Abstract: Current interpretations of the meaning of work in American society range from a reassertion of its traditional significance to the view that its fundamental raison d'etre is about to be removed by advances in automation advances which have been heralded as the "cybernetic revolution." 1 A corresponding range of views is evident with respect to the meaning of work in the life of the individual from the assertion that work will continue to provide a central focus for personal satisfaction and status achievement to the argument that our traditional work ethic is undergoing rapid erosion, to be displaced by new criteria of personal worth and achievement unrelated to work performance.2 The three "scenarios" which follow depict possible alternative directions of change which may emerge in our society with regard to the role and significance of work. The first is labeled the "green" scenario, in deference to the controversial work by Charles A. Reich.8 The second is labeled the "blue" scenario; it is basically antithetical to the first, and implies a strong commitment to full employment and the preservation of the traditional role of work in our so-

Abstract: Two interrelated problems are emerging as the most perplexing to confront Latin America: unemployment and an inequitable income distribution1 Indeed, as new technology high-yielding varieties of grain, fertilizers, mechanical equipment is adopted progressively in the agricultural sector, as is probable during the 1970's, more joblessness and increasing income for the already privileged are likely Hence, at the end of the 1970's the distribution of income will probably be even more skewed than it is today perhaps unacceptably so from the point of view of nearly everyone in the society unless governments soon act to redress increasing imbalances Even if the spread of new technology were not so pervasive, the employment problem would probably become more serious as the decade progresses: a work force born in the population explosion that began in the 1950's will be reaching a labor market that may well continue to be slack By focusing on the need for reform, I do not deny the necessity for technological progress; any more than I seek to portray technology as a deus ex machina And I recognize the intimate connection between the introduction of some forms of tech-

Abstract: During the past few years, manpower shortages in many professional and related occupations have turned into job shortages. Are these shifts shortterm phenomena or has there been a job market turnaround for highly educated workers? This article seeks to answer this question by examining the growth of professional manpower in the 1960's, the current situation, and the outlook for the remainder of the 1970's.

Abstract: There are now some 400,000 persons in jail and another million on parole or probation. Hundreds of thousands more have been arrested and are awaiting trial or else, having served their sentences, have been recently released into the community. Other millions carry the stigma of a criminal record. These criminal offenders are a diverse group with complex problems. They differ in the seriousness of their offenses, their legal status, the degree of public control over their activities, and their individual characteristics.1 A common denominator, however, is that they very often have difficulties in the world of work. Despite wide variation in their labor market potential and their amenability to assistance, a large proportion of criminal offenders have employment problems and need help. Offenders' illicit activities are frequently related to their lack of success in the job market. A survey of men released from Federal prisons 2 found that even though their median age was 29 more than one-tenth had never been employed and more than half had been employed a total of less than 2 years before incarceration, often because of earlier troubles with the law. After release, their unemployment rate was three times the average for all other males in the same age bracket. Criminal offenders also tend to be drawn from, and end up in, the lowest paying jobs and lowest status occupations. The survey further showed that more than half the released men had worked in

Abstract: Increasing proportions of young people are remaining in high school and college, and more of the students are in the work force Thirty-one percent of the 16to 24-year-olds working or looking for work were enrolled in school in October 1971, compared with 22 percent a decade earlier, thirty-five percent of young whites and 23 percent of young Negroes in the labor force were in school2 In the last 2 years, school enrollment rates of men 18 to 21 years old declined from 54 percent to 48 percent in 1971, probably because of developments related to the Vietnam war Enrollment rates had

Abstract: In an effort to fill this information gap, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has examined responses to a special question put to wage and salary workers as part of the Current Population Survey in May of 1967 and subsequent years. The Current Population Survey is conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Bureau of the Census in about 50,000 households, primarily to gather information on employment and unemployment. The special question in the May survey asked respondents to report how much they and/or the other working members of the household "usually earn per week at this job [that is, their principal job] before deductions." This article discusses estimates based on these responses, with special emphasis on data for full-time workers obtained in 1971.

