While most people intuitively know that low unemployment is important to job seekers, they may not realize that high levels of employment actually would make an enormous difference in the lives of large segments of the workforce who already have jobs. Particularly in an era of historically high wage and income inequality, many in the workforce depend on full employment labor markets, and the bargaining power it provides, to secure a fair share of the economy’s growth. For the bottom third or even half of the wage distribution, high levels of employment are a necessary condition for improving wages, higher incomes, and better working conditions. This book is a follow-up to a book written a decade ago by the authors, The Benefits of Full Employment (Economic Policy Institute, 2003). It builds on the evidence presented in that book, showing that real wage growth for workers in the bottom half of the income scale is highly dependent on the overall rate of unemployment. In the late 1990s, when the United States saw its first sustained period of low unemployment in more than a quarter century, workers at the middle and bottom of the wage distribution were able to secure substantial gains in real wages. When unemployment rose in the 2001 recession, and again following the collapse of the housing bubble, most workers no longer had the bargaining power to share in the benefits of growth. The book also documents another critical yet often overlooked side effect of full employment: improved fiscal conditions (without mindless budget policies like the current sequestration). Finally, in this volume, unlike the earlier one, the authors present a broad set of policies designed to boost growth and get the unemployment rate down to a level where far more workers have a fighting chance of getting ahead.

Getting Back to Full Employment: A Better Bargain for Working People

Business & Money

Bernstein, Jared

Baker, Dean

Economics

Center for Economic Policy Research

The State of Working America, 1996-97 presents a statistical portrait of the standard of living of America's working families based on the most recent data available. By thoroughly analyzing areas such as family income, taxes, wages, jobs, wealth, and poverty, Mishel, Bernstein, and Schmitt show how the current economy is reflected in the lives of American workers. The new edition will update all statistical data and add a chapter on regional differences.

The State of Working America: 1996-97

Mishel, Lawrence

Schmitt, John

Routledge

The State of Working America, 1996-97 presents a statistical portrait of the standard of living of America's working families based on the most recent data available. By thoroughly analyzing areas such as family income, taxes, wages, jobs, wealth, and poverty, Mishel, Bernstein, and Schmitt show how the current economy is reflected in the lives of American workers. The new edition will update all statistical data and add a chapter on regional differences.

Examines the distribution of income and wealth in the U.S.

The State of Working America 1998-99

Cornell University Press

The State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty -- data that enable the authors to closely examine the effect of the economy on the living standards of the American people. As well as providing a snapshot of working Americans at the turn of the new century, this latest edition will look behind the extraordinary job and income growth of the late 1990s to assess the quality of these new jobs, weigh the contribution of the high-tech sector in the so-called "new economy", and examine the widening gap in wages and incomes.

The State of Working America, 2000-2001

ILR PRESS

The State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty-data that enable the authors to closely examine the effect of the economy on the living standards of the American people. Praise for previous editions- "The State of Working America has become a fixture on the bookshelves of policymakers and analysts."-Chicago Tribune "Its . . . pages are packed with facts and figures about the U.S. labor market and written up in a challenging and punchy style. No recruitment company or human resource manager should be without a copy."-Robert Taylor, Financial Times "No other publication in America is as valuable in assessing what's happening to working men and women."-John J. Sweeney "Read The State of Working America to appreciate how growth is generating benefits very unequally."-Harvard Business Review

The State of Working America, 2002/2003

Boushey, Heather

The State of Working America, 2006-2007

Praise for previous editions of The State of Working America: "The State of Working America remains unrivaled as the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today's economy."―Robert B. Reich"It is the inequality of wealth, argue the authors, rather than new technology (as some would have it), that is responsible for the failure of America's workplace to keep pace with the country's economic growth. The State of Working America is a well-written, soundly argued, and important reference book."―Library Journal "If you want to know what happened to the economic well-being of the average American in the past decade or so, this is the book for you. It should be required reading for Americans of all political persuasions."―Richard Freeman, Harvard University "A truly comprehensive and useful book that provides a reality check on loose statements about U.S. labor markets. It should be cheered by all Americans who earn their living from work."―William Wolman, former chief economist, CNBC's Business Week "The State of Working America provides very valuable factual and analytic material on the economic conditions of American workers. It is the very best source of information on this important subject."―Ray Marshall, University of Texas, former U.S. Secretary of Labor"An indispensable work . . . on family income, wages, taxes, employment, and the distribution of wealth."―Simon Head, The New York Review of Books "No matter what political camp you're in, this is the single most valuable book I know of about the state of America, period. It is the most referenced, most influential resource book of its kind."―Jeff Madrick, author, The End of Affluence "This book is the single best yardstick for measuring whether or not our economic policies are doing enough to ensure that our economy can, once again, grow for everybody."―Richard A. Gephardt "The best place to review the latest developments in changes in the distribution of income and wealth."―Lester ThurowThe State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty-data that enable the authors to closely examine the effect of the economy on the living standards of the American people.

