An Overview of the Employment-Population Ratio

[Excerpt] This report provides an overview of the employment-population ratio. It opens with a discussion of its value as a labor market indicator, noting its key features and limitations. This is followed by an examination of long-term and recent trends. The contribution of demographic and economic factors to recent patterns is explored at the close of the report

Paid Family Leave in the United States

[Excerpt] This report provides an overview of paid family leave in the United States, summarizes state-level family leave insurance programs, notes PFL policies in other advanced-economy countries, and notes recent federal legislative action to increase access to paid family leave

Paid Family Leave in the United States

[Excerpt] This report provides an overview of paid family leave in the United States, summarizes state-level family leave insurance programs, notes paid family leave policies in other advanced-economy countries, and notes recent federal proposals to increase access to paid family leave

Labor Market Patterns Since 2007

[Excerpt] The period since 2007 has been a time of significant change for labor markets. The Great Recession of 2007-2009, the longest and deepest recession since the Great Depression, caused the unemployment rate to briefly reach 10%, and labor markets have subsequently experienced a long and gradual recovery. Most labor force metrics, including the unemployment rate and various other measures of labor force underutilization, have returned to levels that have historically been consistent with full employment

Real Wage Trends, 1979 to 2017

[Excerpt] The focus of this report is on wage rates and changes at selected wage percentiles, with some attention given to the potential influence of educational attainment and the occupational distribution of worker groups on wage patterns. Other factors are likely to contribute to wage trends over the 1979 to 2017 period as well, including changes in the supply and demand for workers, labor market institutions, workplace organization and practices, and macroeconomic trends. This report provides an overview of how these broad forces are thought to interact with wage determination, but it does not attempt to measure their contribution to wage patterns over the last four decades. For example, changes over time in the supply and demand for workers with different skill sets (e.g., as driven by technological change and new international trade patterns) is likely to affect wage growth. A declining real minimum wage and decreasing unionization rates may lead to slower wage growth for workers more reliant on these institutions to provide wage protection, whereas changes in pay setting practices in certain high pay occupations, the emergence of superstar earners (e.g., in sports and entertainment), and skill biased technological changes may have improved wage growth for some workers at the top of the wage distribution. Macroeconomic factors, business cycles, and other national economic trends affect the overall demand for workers, with consequences for aggregate wage growth, and may affect employers’ production decisions (e.g., production technology and where to produce) with implications for the distribution of wage income. These factors are briefly discussed at the end of the report

What Does the Gig Economy Mean for Workers?

[Excerpt] Technological advancement and the proliferation of the smartphone have reshaped the commercial landscape, providing consumers new ways to access the retail marketplace. On-demand companies are one such innovation, and underpinning on-demand commerce is the gig economy, the collection of markets that match service providers to consumers of on-demand services on a gig (or job) basis. Flagship on-demand companies such as Uber (driver services) and Handy (home cleaners and household services) have garnered significant media attention both for their market success and recent legal challenges, particularly concerning the classification of gig workers. Broader questions about the pros and cons of the gig economy have emerged as on-demand markets grow and the gig economy expands into new sectors. By some accounts, workers’ willingness to participate in the gig economy provides evidence that gig work is a beneficial arrangement. Indeed, gig jobs may yield benefits relative to traditional employment in terms of the ease of finding employment and greater flexibility to choose jobs and hours. The gig economy may facilitate bridge employment (e.g., temporary employment between career jobs or between full-time work and retirement) or provide opportunities to generate income when circumstances do not accommodate traditional full-time, full-year employment. At the same time, however, the potential lack of labor protections for gig workers and the precarious nature of gig work have been met with some concern. The nationwide reach of gig work and its potential to impact large groups of workers, and their livelihoods, have attracted the attention of some Members of Congress. These Members have raised questions about the size and composition of the gig workforce, the proper classification of gig workers (i.e., as employees or independent contractors), the potential for gig work to create work opportunities for unemployed or underemployed workers, and implications of gig work for worker protections and access to traditional employment-based benefits. In support of these policy considerations, this report provides an overview of the gig economy and identifies legal and policy questions relevant to its workforce

