Describes a reemployment training program developed by Oakland University to assist displaced automobile workers in overcoming their grief resulting from job loss and in successfully assessing and marketing their transferable skills. (Author)

The proportion of employment in higher paying occupations increased for all groups from 1973 through 1982, but the earnings distribution of these occupations shifted to include more lower paying positions. (Author/CH)

Discusses the policy of using tax incentives to stimulate investment in training, which allows the federal government to offer financial support without getting directly involved. The popularity of this policy and the reasons for it are examined. Proposed legislation directed at training needs is described. (CT)

Millions of United States' workers are unemployed, many of them dislocated from their jobs and careers by extended layoffs, drastic manpower reductions, and plant closings. Describes a model of the emotional roller coaster ride taken by employees displaced by a plant closing and suggests approaches to helping them and their families. (Author/ABB)

A typology of adaptations to unemployment was constructed using data from a 15-week longitudinal investigation of the experiences of 153 unemployed people. The typology was split between low-stress and high-stress adaptation. Counseling implications are discussed for those in the high-stress adaptation groups. (Author/TE)

Reviews literature on nature of social networks in labor market and their implications for job search strategies of dislocated workers. Suggests issues for further research: (1) how the job search changes as unemployment increases; (2) the role of social networks in the labor market; and (3) claims about security and conditions of jobs found…

Five articles address the realities of coping with downsizing: "Living with Layoffs" (Nocera); "How Safe Is Your Job?" (Lieber); "Career Makeover" (Robinson); "Ma Bell's Orphans" (O'Reilly); and "Where Are They Now?" (Martin). (SK)

Examined validity of Microcomputer Evaluation Screening and Assessment (MESA) aptitude scores relative to General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) using multitrait-multimethod correlational analyses. Findings from 54 rehabilitation clients and 29 displaced workers revealed no evidence to support the construct validity of the MESA. (Author/NB)

Describes a one-day psychoeducational group for survivors of a recent organizational downsizing. Principal goal of the group is to prevent "Layoff Survivor Syndrome" through instruction and group exercises designed to normalize common responses and increase awareness of positive coping strategies. Provides descriptions of group…

The Leisure/Occupational Connection Search is a self-assessment instrument that measures transferable skills developed in leisure pursuits. When used by 112 displaced workers, 74% felt it helped develop awareness of their transferable skills; over 60% increased awareness of their occupational and educational options. (SK)

Presents the views of the Consortium for Worker Education (New York, New York), which advocates a formal schooling system to upgrade the skills of the American worker. The first step toward systemic worker education would be the passage of federal legislation to allow state and local governments to establish Workforce Development Boards to provide…

Describes the many benefits now available to laid-off and displaced textile and apparel-related workers through the North American Free Trade Agreement's Transitional Adjustment Allowance (NAFTA-TAA), which allows them to attend college for the first time. Examines the effectiveness of the TAA program and concludes that there is room for…

Analyzes the processes whereby new technologies create opportunities for new markets and increase the need for value-added knowledge work. Suggests that in some sectors information and communications technologies will cause substantial displacement of workers in routine-based jobs. (Contains 46 references.) (SK)

The General Accounting Office reviewed the Department of Labor's (DOL) implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) program to see whether the DOL had corrected the shortcomings of the original Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. (An earlier study had shown that the TAA program had…

Although conventional wisdom indicates that temporary workers are becoming the norm and full-time workers are becoming an anachronism, statistics do not bear this position out. The truth includes the following facts: (1) companies are using more temporary workers, but these new employment arrangements provide new entry points into the labor market…