Employment & Wages

NEW PAPER

The Hamilton Project Policy Response to the State of the Union Address

Papers • January 2012

Last night, President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address, putting forth his policy agenda to the 112th Congress on issues. Since its launch in 2006, The Hamilton Project has developed targeted policy proposals that touch on many of these areas, which we offer as a resource to policymakers in response to specific ideas mentioned by the President last evening. 

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Shrinking Job Opportunities: The Challenge of Putting Americans Back to Work

Papers • January 2012 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone

The Hamilton Project compares trends in unemployment duration before and after the Great Recession and finds that the probability of finding new employment is considerably lower today than it was before the recession.

NEW PAPER

What is Happening to America’s Less-Skilled Workers? The Importance of Education and Training in Today’s Economy

Papers • December 2011 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone

The Hamilton Project explores the employment and earnings trends facing America’s less-educated workers over the last few decades, and highlights training and workforce development opportunities that could be part of the policy solution.

NEW PAPER

Raising Job Quality and Skills for American Workers: Creating More-Effective Education and Workforce Development Systems in the States

Papers • November 2011 • Harry J. Holzer

Less educated workers often experience prolonged periods of unemployment and stagnating wages because they lack the skills necessary to compete in a global economy. In a new Hamilton Project paper, Harry J. Holzer proposes a set of competitive grants to fund education, training, and career counseling initiatives that feature private sector connections based on the experience of existing successful workforce development programs.

NEW PAPER

Building America’s Job Skills with Effective Workforce Programs: A Training Strategy to Raise Wages and Increase Work Opportunities

Papers • November 2011 • Michael Greenstone, Adam Looney

Amid the Great Recession and rapid technological changes, both workers with less education and workers who have been displaced from long-tenured jobs face challenges because they lack the particular skills that employers demand for good-paying jobs. In a new Hamilton Project strategy paper, Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney address the importance of developing workers’ skills through training and workforce development programs, and examine newly available evidence on policies that boost job opportunities and wages.

NEW PAPER

Policies to Reduce High-Tenured Displaced Workers’ Earnings Losses Through Retraining

Papers • November 2011 • Louis S. Jacobson, Daniel G. Sullivan, Robert J. LaLonde

After being displaced from long-tenured jobs, workers often experience persistent, significant earnings losses. New research suggests that retraining in certain “high-return” fields can substantially reduce these losses. In a new Hamilton Project paper, Louis S. Jacobson, Robert J. LaLonde and Daniel G. Sullivan propose the establishment of a Displaced Worker Training (DWT) Program to distribute grants to displaced workers so they can obtain longer-term training to substantially increase their earnings. The DWT Program would also leverage the nation’s One-Stop Career Centers to assess and counsel grantees.

Unemployment and Earnings Losses: The Long-Term Impacts of The Great Recession on American Workers

Papers • November 2011 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone

The Hamilton Project explores the experiences of workers who lost their jobs during the height of the Great Recession and finds that even those workers who have found new employment often earn significantly less than before. 

What Is Happening to America’s Children? A Look At The Widening Opportunity Gap for Today’s Youth

Papers • October 2011 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone

Resources available to children can have long-term effects on their quality of life. The Project examines the family earnings devoted to the typical American child and finds that half of children are now worse off than their counterparts 35 years ago.

Are We Short-Changing our Future? The Economic Imperative of Attracting Great Teachers

Papers • September 2011 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone

America's workforce needs a strong eduction system to compete and research demonstrates the power of a good teacher to boost student achievement. However, hiring and retaining effective teachers has become difficult, partly due to compensation. In a new policy memo, The Hamilton Project explores the relative salary declines of teachers during the last four decades when compared to other professions.

Impacts of Training Program Earnings by Years After Training

November 30, 2011 • Charts

It is critical that worker training programs be rigorously evaluated so that scare training resources can be targeted toward the most effective programs.

Federal Funding for DOL Training Programs, 1985-2011

November 30, 2011 • Charts

Federal spending on job training programs by the U.S. Department of Labor has gradually fallen since the 1980s, aside from a bump in 2009 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Earnings Gains of Displaced Workers in Technical Fields versus Other Fields

November 30, 2011 • Charts

Retraining in technical fields provides higher returns for workers than retraining in non-technical classes.

Earnings of Workers Who Lost Their Job in the Great Recession

November 4, 2011 • Charts

Recent research suggests that hardship for dislocated workers extends beyond periods of unemployment.  Once reemployed, workers typically earn significantly less than they did prior to job loss.

Change in Family Earnings of Children, 1975-2010

October 7, 2011 • Charts

Over the last 35 years, the opportunity gap for children whose parents are at different ends of the earnings distribution has grown.  Children at the 90th percentile of the distribution of family earnings have experienced a 45 percent increase, while children at the 25th percentile have experienced a decline of over 20 percent.

Decline in Employment Rates by State Since 2007

September 2, 2011 • Charts

While all states have lost jobs during the Great Recession, these losses have not been equally shared across the nation.

Productivity and Compensation in the United States

August 5, 2011 • Charts

In the past 40 years, as the pace of innovation has slowed, American workers have experienced lower growth rates of productivity and compensation.

