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In a 2012 article, Sabia, Burkhauser, and Hansen reported very large negative effects of the 2004 to 2006 increase in the New York State minimum wage on the employment of young, less-educated workers. Hoffman reexamines their estimates using data from the full Current Population Survey (CPS), rather than the smaller CPS-MORG files they used, and finds no evidence of a negative employment impact. The full CPS, which is the source of U.S. official labor market statistics, is certainly the more appropriate and reliable data source. Furthermore, when Hoffman repeats the analysis using three states and the District of Columbia, which also had a substantial increase in the state minimum wage in the same time period, he finds evidence of a small positive employment effect. Together, the two findings are consistent with other, more recent research that reports very weak or zero employment effects of the minimum wage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) collects information on union status for workers fatally injured on the job. Understanding how unions and collective bargaining agreements may affect workplace safety is an important area of research for policymakers, public health officials, employers, workers, and unions. This article provides background on the CFOI program and describes how the program collected union information from 2011 to 2013. It further describes the methods used as part of a special effort in Massachusetts to determine what union information was available in administrative documents. In addition, the article describes methods that may enable other CFOI state agents to generate more robust data and presents Massachusetts data by union and nonunion status for 2011-13. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years the validity of Engel's Laws, with reference to consumption expenditures, has been open to question. The first law was stated in 1857 in Western Europe where economic conditions were much different from today. Do the laws still hold in a mature American economy? This article discusses results from a test using income elasticity as the method. Data were supplied by the 1960-61 study of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general agreement on the desirability of "full employment" often obscures the very real disagreement over the meaning to be attached to that term. Critics of the Census measure of unemployment have long charged that this measure seriously understates the extent of unemployment, particularly during periods of recession and depression. The authors of this article propose a new measure of "labor slack," or the underutilization of the potential labor force, which they believe would effectively complement the present Census measure in providing policy makers with the information needed to implement the Full Employment Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 15 million people were self-employed in the United States. This represented about 10% of total employment. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the self-employed without employees are treated as individuals and are subject to the individual mandates of the policy. Less than half of the American states created health exchanges to act as a marketplace for health insurance under the new policy while the remaining states defaulted to the federal exchange. Using Current Population Survey data from 2013 and 2015, this study finds that the ACA increased the likelihood that the self-employed would privately purchase health insurance. Also, states with health exchanges saw an increase in the likelihood that the self-employed would privately purchase insurance as compared with the states that defaulted. This is important for entrepreneurship since benefits, including insurance, is often cited as a reason for individuals to remain employed as wage earners instead of moving into self-employment. Also, the high costs of health insurance may be a barrier to entry into entrepreneurial ventures and self-employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents updates on studies about labor market, as of July 1979. William R. Bailey and Albert E. Schwenk of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor are examining how occupational earnings vary by number of employees in manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industries. Arthur Okun of Brookings Institution is at work on a study of inflationary processes. Hugh Neuberger of Columbia University is examining the growth of the West German economy since 1950, with special emphasis on labor market developments.

To help mark the Monthly Labor Review's centennial, the editors invited several producers and users of BLS data to take a look back at the last 100 years. This installment of the anniversary series comes from the Bureau's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program. JOLTS produces labor demand data on job openings, hires, and separations in the United States. The first section of this article provides a brief overview of the JOLTS program. The second section examines the availability and definitions of labor demand data from other countries. Analyses of countries with comparable data are discussed in the final section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Debate surrounds the accuracy of U.S. government’s estimates of job-related injuries and illnesses in agriculture. Whereas studies have attempted to estimate the undercount for all industries combined, none have specifically addressed agriculture. Methods: Data were drawn from the U.S. government’s premier sources for workplace injuries and illnesses and employment: the Bureau of Labor Statistics databanks for the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, and the Current Population Survey. Estimates were constructed using transparent assumptions; for example, that the rate (cases-per-employee) of injuries and illnesses on small farms was the same as on large farms (an assumption we altered in sensitivity analysis). Results: We estimated 74,932 injuries and illnesses for crop farms and 68,504 for animal farms, totaling 143,436 cases in 2011. We estimated that SOII missed 73.7% of crop farm cases and 81.9% of animal farm cases for an average of 77.6% for all agriculture. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the percent missed ranged from 61.5% to 88.3% for all agriculture. Conclusions: We estimate considerable undercounting of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in agriculture and believe the undercounting is larger than any other industry. Reasons include: SOII’s explicit exclusion of employees on small farms and of farmers and family members and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages’s undercounts of employment. Undercounting limits our ability to identify and address occupational health problems in agriculture, affecting both workers and society. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article offers the author's insights on the Narratives of the Professions, a course which integrates literature survey with the sociology and history of professions. Topics include the number of professionals and the rise of professions in the U.S., the sections of the course, and the use of theory as a tool and novels in the course.

The measurement of inter-industry pay differentials and the resulting use of this information to assess the empirical relevance of different labor market theories have been hampered by the fact that measures of total compensation - as opposed to just wages and salaries - are not available in the datasets traditionally used. We improve upon past measures of inter-industry pay differentials by being the first, to our knowledge, to incorporate microdata on nonwage compensation. Such compensation can easily exceed 40 to 50 percent of wages and thus its inclusion may either diminish or amplify measured industry pay differences. Using the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC) data produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we find that the inclusion of benefits increases industry dispersion by 16 percent when no controls are included and by an even greater 30 percent when controls are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the recently US presidential election, questions were raised about bias in the widely published unemployment numbers released each month by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This article will examine the BLS unemployment data for any outward sign of prejudice or systematic bias. This pragmatic look at the numbers should help build confidence that there is neither systematic nor purposeful bias in the numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several definitions, notes, and charts related to current labor statistics in the U.S. Among the definitions, it is stated that employer-provided benefits are benefits that are financed wholly or partly by the employer. The Employment Cost Index (ECI) is a quarterly measure of the rate of change in compensation per hour worked and includes wages, salaries, and costs of employee benefits to the employer. The charts are on the unemployment rate in the U.S. and other countries as of 2011-2012, employment status of the working-age population, and annual indexes of manufacturing productivity for several countries.