Abstract: The Public Employment Program initiated by the Emergency Employment Act of 1971 represents a major departure in manpower policy. The program is the first large-scale public employment effort since the New Deal. Providing $1 billion in its first year to State and local governments for the hiring of unemployed workers to help meet growing needs for public services, it will account for 15 percent of all manpower expenditures in its first year, equaling the combined outlays for all other work experience and public employment training efforts, including the Neighborhood Youth Corps, Operation Mainstream, Work Incentive, and Public Service Careers programs. The program is important in the short run because of its impact on the unemployed as well as on State and local governments, and in the long run because of its implications for public policy. This evaluation relies heavily on case studies of State and local experience, combined with an analysis of legislative and administrative developments at the national level. The areas studied and the investi-

Abstract: Much attention has been directed recently to the changing composition of unemployment during the decade of the 1960's. It has been pointed out that the increase in the teenage sector of the population coupled with reduced job market participation among adult men and increased participation among women have gradually altered the composition of the labor force and materially affected the make-up of unemployment. One of the most widely known studies of the subject was George Perry's, who, in 1970, analyzed the changing age-sex composition of unemployment and the effect of the change on the trade-off between unemployment and inflation.1 More recently, Carol S. Greenwald focused on the shifting proportion of unemployment accounted for by married men.2 Both observed that during the past decade much of the burden of unemployment has shifted from adult men to women and teenagers. They concluded that, consequently, a given unemployment rate reflects less economic hardship on families today than 10 or 15 years ago. This article examines unemployment in terms of the household status of persons out of work, utilizing data from the Current Population Survey covering the 1962-71 period.3 Our analysis of these data show some of the burden of unemployment has shifted from male household heads who head most families to the female members of the household since 1962. This holds for the period before 1969; the trend was reversed during the 1970-71 economic slowdown. (In early 1972, the unemployment rate for household heads leveled off.)

Abstract: In highly industrialized countries, significant changes have occurred in the mix of worker skills needed in the construction industry. The introduction of new machines at the building site and the transfer of labor functions to prefabrication factories have resulted in declines in the usage of certain crafts, enhancement in the use of others, and the creation of jobs calling for new skills. Although there is general agreement on this point there is difference of opinion on the extent and rapidity of future changes. In 1971 in Geneva, Switzerland, representatives of government and of employers' and workers' organizations from 29 industrial and developing nations examined the economic and social aspects of prefabrication in the construction industry.1 The occasion was the eighth session of the Building, Civil Engineering, and Public Works Committee of the International Labor Organization. This article summarizes the highlights of the committee discussions and conclusions.2 It also draws on the comprehensive report on national prefabrication practices, which the ILO prepared as a basis for the Committee discussions, and other recent reports.3

Abstract: THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Currently is conducting the Nation's most intensive survey of work injuries and illnesses. The new program is authorized by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 which is designed to strengthen and enforce workrelated safety and health standards. Booklets, instructions, and report forms have been mailed to 50,000 establishments, the first group to participate in the Bureau's only mandatory recordkeeping program.

Abstract: Modern trade union movements, without exception, have as one of their goals the widest possible organization of the labor force. This has been achieved in only limited degree, however, in some major industrial nations like the United States and West Germany, where the percentage of organization barely reaches 30 to 35 of wage and salary employment. In other developed countries, the rate of organization is more than double that figure in Denmark, Belgium, and Norway, for example, the degree of unionization has gone beyond 60 percent; it approaches 70 percent in Austria, exceeds that in Sweden, and is over 80 percent in Israel.1 Experience in these very highly organized countries suggests that other nations, as they move toward higher levels of unionization, may encounter special types of industrial relations problems.2 It further suggests that, with high unionization, interunion conflict may become almost as important as union-management conflict.