Labor Events and Resources Blog

Monthly Labor Review Online
April 2006Vol. 129, Number 4

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm

Changes affecting the Employment Cost Index: an overview Richard E. Caroll

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art1full.pdf

With the release of March 2006 data, BLS has updated the ECI to reflect the new industry and occupational classifications systems; rebased the index to 2005; and implemented new procedures to account for missing data and to compute seasonal adjustments

Employment Cost Index publication plans Fehmida Sleemi
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art2full.pdf

The Employment Cost Index has gone through changes that affected publication series; some series were unchanged, some new series were introduced, while others have a break in continuity or are being discontinued

Seasonal adjustments in the Employment Cost Index E. Raphael Branch and Lowell Mason http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art3full.pdf

As part of the conversion of ECI industry and occupation classifications to NAICS and SOC, the Bureau of Labor Statistics used the converted classifications to estimate the seasonally adjusted ECI; in addition, the Bureau improved the methodology and processing of seasonally adjusted estimates

Accounting for missing data in the Employment Cost Index Song Yi
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art4full.pdf

Employers do not always provide all the information needed to compile the Employment Cost Index (ECI); new ECI procedures have improved the methods for dealing with missing values

Introducing 2002 weights in the Employment Cost Index Stephanie L. Costo
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/art5full.pdf

Beginning in March 2006, ECI estimates were modified to reflect 2002 employment counts; disruptions to the most-aggregated historical series from this change alone were slight

Report
A visual essay: international labor market comparisons
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/04/ressum.pdf

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)
European Working Conditions Observatory (EWCO)

Annual review of working conditions in the EU: 2005-2006
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/ewco/annualreports.htm

This third annual review examines four key dimensions of working conditions and quality of work and employment: career and employment, health and well-being, skills development, and work­life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace. As part of its work programme for 2005, the European Commission presented a series of communications on migration, and extensive debate continues on this issue. The Working Time Directive also remains on the agenda, with continuing discussions on the individual opt-out and on the definition of ‘on-call’ time. Musculoskeletal disorders remain the most predominant work-related health problem. A welcome development in the area of health and well-being was the start of negotiations between the European social partners on combating violence and harassment in the workplace. Gender equality received specific attention in several EU policy documents, not least the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs report on the impact of long working hours on reconciliation of work and family life, and the impact on equal opportunities. Another topic high on the agenda is training, lifelong learning and competence development; attaining a knowledge society and a highly qualified workforce forms a crucial element for the success of the Lisbon Strategy.

Introduction
1 - Legislative developments
2 - Policy developments
3 - Official statistics
4 - Trends in the workplace
5 - Quality of work and employment: the social partners

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)
European Working Conditions Observatory (EWCO)

Annual review of working conditions in the EU: 2005-2006
http://www.eurofound.eu.int/ewco/annualreports.htm

This third annual review examines four key dimensions of working conditions and quality of work and employment: career and employment, health and well-being, skills development, and work­life balance. The report outlines relevant legislative and policy developments, and examines trends in the workplace. As part of its work programme for 2005, the European Commission presented a series of communications on migration, and extensive debate continues on this issue. The Working Time Directive also remains on the agenda, with continuing discussions on the individual opt-out and on the definition of ‘on-call’ time. Musculoskeletal disorders remain the most predominant work-related health problem. A welcome development in the area of health and well-being was the start of negotiations between the European social partners on combating violence and harassment in the workplace. Gender equality received specific attention in several EU policy documents, not least the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs report on the impact of long working hours on reconciliation of work and family life, and the impact on equal opportunities. Another topic high on the agenda is training, lifelong learning and competence development; attaining a knowledge society and a highly qualified workforce forms a crucial element for the success of the Lisbon Strategy.

Introduction
1 - Legislative developments
2 - Policy developments
3 - Official statistics
4 - Trends in the workplace
5 - Quality of work and employment: the social partners

European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) OnlineCOMPARATIVE STUDY

Employment relations in SMEs [February 2006] (online 12 April 2006)http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/02/study/index.html

This comparative study examines employment relations in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 13 of the 'old' 15 EU Member States (the exceptions being Luxembourg and Portugal), three new Member States (Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) and Norway. It looks at: the economic role of SMEs (including employment trends); pay and employment conditions (including working hours, training and HRM practices); interest representation, collective bargaining and social dialogue; and regulation and public policy.

