September 2010, Vol. 133, No. 9
Labor month in review
The September ReviewYouth employment in the summer of 20102009 Klein Awards
Download the PDF
Labor month in review from past issues
An increasing number of children living in nontraditional families has led to widespread research and commentary on the social and policy implications of such arrangements. Differences in children’s well-being between two-parent and single-parent households have been identified and often attributed to differences in household income. In our opening article this month, Professor Megumi Omori notes that, "although it is well established that income is a strong indicator of children’s well-being, less attention has been paid to possible differences in the allocation of economic resources, especially by family type." She goes on to explore determinants of expenditures relating to children’s well-being by type of household, then compares those determinants across household types, especially between married-couple households and single-parent households.
Self-employment, notes BLS economist Steven F. Hipple, continues to be an important source of jobs in the United States. In 2009, more than 15 million people were self-employed, making up nearly 11 percent of total employment. In recent years, the share of total employment composed of the self-employed has held steady. In his article, the author describes the self-employment measures he uses, discusses historical trends, provides an overview of the characteristics of self-employed workers, and examines the effects of recessions on this employment group.
Every 2 years BLS publishes long-term employment projections. It also has a history of publishing evaluations of those projections. In our concluding article for this month, BLS economist Ian D. Wyatt takes a look at the 1996–2006 projections. In a departure from earlier evaluative articles, he not only quantifies the accuracy of the projections, but also attempts to explain, when possible, why differences occurred between actual and projected data. He analyzes the four parts of the projections (the macro-economy, population and labor force, industry employment, and occupational employment) in "a holistic manner" in an attempt to show how problems in different parts of the projections process may affect one another.
Youth employment in the summer of 2010
From April to July 2010, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old rose by 1.8 million, to 18.6 million, the Bureau reported in August. The share of young people employed in July was about 49 percent, the lowest rate for any July on record for the series (dating back to 1948) and marking the first time that less than half of all youths in this age group were employed in that month. Since peaking in July 1989, the percentage has dropped by about 20 points. For a full discussion of the jobs situation for young people in the summer of 2010, see the report at www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/youth_08272010.pdf.
The Trustees of the Lawrence R. Klein Award announced the winners of the 2009 awards. This year two BLS-authored Monthly Labor Review articles from our June issue were recognized: "How shifting occupational composition has affected the real average wage," by Rebecca Keller, and "BLS at 125: using historic principles to track the 21st-century economy," by William Wiatrowski.
Among authors submitting articles from outside BLS, H. Luke Shaefer was recognized for "Part-time workers: some key differences between primary and secondary earnings." His article was published in the October Review.
Each year since 1969, the Lawrence R. Klein Award has honored the best articles appearing in the Review. The award was established in honor of Lawrence R. Klein, who retired in 1968 after 22 years as editor-in-chief of the Review and established a fund to encourage articles that (1) exhibit originality of ideas, methods, or analysis, (2) adhere to the principles of scientific inquiry, and (3) are well written.
Communications regarding the Monthly Labor Review may be sent to the Editor-in-Chief by e-mail to mlr@bls.gov, by mail at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Room 2850, Washington, DC, 20212, or by fax to (202) 691–7890.
Within Monthly Labor Review Online:
Welcome | Current
Issue | Index | Subscribe
| Archives
Exit Monthly Labor Review Online:
BLS Home | Publications & Research
Papers