Allegretto, Sylvia

The State of Working America, 2008/2009 (Economic Policy Institute)

The State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty-data that enable the authors to closely examine the effect of the economy on the living standards of the American people. This edition, like the previous ones, exposes and analyzes the most recent and critical trends in the country.Praise for previous editions of The State of Working America: "The State of Working America remains unrivaled as the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today's economy."―Robert B. Reich"It is the inequality of wealth, argue the authors, rather than new technology (as some would have it), that is responsible for the failure of America's workplace to keep pace with the country's economic growth. The State of Working America is a well-written, soundly argued, and important reference book."―Library Journal "If you want to know what happened to the economic well-being of the average American in the past decade or so, this is the book for you. It should be required reading for Americans of all political persuasions."―Richard Freeman, Harvard University "A truly comprehensive and useful book that provides a reality check on loose statements about U.S. labor markets. It should be cheered by all Americans who earn their living from work."―William Wolman, former chief economist, CNBC's Business Week "The State of Working America provides very valuable factual and analytic material on the economic conditions of American workers. It is the very best source of information on this important subject."―Ray Marshall, University of Texas, former U.S. Secretary of Labor"An indispensable work . . . on family income, wages, taxes, employment, and the distribution of wealth."―Simon Head, New York Review of Books"No matter what political camp you're in, this is the single most valuable book I know of about the state of America, period. It is the most referenced, most influential resource book of its kind."―Jeff Madrick, author of The End of Affluence "This book is the single best yardstick for measuring whether or not our economic policies are doing enough to ensure that our economy can, once again, grow for everybody."―Richard A. Gephardt"The best place to review the latest developments in changes in the distribution of income and wealth."―Lester Thurow

Shierholz, Heidi

Praise for previous editions of The State of Working America: 
"The State of Working America remains unrivaled as the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today's economy."―Robert B. Reich
"It is the inequality of wealth, argue the authors, rather than new technology (as some would have it), that is responsible for the failure of America's workplace to keep pace with the country's economic growth. The State of Working America is a well-written, soundly argued, and important reference book."―Library Journal 
"If you want to know what happened to the economic well-being of the average American in the past decade or so, this is the book for you. It should be required reading for Americans of all political persuasions."―Richard Freeman, Harvard University "A truly comprehensive and useful book that provides a reality check on loose statements about U.S. labor markets. It should be cheered by all Americans who earn their living from work."―William Wolman, former chief economist, CNBC's Business Week "The State of Working America provides very valuable factual and analytic material on the economic conditions of American workers. It is the very best source of information on this important subject."―Ray Marshall, University of Texas, former U.S. Secretary of Labor
"An indispensable work... on family income, wages, taxes, employment, and the distribution of wealth."―Simon Head, The New York Review of Books "No matter what political camp you're in, this is the single most valuable book I know of about the state of America, period. It is the most referenced, most influential resource book of its kind."―Jeff Madrick, author of The End of Affluence "This book is the single best yardstick for measuring whether or not our economic policies are doing enough to ensure that our economy can, once again, grow for everybody."―Richard A. Gephardt "The best place to review the latest developments in changes in the distribution of income and wealth."―Lester Thurow
The State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty-data that enable the authors to closely examine the effect of the economy on the living standards of the American people. This edition, like the previous ones, exposes and analyzes the most recent and critical trends in the country.

Examines the distribution of income and wealth in the U.S.

The State of Working America, 1998-99

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bernstein, Jared. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bernstein, Jared

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bernstein, Jared. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Getting Back to Full Employment: A Better Bargain for Working People

The State of Working America: 1996-97

The State of Working America: 1996-97

The State of Working America 1998-99

The State of Working America, 2000-2001

The State of Working America, 2002/2003

The State of Working America, 2006-2007

The State of Working America, 2008/2009 (Economic Policy Institute)

The State of Working America, 2008/2009 (Economic Policy Institute)

The State of Working America, 1998-99