ERIC Number: ED392856
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1995-Nov
Pages: 44
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Employer Skill Needs and Labor Market Outcomes across Groups.
Holzer, Henry J.
Data from a survey of 800 employers were used to investigate the effects of employer skill needs on the wage levels and employment of newly hired workers, and especially on how these outcomes differ by race, gender, and educational group. Results showed that very few new jobs were available to workers who lacked credentials such as diplomas or experience, or the job skills needed for daily task performance. This was true even of jobs that did not require college degrees. The hiring and task performance requirements of new jobs were associated with lower employment of blacks relative to whites within each gender. They also had significant effects on starting hourly wages, even after controlling for educational attainment of the worker. The effects of employer skill needs on employment patterns help to account for some of the observed differences in hourly wages across racial and educational groups, especially among men. Recent trends over time seem consistent with these findings, along with evidence that skill needs have been rising among employers. Results also indicate that discriminatory employer preferences across racial groups play some role in determining employment outcomes for these groups, even after controlling for skill needs. (Contains 6 tables and 44 references.) (Author/SLD)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Rockefeller Foundation, New York, NY.; Russell Sage Foundation, New York, NY.
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A