The comparative study was compiled on the basis of individual national reports submitted by EIRO's national centres. The text of each of these national reports is available [at the first URL above]. The reports have not been edited or approved by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

OECD Factbook 2006 - Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics http://miranda.sourceoecd.org/vl=2051514/cl=21/nw=1/rpsv/fact2006/

For example, see Employment Rates by Gender
http://miranda.sourceoecd.org/vl=2051514/cl=21/nw=1/rpsv/fact2006/05-01-01.htm

The OECD Factbook is an essential tool providing a global overview of world economic, social and environmental trends. It brings together in a single publication 100 indicators that are essential for evaluating the relative position of any OECD country, both at a given moment and over time, in the following fields :
* Population and migration
* Macroeconomic trends
* Economic globalisation
* Prices * Labour market
* Science and technology
* Environment
* Education
* Public policies
* Quality of life
* and a special chapter dedicated to Globalisation

The 2006 edition presents many new features, including indicators on the "brain drain," Tsunami recovery, aid, and cultural and leisure activities. It also includes data on key non-OECD member countries, namely Brazil, China, India, The Russian Federation and South Africa.

The 100 indicators are all presented as a double page spread. On the left page, you will find systematic definitions of the indicators used, comment on the extent of comparability of data from national sources, and a guide to other statistical and analytic publications from the OECD. These texts are essential to understand where the data come from and how they can be used.

The Black Population in the United States
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/race/black.html
Current Population Survey (CPS) Reports

2004 March CPS
The Black Alone Population in the United States: 2004
Detailed Tables (PPL-186)
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/race/ppl-186.html

The Black Alone or in Combination Population in the United States: 2004
Detailed Tables (PPL-186)
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/race/ppl-186_aoic.html

Asian and Pacific Islander Populations
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/race/api.html

Current Population Survey (CPS)
2004 March CPS

* The Asian Alone Population in the United States: 2004 *
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/race/ppl-184.html

International Institute for Labour Studies

Proceedings of the France/ILO Symposium, Annecy 2005
Offshoring and the Internationalization of Employment:
A challenge for a fair globalization?
Peter Auer, Geneviève Besse and Dominique Méda (eds.)http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inst/download/annecy06.pdf

Globalization and employment Daniel Cohen

Globalization and its impact on jobs and wages Michel Fouquin

Service jobs on the move ­ offshore outsourcing of business related servicesBarbara Gerstenberger and R. Alexander Roehrl

Trade, employment and outsourcing: some observations on US ­ China economic relationsThomas I. Palley

Using active and passive employment policies to accompany globalization-related restructuringBernard Gazier

The internationalization of employment and the debate about offshoring in France: legal perspectives Marie-Ange Moreau

Social accompaniment measures for globalization: sop or silver lining? Raymond Torres

Better governance of the internationalization of employment Brian A. Langille

The role of international labour standards for governing the internationalization of employment Werner Sengenberger

The role of labour law for industrial restructuring Philippe Waquet

The social dimension of globalization and changes in law Mireille Delmas-Marty

Institute for Women's Policy Research
Policy Paper:

Solving the Nursing Shortage through Higher Wages
http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/C363.pdf

Upjohn Institute Staff Working Paper 05-125
Does Privatization Hurt Workers? Lessons from Comprehensive Manufacturing Firm Panel Data in Hungary, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine
http://www.upjohninst.org/publications/wp/05-125.pdf

J. David Brown, John S. Earle, Álmos Telegdy

November 2005Revised February 2006

Abstract
http://www.upjohninst.org/publications/wp/05125wp.html

We estimate the effects of privatization on firm-level wages and employment in four transition economies. Applied to longitudinal data on manufacturing firms, our fixed effect and random trend models consistently fail to support workers’ fears of job losses from privatization, and they never imply large negative effects on wages; only for domestic privatization in Hungary and Russia are small (3-5%) negative wage effects found. Privatization to foreign investors has positive estimated impacts on both employment and wages in all four countries. The negligible consequences of domestic privatization for workers result from effects on scale, productivity, and costs that are large but offsetting in Hungary and Romania, and from small effects of all types in Russia and Ukraine. The positive employment outcome under foreign ownership results from a substantial scale-expansion effect that dominates the productivity-improvement effect, and the positive wage outcome from a productivity effect that dominates the effect on cost reduction.

