The Future of Work In Cities

The latest report in our City of the Future series examines societal shifts and advancements in technology that are impacting the rapidly changing American workforce. The report outlines solutions to help city leaders plan for the fast-approaching future, while forecasting the economic viability of two distinct sectors – retail and office administration – in which a quarter of Americans are currently employed

Trade Unions and Green Jobs in the post-Fordist Economy: Just Rhetoric or a Fundamental Shift?

This paper looks at green jobs within the context of the new economy and post-Fordism, with a focus on why unions are supporting green jobs and the potential for creating decent employment and unionized jobs in green industries. The simultaneous economic and environmental crises create a window for political and economic change. The direction of green jobs will be determined by larger economic and political trends and will depend on the action of the state and organized labor. Unions are supporting green jobs because it is a way to promote reindustrialization, an active government industrial policy, corporatism and social partnerships. Green jobs has become a new framework to critique free market ideology and build a progressive coalition between unions and environmentalists that addresses both labor and environmental concerns. Market conditions, state policy, production demands, union strength and business strategies will influence the ability to create high-road green post-Fordist jobs

The Role of Community Colleges in the Global Knowledge-Based Economy: Urban and Rural Differences in Workforce Outcomes

The aim of this study was to investigate the question of whether or not the gap between rural and urban workforce outcomes is reduced with investment in human capital and training conducted by community colleges. In this study, rural and urban differences in employment rate, employment retention, and wage gain after receiving training were examined to determine the extent to which the gap between rural and urban workforce outcomes is reduced by investment in human capital and training conducted by community colleges. Three research questions were examined. 1. Are Mississippians in rural and urban settings equally able to secure employment after receiving specialized and advanced training? 2. Are Mississippians in rural and urban settings engaging in specialized- and advanced-skill development equally able to retain employment over time? 3. Do Mississippians in rural and urban settings experience the same wage increase after receiving specialized and advanced training? The researcher hypothesized that investment in skill development would reduce the gap between rural and urban workforce outcomes, controlling for individual and local factors. The results of this study have several implications. First, training is a critical component to gaining and retaining employment. On average, 80% of those who receive training from community colleges are able to gain employment. Of those, 54% are able to retain their jobs for the remainder of the year and training generates an annual increase of $4,633 in wages, on average. Second, the results show that there are urban and rural differences in workforce outcomes. Third, individual characteristics matter and, in all cases, those who benefit the most from training are those with 2-year degrees, confirming that community colleges play a fundamental role in providing the knowledge and skills for our workforce. Fourth, local conditions cannot be dismissed in addressing differential workforce outcomes

Challenges and prospects for Midwest manufacturing: report on the 2003–04 Chicago Fed Manufacturing Project

The Chicago Fed convened a series of conferences in 2003–04 to address the following three questions: What are the long-term underlying trends in manufacturing and have they fundamentally changed in recent years? Second, is the poor performance of recent years a transitory phenomenon? And, third, what are the challenges and prospects for Midwest manufacturing going forward?Employment ; Industrial productivity ; Manufactures

Reframing Construction Labour Productivity in a Colonisation Context: The West Bank as an Example

This thesis explores the under-researched topic of defining construction labour productivity and the factors impacting it in the context of a small, volatile and dependent economy of the West Bank. The aim is to identify the impact of particular social, economic and political constraints on structural and agency factors affecting the construction sector's productivity using case studies from the West Bank. Labour productivity is studied from a broad perspective, adding political and economic conditions to reframe and evaluate the term and its determinants in the context of high uncertainty, political instability and complex geography. 'Labour productivity' comes to represent the production interplay between agency and structural factors, and construction labour is treated as complementary to the machine rather than as an extension of it. The theoretical framework is developed based on Giddens' Structuration Theory, mainly the reconciliation of the multi-layers structure and agency determinants impacting construction labour productivity in the context of colonisation. The study's philosophy validates the use of mixed methods methodology, merging positivism and constructivism under the canopy of pragmatism. Quantitative and qualitative data have been collected, with the quantitative part consisting primarily of comprehensive survey data from the PCBS and the qualitative of purposive semi-structured interviews with decision makers at macro and meso levels plus analysis of multiple case studies. The results reveal that the controversy about using hourly wage as an indication of construction productivity is resolved by including labour characteristics and context-specific variables in the model. The construction sector in Israel depends on skilled blue-collar employees from the West Bank rather than unskilled ones, with a higher rate of labour mobility for those from rural areas to Israeli construction markets than from other locations, leading to skill shortages in the West Bank. The construction labour process in the West Bank also rests on low levels of vocational education and training and a high risk of accidents due to meagre experience, lack of training and improper application of health and safety regulations. Finally, Israeli control of movement within the West Bank and the outlets to international markets impacts on labour productivity by imposing restrictions on importing and transporting construction materials and the internal mobility of workers. The research contributes to knowledge through its originality and generalisation by mapping the complexity of social factors and providing a definition of construction productivity appropriate to colonisation

Impact of Technological and Structural Change on Employment: Prospective Analysis 2020. Background Report

Abstract not availableJRC.J-Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (Seville

Effects of Restructuring at Regional Level and Approaches to Dealing with the Consequences

While restructuring and structural change are increasingly acknowledged as inherent characteristics of economic development and receive much policy attention at European and Member State level, the topic is rarely discussed from a regional perspective. However, most large-scale restructurings have effects on the regions and employment areas in which they take place. Specific information on the effects of restructuring at regional level and approaches to tackle its potential consequences for the local economy, labour market and society is scarce. This report aims to help close the knowledge gap. Based on secondary data analysis, a literature review and five in-depth case studies, it identifies and discusses the effects of large-scale restructuring outside the firm undergoing restructuring. It also seeks to illustrate success stories of positive regional management directed towards maintaining and improving labour markets following an important restructuring event