Search

Managing work and family responsibilities is particularly difficult for military families with children. While military life has always been demanding, in recent years an increasing number of military personnel in both the Active Duty Force and Selected Reserves have had to confront the additional demands of parenthood. Providing resources to support parents who serve in the military and the nearly 1.8 million children living in military families has become a priority for state legislators. This paper answers the following questions about supporting military families with children: (1) How many military personnel are parents?; (2) What challenges are faced by military families with children?; (3) Supporting military families with children is a policy issue; (4) The military and the public benefit when military families with children are supported; (5) What states have enacted legislation to support military families with children?; (6) States have made military families with children a priority in recent sessions; and (7) Where can I get more information? (Contains 13 sources.)

The legislative framework for academic and nonacademic unionization and collective bargaining in Canadian public colleges, universities and technical institutes is set out and compared with mainstream labour law. Significant deviations affecting academic staff in the province of Alberta are explored to understand their effect and the factors which maintain this deviation. (Contains 2 tables and 2 endnotes.)

The aging of the baby boom generation and the increase in life expectancy has led to record numbers of older adults in the United States. Increasingly, older adults want or need to stay in the workforce. Older workers comprise a diverse group of individuals with various expectations, desires and abilities. As a result, definitions of exactly who is an older worker are varied. Older workers have many reasons for remaining in the work force, including needing income or benefits and wanting to stay physically and mentally healthy. Regardless of the reasons, however, older workers are the largest growing group of employees in the labor market. This paper answers the following questions about employment and training for older workers: (1) Why are employment opportunities for older workers a policy matter?; (2) How do employment opportunities for older workers affect your constituents?; (3) Which older workers have access to employment opportunities?; (4) How do employment opportunities for older workers affect business?; (5) What can be done?; (6) Have any bills on employment opportunities for older workers been recently introduced in your state?; and (7) Would you like additional information about employment opportunities for older workers? (Contains 10 sources.)

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the Act), provides the legislative basis for programs and activities that assist individuals with disabilities in the pursuit of gainful employment, independence, self-sufficiency and full integration into community life. This report is intended to provide a description of accomplishments and progress made under the Act during fiscal year 2000 (October 1999 through September 2000). To that end, the report identifies major activities that occurred during this fiscal year, and the status of those activities during that specific time period. The report provides a description of the activities of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), a component of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education. RSA is the principal agency for carrying out Titles I, III, VI, and VII, as well as specified portions of Title V of the Act. RSA has responsibility for preparing and submitting this report to the President and Congress under Section 13 of the Act. The Act also authorizes research activities that are administered by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDDR) and the work of the National Council on Disability, and includes a variety of provisions focused on rights, advocacy and protections for individuals with disabilities. A description of those activities is also provided in this report.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 requires that vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies set aside at least 15% of their federal VR services grant funds to assist students with disabilities. These students are entitled to receiving pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS). Pre-ETS include job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on enrollment opportunities, workplace readiness training, and instruction in self-advocacy. This Data Note explores the effects of this WIOA provision on people with intellectual disabilities (ID) who exited the VR program during program year 2018 (July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019). [This Data Note is a product of ThinkWork! at the Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston.]

In preparation for the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), this policy update presents key aspects of the statutory language of Title I of the WIA and describes its potential implications for youth with disabilities as they prepare for the transition to employment and adult life as described in Sections 126-129 of Chapter 4--Youth Activities. The purpose of the WIA is to establish a new comprehensive workforce investment system that is customer focused, allows individuals to manage their careers, and helps employers locate competent employees. For youth with disabilities, WIA includes individualized service and access to integrated education opportunities as key complements, similar to those found in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A chart illustrates the interrelationship of the transition service requirements of Title I of WIA and IDEA. Information is also provided on key services each local youth program must include: tutoring, study skills training, instruction leading to completion of secondary school, alternative secondary school services, summer employment, work experiences, occupational skills training, leadership development, supportive services, mentoring, and counseling. The performance accountability system under the WIA is also explained, along with provisions addressing the Job Corps, Youth Opportunity Grants, and nondiscrimination. (CR)

