many were…