Research for Unemployment

This paper presents estimates of how labor demand was affected by changing production technology in five U.S. industries - steel, auto, aluminum, coal mining, and iron ore.

This paper examines the degree to which screening reduces unemployment and whether the screening procedures used are appropriately targeted on individuals who have little interest in returning to work. The primary focus is on the 'work test' which is a form of screening designed to determine if an otherwise qualified individual is actively seeking suitable work.

The government can not base the amount it pays its employees on the market value of the services it provides. Instead, it tries to set pay for each job at a level equal to pay for comparable work in private employment. Although a survey of pay for private sector workers is taken each year, there are indications that the survey is faulty and that government pay levels are too high. One indication is that quit rates are considerably lower in the government than in the private sector. Quit rates are a function of pay levels. The estimating equations in this study are derived from a simple model of labor market behavior.This model makes it clear that efficient behavior for the government does not imply either the same pay or total compensation as the private sector.

This paper focuses on imports as a distinct cause of output change. It tests the hypothesis that employment reacts more rapidly to output changes when they are due to changes in imports than when they are due to the business cycle or other influences.