A Guide to Describing the Income Distribution

This report provides descriptive analysis of the U.S. income distribution to illustrate various concepts. First, it examines the complexities of income measurement and important definitional and data considerations to bear in mind when using and interpreting income statistics. Next, it describes two popular data sources used to study the U.S. income distribution, followed by sections on statistics commonly used to provide point-in-time analysis and to compare U.S. income across groups, time, and location. The report concludes with an explanation of the Gini index

An evaluation of a multi-component adult weight management on referral intervention in a community setting

BACKGROUND: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on adult weight management recommends interventions are multi-component. We aimed to assess the implementation and health benefits of a primary care referral to an adult multi-component weight management intervention in a community setting. The intervention was offered through Primary care in National Health Service (NHS) South Gloucestershire, UK, from Oct 2008 to Nov 2010, in partnership with statutory, community and commercial providers. The scheme offered 12 weeks’ community based concurrent support of dietary (Weight Watchers, WW), physical activity (Exercise on Prescription, EOP) and behavioural change (motivational interviewing) components to obese adults. Funding was available for 600 places. RESULTS: Five hundred and fifty nine participants engaged with the intervention, mean age 48 years, 88 % female. Mean weight loss for all engagers was 3.7 kg (95 % confidence interval 3.4, 4.1). Participants completing the intervention achieved the largest weight reduction (mean loss 5.9 kg; 5.3, 6.6). Achievement of 5 % weight loss was higher in completers (58 %; 50, 65) compared to non-completers (19 %; 12, 26) and people who only participated in one commercial component of the intervention (either WW or EOP; 19 %; 13, 24). CONCLUSION: A multi-component weight management programme may be beneficial for weight loss, but a randomized controlled trial is needed to establish effectiveness and to evaluate cost

Coincident Tick Infestations in the Nostrils of Wild Chimpanzees and a Human in Uganda

Ticks in the nostrils of humans visiting equatorial African forests have been reported sporadically for decades, but their taxonomy and natural history have remained obscure. We report human infestation with a nostril tick in Kibale National Park, Uganda, coincident with infestation of chimpanzees in the same location with nostril ticks, as shown by high-resolution digital photography. The human-derived nostril tick was identified morphologically and genetically as a nymph of the genus Amblyomma, but the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA or the nuclear intergenic transcribed spacer 2 DNA sequences of the specimen were not represented in GenBank. These ticks may represent a previously uncharacterized species that is adapted to infesting chimpanzee nostrils as a defense against grooming. Ticks that feed upon apes and humans may facilitate cross-species transmission of pathogens, and the risk of exposure is likely elevated for persons who frequent ape habitats.Human Evolutionary BiologyLibraries/Museum

Knowledge of and perceived need for evidence-based educational materials about antipsychotic medication safety by nursing home staff

Background: Given the widespread overuse of antipsychotic medications among US nursing home (NH) residents, we sought to identify knowledge of and perceived need for the AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Research Summary Guide (CERSG) “Off-Label Use of Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs”. Methods: We conducted a baseline needs assessment with 12 NHs participating in a randomized controlled trail evaluating evidence dissemination strategies. Using a mixed method approach, we conducted in-depth assessments of knowledge, attitudes, and practice behavior using telephone interviews with NH leadership (administrators, directors of nursing [DON], and medical directors), and questionnaires with NH leadership, consultant pharmacists and direct care staff. Interviews were transcribed, verbatim responses were coded independently by 2 project staff. The coding scheme was revised after each round until substantial agreement (85%) was reached. Results: Interviews revealed that 70% of medical directors and 46% of DON and administrators believed that antipsychotics decreased agitation and controlled harmful behavior; 50% of medical directors and 7% of DONs & administrators reported knowledge of the increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to atypical antipsychotics. Half of administrators and DONs expressed interest in receiving information for NH staff pertaining to understanding dementia and dementia-related behaviors, 42% believed families would benefit from information about antipsychotic use for dementia-related behaviors. Questionnaire results were similar. When leaders were asked to list any risks associated with antipsychotic use for residents with dementia, only 17% reported death as a possible adverse event; licensed nursing staff (RN and LPNs) reported death 5% of the time. Over half of consultant pharmacists identified that their biggest barrier to improving medication use in challenging NHs was physician resistance to accepting recommendations. Conclusions: The responses of the NH leaders, staff and consultant pharmacists suggest widespread knowledge gaps regarding antipsychotic benefits and risks, and suggest a need for increase evidence dissemination and broad organizational change