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Labor Markets

Labor Markets

commentary
Got a Labor Shortage? Make It Easier to Work
If the United States wants to avoid a long-term worker shortage, it should look to what policy can—but has failed to—fully address. We have a long history using carrots and sticks, but this is a problem we may not be able to cajole or punish our way out of. Finding workers can be as simple as giving more people a chance to work.
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Aug 2, 2022
Kathryn A. Edwards @keds_economist

Employment and Unemployment

commentary
Recovered, but Not Whole: U.S. Jobs Rebounded, but Not for Everyone
The U.S. recovery from the pandemic recession has been remarkable. But it's important to note that both the recession and its recovery treated men and women differently, and treated women of color differently than white women.
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Jul 18, 2022
Kathryn A. Edwards @keds_economist
Employment and Unemployment

commentary
Is a Recession Coming? A Key Indicator Is Also the King of Mixed Messages
When fears of inflation arise in the United States, people start paying a lot of attention to weekly unemployment-insurance claims, as an early indicator of layoffs that could augur a broader slump. But unemployment claims are a flawed gauge that may be particularly skewed by the pandemic.
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May 27, 2022
Kathryn A. Edwards @keds_economist
blog
Responding to Russian Cyberattacks, Rebuilding Ukraine, Climate Change: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how the U.S. could respond to Russian cyberattacks, what it will take to rebuild Ukraine after the war, why U.S. employers still have the power over workers, and more.
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Apr 22, 2022
Labor Markets

commentary
A Whole New, Same World
Workers in the United States have emerged from the pandemic with new preferences and demands, but they still lack the power to get what they want. By any meaningful measure, employers are still in charge.
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Apr 20, 2022
Kathryn A. Edwards @keds_economist
Workforce Development

essay
The Digital Skills Gap: What Workers Need for the Jobs of the Future
Business leaders have warned for years that what they see on job applications does not match what they need in new employees. There are not enough workers with the right digital skills. And as the world economy struggles to its feet after COVID-19, that skills gap threatens to keep pushing it down.
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Mar 1, 2022
Refugees

blog
Refugees, Women's Health Research, Supporting Incarcerated Parents: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the humanitarian fallout from a Russian invasion of Ukraine, investing in women’s health research, supporting incarcerated parents, and more.
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Feb 18, 2022
Education Administration

commentary
Finding Teachers and Bus Drivers Is a Big Problem, but a Different Staffing Challenge Is Looming in School Districts
The majority of school districts report they don't have enough staff to hire, particularly substitutes, bus drivers, and special education teachers. A recent survey also revealed a major challenge for the superintendency. Only half of superintendents said they were likely to stay in their jobs for the long term.
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Feb 17, 2022
Michael DeArmond, Heather L. Schwartz @schwartz_hl, et al.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

blog
RAND Commentary Highlights of 2021
Vaccine rollouts, an attack on the U.S. Capitol, massive ransomware attacks, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, record numbers of job openings and people quitting, and more. RAND researchers weighed in on all these topics and more.
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Dec 21, 2021
Demographics

commentary
Could the Move Toward Zoom and Other Collaboration Technologies Due to the Pandemic Change the Very Makeup of Populations?
Collaborative technologies such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams have transformed how we work, visit the doctor, and go to school. But can they also shift demographic trends in migration, fertility, morbidity, and mortality? And if so, how?
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Dec 17, 2021
Esther M. Friedman, Andrew M. Parker
Labor Markets

commentary
How to Explain This Weird Job Market
It's tempting to see in 2021 a harbinger of some permanent shift in our labor market, but that would be premature. What is clear is that we will never recreate the world of December 2019. The labor market in 2022 and beyond will reflect not only what workers learned from their pandemic experience, but also how employers and policymakers choose to respond.
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Dec 14, 2021
Kathryn A. Edwards @keds_economist
North Korea

blog
North Korea, Sexual Violence in the U.S. Military, America's Labor Shortage: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how to deal with a nuclear North Korea, preventing sexual violence in the military, supporting immigrant children in U.S. schools, and more.
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Nov 5, 2021
Labor Markets

commentary
Married Moms Aren't Striking Workers, but They Are Saying the Same Thing
If we are in the middle of a labor shortage, recruiting people back into the labor force is key to sustaining a recovery. The historic work choices of married mothers reveal a lot about what might lure people back into the workforce.
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Nov 1, 2021
Kathryn A. Edwards @keds_economist
Labor Markets

commentary
The Great Resignation: American Workers Suffering a Crisis of Meaning
Americans are quitting their jobs in record numbers, creating significant shortages of workers for businesses. To understand and address this issue, policymakers might need to pay attention to noneconomic factors in addition to economic ones.
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Oct 26, 2021
Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_
Labor Markets

commentary
Job Openings Are at a Record High. Why Aren't People Going Back to Work?
The U.S. labor market had 10.1 million job openings at the end of June, but 8.7 million workers were still unemployed in July. If there are so many more openings than job seekers, why are there unemployed workers left?
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Aug 25, 2021
Kathryn A. Edwards @keds_economist
Racial Discrimination

blog
Historic Lynchings and Voter Registration, China in Space, Firefighters' Mental Health: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the link between historic lynchings and voter registration, Afghanistan in the era of fentanyl, supporting firefighters’ mental health, and more.
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Jul 30, 2021

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