Labor Markets | Econofact

Work-based Risks to Latino Workers and their Families From COVID-19

By Lisa A. Gennetian and Matthew S. Johnson·May 26, 2020
Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy

The Issue:

The public health emergency brought on by the coronavirus pandemic is putting front and center the health and safety risks that many workers face on a daily basis. Perhaps most salient, some traditionally low-risk occupations like grocery store cashiers are now the workers facing some of the highest

Snapshot of the COVID Crisis Impact on Working Families

By Elizabeth O. Ananat and Anna Gassman-Pines·March 30, 2020
Barnard College, Columbia University and Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University

The Issue:

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has profoundly affected many American families. The speed with which economic conditions turned as a result of the coronavirus pandemic — changing drastically from one week to the next — makes it difficult to capture the impact of the shock in a timely manner.

Secure Communities: Broad Impacts of Increased Immigration Enforcement

By Chloe East·January 13, 2020
University of Colorado Denver

The Issue:

The establishment of the Secure Communities program led to a notable increase in immigration enforcement throughout the United States, as the program spread from border counties to the interior of the nation. The program, which began in 2008, had the goal of increasing information sharing between local

The Role of Unions

By Aaron Sojourner and Brigham R. Frandsen·November 3, 2019
University of Minnesota and Brigham Young University

The Issue:

High profile labor strikes over the past two years — from teachers picketing in several states to the United Auto Workers strike at General Motors, among others — have put unions in the spotlight. This media attention can distort the public's view of what unions do, since fewer than 2 percent of labor-management

What Can the Employment Report Tell Us?

By Karen Dynan and Miriam Wasserman·September 2, 2019
Harvard University and EconoFact

The Issue:

Slowing growth abroad, particularly in Germany and China, as well as ongoing trade disputes have spurred much recent discussion about the extent to which these factors might hurt the American economy. But how can we gauge how these factors and other developments are reverberating across the U.S. economy?

What Explains the Wages of Undocumented Workers?

By Amy Hsin and Francesc Ortega·July 24, 2019
Queens College, City University of New York

The Issue:

Undocumented foreign workers earn lower wages than legal immigrants and native workers with similar skills. What are the reasons for this wage gap? The answer is important for understanding the economic effects of a range of policies, including providing driver’s licenses to undocumented workers (as

Do Summer Youth Employment Programs Work?

By Alicia Sasser Modestino·June 28, 2019
School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University

The Issue:

Many believe that early work experience — such as that provided by summer jobs — can keep teens out of trouble,foster positive traits such as independence and responsibility, and teach interpersonal skills that can enhance their future employment prospects and earnings potential. And that this

Immigrant Earnings and Out-Migration from the United States

By Randall Akee·May 8, 2019
University of California, Los Angeles

The Issue:

Immigrants currently make up about one out of every six workers in the U.S. civilian labor force. While the share of immigrants in the labor force has grown over the past few decades, immigration is not a one-way flow into the United States: There is significant turnover, with many of the foreign-born

The Mexican Border and U.S. Trade: What Would Be the Impact of a Border Closure?

By Kadee Russ and Aaron Sojourner·April 13, 2019
University of California, Davis and University of Minnesota

(Click here for state by state sales to Mexico.)

The Issue:

Recently, the Trump Administration proposed closing the U.S. border with Mexico. The United States has strong economic ties with Mexico and such an action could have ripple effects across the country. Concerns about the possibility of a closure following