Conference Board

Press Release
Companies in Asia-Pacific are Looking for Home-Grown Leaders
http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=2853


Full Report entitled
Leadership Development in Asia-Pacific: Identifying and Developing Leaders for Growth
http://www.conference-board.org/publications/describe.cfm?id=1111


April 12, 2006
Major companies based in the Asia-Pacific region are intensifying their search for executives who live in the area, rather than relying on expatriate executives who are brought in from other areas of the world, according to a report released today by The Conference Board.

Leadership development is on the rise throughout the Asia-Pacific region, which will account for 45% of the world's Gross Domestic Product in 2015, compared with 20% for the U.S. and 17% for Western Europe, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Of the 55 Asia-Pacific organizations surveyed for The Conference Board report, 79% are seeking to accelerate talent development in the region. During a period when many indirect/non-operational budgets are being reduced, organizations are maintaining (47%) or increasing (47%) financial resources for leadership development initiatives.

Many international companies are trying to reduce the number of expatriates and international assignees who are occupying longer term (as opposed to developmental) leadership roles.

The report finds that firms in Asia-Pacific believe that home-grown executives can have a greater impact on company performance than expatriates and do not cost the company nearly as much.

Why Locals Are Favored

"One reason for reducing expatriates and international assignees is based on the premise that in the lifecycle of most businesses, the localization of leadership has a positive impact on performance," says Andrew N. Bell, Program Director for the Asia-Pacific HR Council and author of the report. "This positive impact results from a range of factors in which local leadership is more likely to have a deeper understanding and familiarity with the needs and expectations of local consumers and clients, local business infrastructure such as distribution channels and external relations, including with the government and media. Also, language may be a critical factor. An inability to work in the local language can be a serious impediment in some aspects of business operations."

Expatriates Are Too Costly

Migration Information Source (MIS)--
Special Issue on Central America--April 3, 2006

SPECIAL ISSUE: CENTRAL AMERICA

Millions of Central Americans live and work in North America. This Special Issue looks at what caused the migration flows to El Norte and the impacts of Central American migration on both home and host societies.
source-central america

Top story:Central America: Crossroads of the Americas
http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=386

Many migratory streams from Central America ­ including refugees, economic migrants, and transit flows headed north from South America and elsewhere ­ have converged in North America since the 1980s. Sarah J. Mahler and Dusan Ugrina of Florida International University outline the region's main trends.

Spotlight:Central American Foreign Born in the United States
http://www.migrationinformation.org/USFocus/display.cfm?id=385

Over half of all Central American foreign born in the United States are from El Salvador and Guatemala. MPI’s Megan Davy examines the numbers as well as events and policies that have shaped Central American migration.

source-guatemalaCountry Profile:Guatemala: Economic Migrants Replace Political Refugees
http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?id=392

Guatemala's long civil war, which spurred large flows of refugees, has given way to high levels of economic migration to the United States and an economy more dependent on remittances. Also, Guatemala’s geography has made it a prime transit country for migrants headed north, as James Smith of Inforpress Centroamericana reports.

Features:Mexico: Caught Between the United States and Central America
http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=389

Since the 1980s, Mexico has become home to Guatemalan refugees and served as a transit country for Central Americans seeking to reach the United States. Manuel Ángel Castillo of El Colegio de México analyzes Mexico’s policies toward its southern neighbors.

Canada: A Northern Refuge for Central Americans
http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=390

Although most Central American refugees sought protection in the United States, Canada admitted thousands of Central American refugees in the 1980s. María Cristina García of Cornell University takes a detailed look at Central Americans in Canada.

source-centralam-remittances
Remittance Trends in Central America
http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=393

In 2004, Central American countries received US$ 7.8 billion in remittances through official channels. Are remittances hurting or helping the region? MPI’s Dovelyn Agunias investigates.

Migration and Development in El Salvador: Ideals Versus Reality
http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=387

Salvadorans abroad have helped their families economically and, to some extent, decreased poverty levels back home. Yet migration has economic and social costs in El Salvador ­ and has not yet proved to be the answer to its development problems, according to Katharine Andrade-Eekhoff.

CAFTA: What Could It Mean for Migration?
http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=388

The Central America Free Trade Agreement may be the most important economic event in the region in 20 years. However, it seems unlikely to reverse established migration trends, reports Salomon Cohen.