The Road to Success (RtS) program was designed to introduce hard-to-employ adults with learning disabilities and other cognitive barriers to ways of learning that are will enable them to learn the skills and knowledge they will need as employees and in their everyday lives. Originally developed to serve welfare recipients in Kansas, RtS was eventually expanded to serve all clients of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. The RtS curriculum, which was delivered in 6-week workshops by community college instructors, was based on a cognitive model of adult learning, featuring techniques such as advance organizers, explicit description, verbal rehearsal, modeling, and specific feedback. In addition to teaching transferable learning strategies, the curriculum focused on the following "soft skills" so strongly supported by the employment sector: social skills, sense of community, self-determination, employability skills, and knowledge of employment rights and responsibilities. The program has proved highly successful. Sixty-three percent of RtS attendees successfully completed the workshop. Pretest/posttest data established that all participants made measurable gains in their sense of work ethic, self-sufficiency, positive attitude, and communication skills. Close collaboration between the RtS participants' case managers and their RtS instructors was deemed a key factor in the program's success. (Forty-six tables are included. Fourteen charts and a 22-item bibliography are appended.) (MN)

Occupational safety and health data and labor statistics were evaluated in order to update a 1991 report on child labor. Data were from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); the Department of Labor's (DOL's) investigations database and individual case files; and interviews at DOL field offices and with NIOSH officials. Little change in the number and characteristics of working children was found. As many as 3.7 million children aged 15 to 17 worked in 2001; of those, approximately 4% were employed illegally. Among those most likely to be employed illegally were Hispanic and non-citizen children. The number of children who die each year from work-related injuries (62-73) changed little over the decade; however, those who incurred nonfatal injuries while working were more difficult to determine because of data discrepancies. Boys and Hispanic children; children working in construction, agriculture, transportation, and public utilities; and children working in family businesses faced a greater likelihood of being killed than other working children. Compliance with the child labor provisions of Fair Labor Standards Act was found wanting for these reasons: (1) lack of specific goals for industries in which children have high rates of injuries and fatalities; (2) inadequate methods of measuring compliance success; (3) poor planning and assessment; and, (4) inadequate guidance and training of local offices. The following items are appended: scope and methodology; recent legislative proposals on child labor; detailed information on children in the United States who work; and comments from the DOL/GAO. (Contains 24 tables and 13 figures.) (AJ)

The labor market effects of employment protection were examined in a study of Germany's employment protection regulations and their impact on employment practices and patterns. The following topics were considered: (1) the question of whether Germany's labor market problems are a result of regulations; (2) employment security as a subject of labor market regulation; (3) labor-economics criticism of employment protection; (4) the labor market effects of employment protection regulations in Germany and in other member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development; and (5) empirical and theoretical contradictions of the law and economics of employment protection. The study concluded that the labor market effects of employment protection regulations are frequently overrated. If the statistical relationship between a low regulation level and high economic growth is disregarded, there is little evidence that regulation strictness has an effect on levels of employment and unemployment. The study's empirical and theoretical findings were said to provide no justification for large-scale deregulation of employment protection legislation. However, several adjustments in economic policy in response to recent changes in Germany's economic structure were recommended. (Three tables of data related to the relationship between growth and the labor market are appended. The bibliography lists 20 references.) (MN)

Job placement, unemployment insurance, and active labor market policy in Germany were reviewed. The following were among the review's main conclusions: (1) measures of active and passive labor market policy are still regarded as important to combating unemployment and improving the matching function of the German labor market; (2) the many different instruments of active labor market policy that are in use in Germany have been only slightly "modernized" in Germany's new Job-AQTIV Law, which emphasizes activation of the unemployed and follows the trend observed in other countries of brining together elements of active and passive labor market policies; (3) Germany's multitude of instruments of active labor market policy and their high cost are partly due to the events following Germany's unification; (4) unemployment remains high in the eastern part of Germany, and only parts of its economy can stand up to competition on the world market; and (5) Germany's high degree of intervention in the labor market is intended to ease the labor market situation and make it socially more acceptable. It was concluded that measures of active labor market policy will likely result in a redistribution of the risks of unemployment rather than in a lasting reduction of the unemployment level. (Contains 41 references.) (MN)

In the era of globalization, Malaysia's ability to remain economically competitive depends on the skills of its workforce. The policies and practices of Malaysia's vocational education system must be revised to do more to give the country's disabled citizens the training they need to find employment and become taxpayers. More concerted efforts are needed to uphold the rights of Malaysia's estimated 100,000 disabled adults, only 4,175 of whom were employed in the private sector in 1990-2001. Appropriate legislation is needed to defend the rights of special populations as outlined by United Nations resolution 3447 (Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons). These rights include the right to economic and social security, the right to a decent standard of living, and the right to have their special needs considered at all stages of economic and social planning. Malaysia needs a holistic and systematic approach to improving the quality of life of its special needs population. The following legislative acts must be passed: (1) the Vocational Education and Training for Special Need Population Act; (2) the Job Partnership and Employment for Disabled Act; and (3) the Building Accessibility Act. The Vocational Education and Training for Special Need Population Act should emphasize making vocational education and training accessible to everyone and eliminating gender bias and stereotyping. (MN)

