Labor Economics

Divergent Paths: Economic Mobility in the New American Labor Market

The promise of upward mobility—the notion that everyone has the chance to get ahead—is one of this country's most cherished ideals, a hallmark of the American Dream. But in today's volatile labor market, the tradition of upward mobility for all may …

Trends in Job Instability and Wages for Young Adult Men

This is a paper in 'On the Job: Is Long Term Employment a Thing of the Past?', edited by David Neumark. New York: Russell Sage.

Comparing earnings inequality using two major surveys

Some previous research suggests that discrepancies exist between the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and the Current Population Survey in terms of earnings trends; when the sample is limited to full-time, year-round workers, however, the …

Trends in Job Instability and Wages for Young Adult Men

Data and measurement problems have complicated the debate over trends in job instability in the United States. We compare two cohorts of young white men from the National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS), construct a rigorous measure of job change, and …