The article offers information and statistics regarding job market in U.S. It states that labor market improved in 2012 than in 2011 and the unemployment rate was one percent lower than 2011. It mentions that the number of job losers decreased in 2012 for the third consecutive year. The number of people who were unemployed because they lost their job fell by 1.2 million from the fourth quarter of 2011. This category includes people on temporary layoff. The number of people unemployed for a year or longer was down by 605,000 from 2011, almost twice the size of the decrease from the previous year.

Abstract: Introduction: This study examined trends and patterns of fatal falls from roofs in the U.S. construction industry over an 18-year period (1992–2009), with detailed analysis for 2003–2009. Methods: Two large national datasets were analyzed: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics'' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and the Current Population Survey. Results: Roof fatalities accounted for one-third of fatal falls in construction in 1992–2009. A disproportionately high percentage (67%) of deaths from roof falls occurred in small construction establishments (1–10 employees). Roofers, ironworkers, workers employed with roofing contractors, or working at residential construction sites, had a higher risk of roof fatalities. A higher rate of roof fatalities was also found among younger (<20years) and older (>44years) workers, Hispanics, and immigrant workers. Conclusion: Roof fatalities corresponded with economic cycles and differed among construction subgroups and worksites. Impact on Industry: Prevention strategies should target high-risk worker groups and small establishments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents important facts about the labor statistics in the U.S. in 2013. It mentions that employed individuals are those who worked during the week at any time or those who temporarily failed to attend to their regular jobs due to some reasons such as industrial dispute and illness. It states that unemployed people are individuals who do not work for some time or those who were available to work but are not capable due to temporary illness. The authors also define unemployed people who were downsized.

The article offers information on various issues related to labor statistics, collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, including labor force, labor compensation, and illness statistics. It further discusses Labor market indicators, employment and unemployment data, and job openings and labor turnover survey. It also presents various tables related with labor statistics.

Removing the declines due to the 2007-2009 recession prior to seasonal adjustment in a number of experimental data series reveals that the recession did not create any bias causing a pattern of stronger increases in employment in the winter months of the fourth through the first quarter versus weaker increases from the second to the third quarter [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An examination of resource use by married parents finds that married men spent more time working on an average weekday or weekend day on which they worked than did married women; regardless of their wives' employment status, married men were less likely to spend time in housework than wives who were not employed for pay [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several charts are presented depicting the labor statistics in the U.S. through 2012 including the average hourly earnings of production, unemployment rates, and employment status.

Although the average size of establishments rose through the expansionary years of the 1990s, it has fallen during each year of the first decade of the 2000s; a primary explanation is that new establishments are starting and staying smaller [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several charts on statistical data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics including labor force, employment and unemployment are presented.

The length of time the jobless spent searching for work before finding a job increased from 5.2 to 10.4 weeks between 2007 and 2010, edging down to 10.0 in 2011; for the unemployed who eventually quit looking and left the labor force, duration also increased sharply between 2007 and 2011, from 8.7 to 21.4 weeks [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that payroll employment in nonfarm industries in the U.S. increased 1.4 percent or 1.8 million in 2011. It informs the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey found that in the private sector most major industries experienced job growth in 2011. The health care industry employment rose by 2.1 percent on 297,000 and the employment in leisure and hospitality industry grew by 318,000, or 2.4 percent. Employment in the durable goods industry increased by 242,000. It reports that employment in the local government declined by 496,000 jobs and in state government by 159,000 job.

Most major employment and unemployment indicators signaled improvement in the labor market in 2011; the unemployment level and rate fell, and employment was up over the year [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several charts and tables related to the current labor statistics of the U.S. are presented including one on annual and quarterly percent changes in compensation, prices, and productivity of labor, one on wage and compensation changes, and one on employment status of the labor population.

The article offers information on the way data is collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It states that certain monthly and quarterly data are adjusted to eliminate the effect on the data of such factors as climatic conditions, industry production schedules, opening and closing of schools, holiday buying periods, and vacation practices, which might prevent short-term evaluation of the statistical series. It mentions that labor market indicators include employment measures from two major surveys and information on rates of change in compensation provided by the Employment Cost Index (ECI) program.

The health care and social assistance sector and the professional and business services sector will account for almost half the projected job growth from 2010 to 2020; construction is projected to rebound from the most recent recession and add jobs, while employment in manufacturing is expected to decline over the period [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty measurement is often controversial, but good public policy relies crucially on a broadly supported and understood poverty measure. In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau announced it would begin regular reporting of a new supplemental poverty measure in October 2011. The present article provides background information for a student exercise (available, on request, from the author) on alternative poverty measurement techniques. The exercise allows students to use current data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (available through the Bureau of Labor Statistics at http://www.bls.gov/cex/; U.S. Department of Labor 2010) and other sources to calculate and compare several absolute and relative poverty thresholds. The exercise invites students to draw their own conclusions about the pros and cons of different measures, including the new supplemental measure. Data sources are easily updated as new information becomes available. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Several charts are presented on labor statistics in the U.S. during 2009, 2010, and 2011, that include the labor market indicators, wage and compensation changes, and quarterly census of employment and wages.