In an effort to assess what progress states and localities are making in implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, a study identified three issues of particular concern: (1) mandatory partners' participation in the one-stops; (2) job seekers' ability to receive enhanced choices for training; and (3) private-sector participation on workforce boards. Information was collected through interviews with officials of the Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, officials from national associations representing implementers, site visits to nine one-stop employment service centers in three states, and a symposium of stakeholders. The study found, first, that although mandatory partners are attempting to participate in the one-stops, program or financial concerns are affecting their level of participation and their ability to fully integrate their services at the one-stops. Second, the partners found the data collection requirements of the legislation difficult and costly. Finally, the private-sector partners were concerned about the operation of the workforce investment boards on which they were supposed to be represented. The study recommends that the responsible federal agencies work together to provide more effective guidance on how to address the specific concerns identified by state and local implementers and that Congress provide more time for training providers. Appended are: Presence of Partners at Nine One-Stops and Method of Core Service Provision and Respective Comments from the Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgements. (KC)

Studies of 29 welfare reform initiatives conducted by the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation were synthesized in an exploration of how welfare and work policies affect employment and income. Each of the studies reviewed focused on one or more of the following key program features: mandatory employment services, earnings supplements, and time limits on welfare receipt. The synthesis yielded the following key lessons: (1) although a number of programs that provided only mandatory employment services were effective, the most successful of these programs used a mix of services (including some education and training) and strongly emphasized the need to find work; (2) the only programs that both increased work and made families financially better off were those that provided earnings supplements to low-wage workers; and (3) although relatively little is known about the effects of welfare time limits, the available data suggest that time limits need not cause widespread hardship, at least not in the short term. (Twenty-three tables/figures/boxes are included. The bibliography lists 30 references. The following items are appended: a list of 23 key reports from the studies reviewed; program descriptions; program impacts; and a discussion of why including the federal Earned Income Credit does not substantially change program impacts on income.) (MN)

The Changing Employment Relationships Project examined the importance of good employment relationships for workers, employers, and public policy. A nationally representative sample of 2,500 employed Canadians was surveyed, and 8 focus groups were conducted. The research findings were analyzed to explain the multidimensional nature of the relationships linking workers with employers, business clients, and other workers. The analysis also focused on "nonstandard work," including temporary and self-employment arrangements, and on links between paid work, home, and family. A healthy and supportive work environment and receiving the resources needed to do the job well were identified as the two most crucial factors in creating robust employment relationships. Organizational change was an important negative influence. Perceptions of whether a job pays well appeared to be more important than actual pay. Union membership was associated with weaker employment relationships on all dimensions. Employment relationships were shown to have a big impact on the following job attitudes and behaviors: job satisfaction; skill development and use; turnover; workplace morale; absenteeism; and willingness to join a union. The study documented a strong link between work environments, employment relationships, quality of work life, and organizational performance. Appendixes present the multivariate analysis results and the survey questionnaire. (Contains 39 endnotes and 56 tables/figures/boxes.) (MN)

A representative survey of over 30,000 people aged 16-64 years across the 15 member states of the European Union and Norway sought Europeans' preferences for increasing or reducing the number of hours worked per week. Key finding included the following: (1) 51% preferred to work fewer hours in exchange for lower earnings while 12% preferred to work longer hours; (2) substantial part-time hours (20-34) or moderate full-time hours (35-59) were the most widely preferred arrangements; (3) men preferred a 37-hour work week while women preferred a 30-hour week; (4) those most likely to prefer part-time hours were women with young children; (5) fatherhood had less influence on men's preferences for work hours; (6) more than half of the respondents prefer taking time off, in such forms as "time banking" or flextime, in compensation for overtime work; and (7) 23% said they would take unpaid leaves if available, and this figure rose to 30% of those employees in higher income brackets. Issues raised by these results included the following: (1) collective reduction of full-time hours; (2) improvement in the quality and amount of part-time work; and (3) help for parents to combine employment and family responsibilities. (Partial solutions in France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were described. Included are 6 tables and 5 figures.) (AJ)

