Sheila Palma

No Country for Young Men: Deteriorating Labor Market Prospects for Low-Skilled Men in the United States

The labor market fate of the nation’s male teens and young adults (ages 20—29) has deteriorated along most employment, weekly wages, and annual earnings dimensions in recent decades. The employment rates reached new post—World War II lows in 2009, with the less well educated faring the worst. The deterioration in the labor market well-being of these young men has had a number of adverse consequences on their social behavior. Less-educated young men, especially high school dropouts, are far more likely to be incarcerated than their peers in earlier decades. They are considerably less likely to be married and more likely to be absent fathers, with gaps in marriage rates across educational groups widening substantially since the 1970s. The decline in marriage among less-educated young adults, high assortative mating among younger married couples, and growing gaps in earnings across educational groups have contributed to a substantial widening in income and wealth disparities among the nation’s young families.

Employment Prospects in Information Technology Jobs for Non—College-Educated Adults

Does it pay to go to college? In a previous issue, we published an article arguing that college degrees helped workers gain access to the information technology job market. But workers without a degree had a wage disadvantage in IT that was less than widely assumed. In this article, three economists rebut the claim, contending that the disadvantage for those who do not attend college is striking and, in fact, has grown.

The Great Recession of 2008-2009 and the Blue-Collar Depression

Blue-collar workers have been devastated in the current recession. And their jobs are not likely to come back. Andrew Sum and his economics team dissect the disturbing facts. There is a crying need, they argue, for new jobs programs.

The Age Twist in Employment Rates, 2000-2004

Most of us now know that this economic expansion has been alarmingly short of jobs. We may not have known that teenagers are paying the biggest price. The authors explain what has happened and offer some possible explanations.