Labor Force Nonparticipation: Trends, Causes, and Policy Solutions

Labor Force Nonparticipation: Trends, Causes, and Policy Solutions. Brookings Institution. Ryan Nunn, Jana Parsons, and Jay Shambaugh. October 3, 2019

Over the last two decades the U.S. labor force participation rate has fallen. While the relatively strong job market since 2014 has led to rising participation for some groups, the overall participation rate remains well below its peak even after adjusting for aging. These changes in the United States have not been mirrored around the world. In 1990, the U.S. had participation rates near the OECD average for prime-age (25–54) men, and were well above the average for prime-age women. By 2016, the U.S. male participation rate was well below the OECD average, and U.S. women were only slightly above the OECD average. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 52 pages].

Employer Engagement by Community-Based Organizations: Meeting the Needs of Job Seekers with Barriers to Success in the Labor Market

Employer Engagement by Community-Based Organizations: Meeting the Needs of Job Seekers with Barriers to Success in the Labor Market. Urban Institute. Shayne Spaulding, David Blount. May 22, 2018

 Employers need skilled workers to fill open jobs. Yet some workers face barriers to employment, even as the national unemployment rate dips to its lowest level in nearly two decades. These workers might face such challenges as a lack of skills, gaps in employment, or previous involvement in the criminal justice system.

Workforce development programs can help these workers overcome barriers to employment, helping them become a valuable resource to employers. Community-based organizations (CBOs) rooted in local communities and neighborhoods strive to engage employers and build trusting relationships with them to help workers get jobs and succeed at work while ensuring that employment programs meet employer needs. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

 [PDF format, 28 pages].

The Closing of the Jobs Gap: A Decade of Recession and Recovery

The Closing of the Jobs Gap: A Decade of Recession and Recovery. Brookings Institution. Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach et al. August 4, 2017

The Great Recession caused labor market devastation on a scale not seen for many decades. Millions of jobs were lost in the United States during 2008 and 2009, leaving the labor market with a hard road to recovery. Indeed, that recovery has required many years of job growth, and it was only in April 2014 that total employment reached its pre-recession level.

However, this milestone did not mark a return to pre-recession labor market conditions. Because the U.S. population is growing, simply reaching the previous number of jobs is not sufficient to return to pre-recession employment rates. At the same time, more baby boomers have entered retirement, somewhat offsetting the effects of population growth and reducing the number of jobs needed for a full economic recovery. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 13 pages, 1.68 MB].

Putting Your Major to Work: Career Paths after College

Putting Your Major to Work: Career Paths after College. Brookings Institution. Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Ryan Nunn, and Greg Nantz. May 11, 2017

For most people, a college degree is helpful for flourishing in the labor market. College graduates earn more than workers with less education—on average, about $600,000 more over their lifetimes than workers with only a high school education. College graduates also have much lower levels of unemployment, enjoy better health, and have lower mortality rates.

However, not all college experiences have the same benefits. A previous Hamilton Project economic analysis documented important variation in earnings across college majors: for the median degree holder, cumulative lifetime earnings ranged from about $800,000 to roughly $2 million. At the high end of the earnings distribution are graduates who majored in fields emphasizing quantitative skills, such as engineering, computer science, economics, and finance. At the low end are graduates who majored in fields that emphasize working with children or providing counseling services, including early childhood education, elementary education, social work, and fine arts. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 8 pages, 1.26 MB].

Improving the Labour Market Integration of Migrants and Refugees: Empowering Cities through Better Use of EU Instruments

Improving the Labour Market Integration of Migrants and Refugees: Empowering Cities through Better Use of EU Instruments. Migration Policy Institute. Kate Hooper, Maria Vincenza Desiderio, and Brian Salant. March 2017.

Cities have played a significant role in addressing Europe’s migration crisis, including by helping migrants and refugees integrate successfully into the local labor market. Cities provide a wide array of critical services to newcomers, including language training, skills assessments and orientation, mentoring and placement services, alternative pathways to employment (such as entrepreneurship), credential recognition, and vocational education and training. Yet funding constraints, differing priorities at different levels of governance, and limited capacity to evaluate and prioritize what works hamper cities’ ability to effectively deliver services.

This MPI Europe report identifies concrete actions that could be taken to better leverage European Union soft law, funding, and knowledge exchange mechanisms to support cities’ activities in this area. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 46 pages, 1.11 MB].

Job Polarization and the Great Recession

Job Polarization and the Great Recession. Urban Institute. Josh Mitchell and Austin Nichols. October 15, 2012.

For decades, the labor market has grown more polarized with employment and wages growing more slowly for middle-skill jobs than for other jobs. By most measures, polarization did not accelerate during the Great Recession. More polarization is evident, however, in the wages of re-employed workers. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 7 pages, 1.3 MB].