The role of the women's movement in shaping women's vision of the obligations of citizenship in 1900-1925 was examined. The analysis focused primarily on the final 2 decades of the suffrage struggle. Special emphasis was placed on the class alliances and tensions that were forged during the struggle for suffrage and later helped set the stage for the shape of maternalist policies to come. The following were among the key themes and topics considered: (1) the thesis that maternalism or "difference feminism" was responsible for social policies that engendered a second-class citizenship for working women and women of color during the 1920s-1930s and that had continuing impact in the welfare state; (2) the emancipatory potential of gender difference and attempts to transform interpersonal service from an activity performed by those in subordinate and dependent positions to an activity involving equals rather than servants; (3) the question of whether the maternalist agenda was more about statism than about participation; (4) the theme of class as a contradiction at the suffrage movement's heart; (5) women's contributions to the definition of citizenship; and (6) "scientific motherhood" as an attempt to legitimate women's claims on the political agenda. (Contains 34 references.) (MN)

In the 1960s, German industry experienced a greater need for labor. Recruitment agreements for "guestworkers" were concluded with a number of Mediterranean countries, with the opinion at the time being that temporary immigration would be in the interests of all involved: German firms would get cheap labor, the "guestworkers" could earn money and return to their home countries with their savings, and the countries of origin would benefit from the remittances sent from abroad by their workers and from the know-how these workers brought back. This ideal turned out to be an illusion as stays lengthened, families joined workers, and children were born in Germany. After the oil price shock of 1973, a recruitment ban on workers from non-European Union countries was adopted in principle, and restrictive regulations were put in place. However, because of traditions of family reunification and European conventions of providing asylum, as well as for other reasons, the number of foreign workers continued to increase. By the year 2000, improving labor markets and shortages of skilled labor created new allowances for 10,000 to 20,000 foreign information technology (IT) specialists to come to Germany to work for up to 5 years. As a result of these changing needs, German immigration policy has often been incoherent. Lessons learned through the experiences of the past include the following: (1) immigration policy should be rational and transparent in order to discourage evasion and allow both employers and workers to plan their lives; (2) immigration must be geared toward local and regional needs; (3) employers should be encouraged to look more extensively for domestic workers before importing foreign workers; and (4) the short- and long-term consequences of immigration should be considered in order to develop a desirable and workable immigration policy. (Contains 54 references.) (KC)

This report explains the current U.S. regulations governing child labor; provides a detailed look at youth labor in this country, including how it differs among major demographic groups and economic sectors, and over time; and describes the outcomes of young people's work activities, including occupational injuries and fatalities and other long-term consequences. Chapter 1: "Introduction" (Marilyn Manser) introduces the study and the data set. Chapter 2: "Child Labor Laws and Enforcement" (Art Kerschner, Jr.) addresses the history and current status of federal and state child labor laws and policies and current policy approaches for enforcement. Chapters 3: "A Detailed Look at Employment of Youths Aged 12 to 15" (Donna Rothstein and Diane Herz) and chapter 4: "Trends in Youth Employment: Data from the Current Population Survey" (Diane Herz and Karen Kosanovich) present detailed information on the current situation regarding the employment of youth, using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 and the Current Population Survey. The agricultural employment sector receives separate attention in Chapter 5: "Youth Employment in Agriculture" (Ruth Samardick, Susan M. Gabbard, and Melissa A. Lewis) because it has special characteristics and is subject to different regulations. Chapter 6: "Occupational Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities" (Anthony Barkume) explores the question of whether youth receive other benefits besides pay from their work experiences and looks at safety and injury reports among young employees. Chapter 7: "The Relationship of Youth Employment to Future Educational Attainment and Labor Market Experience" (Donna Rothstein and Marilyn Manser) presents information from the annual National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 on college attendance and labor market experience of persons while they were aged 18-30, examined separately for individuals categorized by work activity while aged 16-17. Chapter 7 also briefly discusses the literature on educational and labor market outcomes of early work experiences. (KC)

The formation of local workforce investment boards (WIBs) was examined through case studies of two sites in Indiana and two in Kentucky. The four sites had very different labor market conditions, contexts, and One Stop histories that affected their formation of local WIBs and selection of One Stop operators. The boards surveyed ranged in size from 48 to 53 members. All four WIBs formed an executive committee and subcommittees. Most policy work was performed at the committee level. The size of the boards was unwieldy and caused logistical difficulties for WIB staff. Board members at all four WIBs relied on WIB staff to provide research and information and ensure that the board meets guidelines and deadlines. All four WIBs were seeking additional funding in various forms. Some individuals interviewed expressed concern that the Department of Labor (DOL) was not coordinating with other agencies; others voiced complaints about the lack of guidance and coordination at the state level. Despite the challenges facing the WIBs surveyed, they all supported the idea of creating an integrated workforce investment system for their local area. (The following items are appended: state profiles; WIB profiles; a list of acronyms; and the DOL response to the draft report.) (MN)