AUSTRALIA:
Workplace relations reforms: a chronology of business, community and Government responses

http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/online/WorkplaceRelations.htm

Monthly Labor Review OnlineMarch 2006Vol. 129, Number 3
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm


Lower unemployment in 2005 Lower unemployment in 2005 Emy Sok http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/03/art1full.pdf

The Current Population Survey data show continued improvement in the labor market in 2005, as reflected by a decline in unemployment and substantial employment growth. Also notable were the decline in the long-term unemployed­both in their level and as a percentage of total unemployment­and the continuing decline of involuntary part-time workers. Overall, participation rates were little changed over the year. Weekly earnings increased in 2005, but at a slower pace than inflation. Special labor force data collected on Hurricane Katrina evacuees revealed a marked difference in the employment status of those who had returned to their prehurricane residence and those who had not.

Payroll employment in 2005: recovery and expansion Robert Stephens, David Langdon, and Brady Stephens http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/03/art2full.pdf
Employment grew by more than 2 million in 2005, reaching and then surpassing its prerecession peak. A strong housing market spurred hiring in construction and in finance and retail trade, while increased manufacturing production translated into more jobs in trucking, warehousing, and wholesale trade. Rising energy costs placed an added burden on consumers and businesses, holding back spending and, indirectly, employment growth; however, it had a positive impact on employment growth in mining, which easily outpaced most other industries in growth in 2005. Finally, the job openings rate remained flat in 2005 until the end of the third quarter, when it began to edge upwards.

Occupational changes during the 20th century Ian D. Wyatt and Daniel E. Hecker http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/03/art3full.pdf
With occupation data from the 2000 census now available, it is an appropriate time to analyze occupational employment trends over the 20th century. The shift from a workforce composed mostly of manual workers to one comprising mostly white-collar and service workers is generally known. This article reveals just how radical that shift has been. Professional, managerial, clerical, sales, and service workers (except private household service workers) grew from one-quarter to three-quarters of total employment between 1910 and 2000. Laborers (except mine laborers), private household service workers, and farmers lost the most jobs over the period.

Projected pension income: equality or disparity for the baby-boom cohort? James H. Moore, Jr. http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/03/art4full.pdf
This article presents data from the Modeling Income in the Near Term (MINT 3) system to address the question of what is in store for the baby-boom cohort once it reaches age 62. The primary objective is to examine disparities in projected pension eligibility and income among the various baby-boom subgenerations upon reaching 62 years. Over time, both eligibility for pensions and income from employer-sponsored pension plans will increase for baby boomers. Eligibility rates and benefit amounts are projected to be greater for late boomers overall and, within the late-boomer category, men, whites, and the more educated.

From AFL-CIO Executive Pay WatchTop 25 Largest CEO Pensions

http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/retirementsecurity/index.cfm

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing a new rule to require companies to disclose a dollar estimate of their CEOs retirement benefits. While this rule will not go into effect until 2007, here is a sneak peek of what shareholders should expect.

CEO Golden Years: The Top 25 Largest CEO PensionsPress Release

AFL-CIO CEO PayWatch Website Offers Sneak Peak at Top 25 Super-Pensions and Publishes Comprehensive New Data on 2005 CEO Compensation

European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) Online
Reconciliation of work and family life and collective bargaining in the European Union


http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/other_reports/work_family_life.pdf[

Initiatives promoting reconciliation of work and family life have become popular across Europe as part of employmentpolicies as well as social policies dealing, among other things, with the challenges of competitiveness, the renewedLisbon targets for increased participation in the labour market, and an ageing population. This working paper is basedon national reports and an analysis of EIRO articles on the subject. It examines the current position in the 25 EUMember States, Norway and the two acceding countries, Bulgaria and Romania, in terms of legislation and collectivebargaining on the issue of the reconciliation of family and work life. It also looks at the positions of the social partnersand reviews recent developments at EU level.

Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)
Issue Brief:Immigrants and Health Coverage: A Primer [4 April 2006]

http://www.kff.org/uninsured/7088.cfmorhttp://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/Immigrants-and-Health-Coverage-A-Primer.pdf[http://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/Immigrants-and-Health-Coverage-A-Primer.pdf

A major challenge facing many immigrants is lack of health insurance coverage. This primer provides an introduction to some of the questions surrounding immigrants and health insurance coverage.