Median Earnings and Annual Hours Worked for Two-Parent Families

July 8, 2011 • Charts

Median wages for the American family have increased over the last twenty-five years, but these incresase are largely due to additional hours worked.

Rate of Return of College Compared to Alternative Investments

June 25, 2011 • Charts

Despite continued debate over the value of a college education, data shows that higher education has a much higher rate of return than any other investment.

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Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages

November 30, 2011 • Washington, DC

On November 30, The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution held a forum and released new policy proposals on training programs geared toward the needs of today’s workforce.  In a rapidly changing global economy, the skills of some workers have become obsolete while other skills are in short supply.  By collaborating with industry partners and using evidence about what works, training programs can better prepare workers for jobs with high-demand, both now and in the future.

The Future of American Jobs, Part II

December 3, 2010 • Washington, DC

The Hamilton Project and the Center for American Progress hosted the second of two conferences addressing the long-term challenges of creating quality jobs in the United States and preparing American workers for those jobs of the future. As part of the event, The Hamilton Project and the Center for American Progress released three targeted policy proposals by outside scholars to deal with the long-term challenges associated with the new global economy.

Hard Times, Solid Policies to Renew American Communities

October 13, 2010 • Washington, DC

Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.) joined former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, New York City Deputy Mayor Steve Goldsmith, and other experts in a Hamilton Project forum focused on policy solutions for renewing American communities. The Hamilton Project released a strategy paper and three new proposals that provide a range of options for helping communities and workers recover from recent economic shocks.
 

The Future of American Jobs

April 30, 2010 • Washington, DC

The Hamilton Project partnered with the Center for American Progress to host a forum on the country’s employment situation. The event featured a discussion with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NEC director Lawrence H. Summers, moderated by PBS host Charlie Rose.

From Prison to Work: Overcoming Barriers to Reentry

December 5, 2008 • Washington, DC

The Hamilton Project hosted a policy discussion on the challenges of prisoner reentry that featured a keynote address by U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.). The event also featured a policy roundtable with a diverse group of experts on the need for a national prisoner reentry strategy.

Facilitating and Rewarding Work

December 12, 2007 • Washington, DC

The Project hosted a two-part forum on ways to encourage, facilitate, and reward work. Jason Furman provided an overview of a strategy paper, which suggested a long-term approach to expanding opportunity, along with specific near-term policies to promote work and reduce poverty.

Training America’s Workforce for the Future: Welcome and Moderated Discussion: Human Capital, Economic Growth, and Job Creation in the New Millennium

November 30, 2011 • Audio

Former Treasury Secretary and Hamilton Project Advisory Council member Robert E. Rubin welcomes the crowd at the event "Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages."  He then leads a moderated discussion with White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Alan B. Krueger.

Training America’s Workforce for the Future: Roundtable: Creating More-Effective Education and Workforce Development Systems in the States

November 30, 2011 • Audio

Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone moderates a panel discussion between Georgetown University Professor of Public Policy Harry J. Holzer, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Vice President Rhandi Berth, Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program Executive Director Maureen Conway, and Walla Walla Community College President Steven VanAusdle at the event "Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages."

Training America’s Workforce for the Future: Moderated Discussion: Apprenticeships and Training for America’s Jobs of the Future

November 30, 2011 • Audio

Evercore Partners Founder and Chairman Roger C. Altman moderates a discussion with Siemens President and CEO Eric A. Spiegel at the event "Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages."

Training America’s Workforce for the Future: Remarks: Senator Patty Murray

November 30, 2011 • Audio

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) provides remarks at the event "Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages."

Training America’s Workforce for the Future: Roundtable: Opportunities to Reduce Displaced Workers’ Earnings Losses Through Retraining

November 30, 2011 • Audio

Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone moderates a panel discussion between New Horizons Economic Research President Louis S. Jacobson, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Vice President Rhandi Berth, AFL-CIO Legislative and Policy Specialist for Workforce Issues Daniel Marschall, and Walla Walla Community College President Steven VanAusdle at the event "Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages."
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Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages Photos

November 30, 2011 • Photo Galleries

The Hamilton Project at Brookings held forum and released new policy proposals on training programs geared toward the needs of today’s workforce.  In a rapidly- changing global economy, the skills of some workers have become less valuable, while other skills are in short supply.  By collaborating with industry partners and drawing on evidence about what works, training programs can better prepare workers for jobs in growing industries. A diverse group of policy leaders, stakeholders and training experts participated in the forum to share a range of perspectives, including White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Alan Krueger, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Siemens President and CEO Eric Spiegel.

Impacts of Training Program Earnings by Years After Training

November 30, 2011 • Charts

It is critical that worker training programs be rigorously evaluated so that scare training resources can be targeted toward the most effective programs.

Training America’s Workforce for the Future: Moderated Discussion: Apprenticeships and Training for America’s Jobs of the Future

November 30, 2011 • Video

Evercore Partners Founder and Chairman Roger C. Altman moderates a discussion with Siemens President and CEO Eric A. Spiegel at the event "Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages."

Training America’s Workforce for the Future: Remarks: Senator Patty Murray

November 30, 2011 • Video

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) provides remarks at the event "Training America’s Workforce for the Future: New Policies to Boost Employment and Wages."