To benefit from new millennium opportunities, women should take advantage of the burgeoning information technology revolution and growth in other mathematics- and science-based occupations. Among occupations, professional jobs will increase the fastest and add the most employment. Among industries, the computer and data processing services industries lead in rate of employment growth. Immigration continues to play a major role in labor force growth, with the Hispanic labor force growing four times as fast as the rest of the labor force. Equal employment opportunity legislation in the 20th century has been particularly helpful to women. In the 20th century, women's labor force participation by age has changed from the "M" curve--with women entering the workforce, leaving to care for families, then returning to work--to the inverted "bowl" shape of men's participation by age. Although women's employment in high tech occupations has increased, there is still tremendous potential for women. One of the most significant changes that occurred between 1900-1999 is the rise of women managers. The gap between women's and men's earnings has been narrowing since 1973. Although their earnings increased sharply during the 1980s, during the 1990s the growth slowed and a gap persists. Women should be encouraged to press for fair or equal wages and workplaces that allow workers to meet work and family obligations. (YLB)

Contrary to popular perception, the agricultural workplace presents many hazards. Yet children are allowed to work on farms at an age when they are likely to lack the training, skill, or maturity to handle these functions safely. This study of child labor in agriculture is divided into seven parts. Following an introductory section, part 2 provides a demographic snapshot of both the farmworker population as a whole and farmworkers under age 18. Analysis highlights the strengths and weaknesses of available databases. The third part describes the work performed by children in agriculture. The fourth part analyzes the risk factors child workers face for fatal and nonfatal injuries. General studies that encompass all farmworkers are also taken into account. Another set of studies examines injuries to all children who live and work on farms. These data, too, are analyzed for the light they shed on hired child workers. The fifth part describes federal and state child labor laws regulating agricultural employment. A limited discussion is included of laws of general applicability, which could be used to reduce the hazards to children working in agriculture. The sixth part sets forth 20 recommendations for enhanced legal protections. (Contains 90 references.) (TD)

In 1999, Congress for the first time, is debating a federal minimum wage hike that will affect low-skilled people who have dramatically fewer options if they cannot find work. This public policy debate has been occasioned by the new state focus on welfare reform that, to some, suggests that a state flexibility approach be applied to the minimum wage, with the federal government insuring against a rollback of the current wage floor. In this view, Congress should grant governors authority over their own labor markets to match their new responsibility for creating employment opportunities for those who have great difficulty getting hired. The state flexibility proposal is composed of two elements: a wage hike to $6.15 per hour, phased in over 3 years; and state flexibility: any state without a minimum wage law would be subject to the federal minimum wage, whereas any state that has its own minimum wage law would retain the current rate of $5.15 and would be exempt from future federal rate increases. If this legislation were enacted, each state with a minimum wage law in place would have four options: (1) raise the state wage at the pace of the federal rate; (2) keep the state rate constant at its current rate; (3) raise the state rate but more slowly than the federal rate hike; or (4) raise the state rate higher or more quickly than the federal rate hike. Research shows that the public strongly favors state, rather than federal, control of the minimum wage rate, and application of the state flexibility approach would encourage evolution of smaller government and encourage job growth for the least skilled workers, according to the proponents of the proposed policy. Nowhere has the shift of federal control to the state level been more aggressive than in the field of education and job training. The Education Flexibility Partnership Act (1999) provides states with flexibility in spending federal education dollars and increases state accountability for educational achievement. (KC)

The current conditions of home workers in the garment industry in Toronto, Canada, were examined through in-depth telephone interviews with 30 Chinese-speaking immigrant women who were employed as home workers in 1999. The paper dicusses the formal training and informal learning experiences of immigrant woman who are garment workers. A comparison of the results of the 1999 survey with those of similar surveys conducted in 1991 and 1993 revealed that the wages of sewing machine operators remained at the levels of the 1980s. Many subcontractors were circumventing the Employment Standards Act's provisions protecting home workers. Instead of receiving wage increases as they became more experienced, many home workers were actually "punished" for getting skilled. Most women were paid by check every 2 weeks and reported few problems getting paid. Although many women preferred home work because it gave them more flexibility and a chance to combine paid work with child care, many others expressed feeling internal pressures from having to work all the time and meet the multiple demands of household, family, and employment. The following were among common problems reported by the women: (1) not learning the piece rate until garments were completed; (2) no vacation pay despite the legislative provisions calling for paid vacations; and (3) no avenues of compensation for work-related health problems (repetitive strain syndrome, back pain). Education of the public and policymakers and broad-based action on the part of homeworkers and the government are needed. (Contains 19 endnotes) (MN)