Library

Reports: Employment

Rural Pulse 2013
Blandin Foundation, May 2013, 6 pp.
Research study designed to give a snapshot of the concerns, perceptions and priorities of rural Minnesota residents. For the first time, the survey included the perspectives of urban residents as well as specific racial and cultural perspectives. Additional reports are available at http://www.ruralpulse.org/ more info >

Less Than Equal: Racial Disparities in Wealth Accumulation
Urban Institute, April 2013, 6 pp.
Discusses the racial wealth gap and how it affects opportunity. more info >

Job sprawl stalls: The Great Recession and metropolitan employment location
Brookings Institution, April 2013, 24 pp.
This brief assesses recent trends in employment location in 2000, 2007, and 2010, documenting the impact of the Great Recession on the geographic distribution of metropolitan jobs during the 2000s. more info >

Unemployment rates are projected to remain high for whites, Latinos, and African Americans throughout 2013
Economic Policy Institute, February 2013, 8 pp.
National unemployment forecast for 2013. Looks at unemployment rates of whites, Latinos, and African Americans nationally and by state. more info >

Rural Minnesota Journal: Who lives in rural Minnesota, A region in transition
Center For Rural Policy and Development, December 2012
Journal that focuses on rural Minnesota. Includes articles that look at the demographic profile of rural Minnesota, rural volunteers, aging Baby Boomers, community leadership, philanthropy, and skills shortages and regional economies. more info >

Community needs assessment for Ramsey and Washington counties
Wilder Research, November 2012, 24 pp.
Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties focuses on bringing together resources to reduce poverty. A community needs assessment was conducted with low-income residents; the survey asked about employment, housing, education, health, safety, and other family needs and included questions about Community Action services. The report also presents poverty data for Ramsey and Washington counties. more info >

Women's earnings in Minnesota - 2010
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, November 2011, 7 pp.
This report contains information on women's earning in Minnesota. It is taken from a larger report presenting earnings data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a national monthly survey of approximately 60,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. more info >

High black unemployment widespread across nation's metropolitan areas
Economic Policy Institute, October 2011, 8 pp.
This report compares black unemployment rates before and after the recent economic downturn, finding that many metropolitan areas current have rates of over 20 percent, black unemployment rates of over 20 percent, comparable to the peak national unemployment rates during the Great Depression of the 1930s. more info >

Civic health and unemployment: Can engagement strengthen the economy?
National Conference on Citizenship, September 2011, 7 pp.
States with higher levels of civic engagement - including Minnesota - are more resilient during an economic downturn, according to this report. The report found that states with the highest level rates of volunteering and working with neighbors had the smallest increase in unemployment between 2006 and 2010. more info >

Everybody in: A report to reduce racial employment disparities in the Ramsey County Metropolitan Area
Blue Ribbon Commission Reducing Racial Employment Disparities, September 2011, 68 pp.
Strategies to reduce racial employment disparities in Ramsey County Metropolitan Area. more info >

Unemployment in the Great Recession: Single parents and men hit hard
Carsey Institute, July 2011, 6 pp.
This brief examines changes in unemployment patterns by sex, age, education, race and ethnicity, marital status, and parental status paying particular attention to differences by place of residence. more info >

All hands on deck: Sixteen ideas for strengthening Minnesota's workforce: 2011 Policy advisory
Governor's Workforce Development Council, March 2011, 41 pp.
Presents 16 policy recommendations designed to improve Minnesota's education and training system and help meet the increasing demand for skilled workers. Recommendations fall in four areas: strengthening the skills of the current workforce, creating work and lifetime learning options for aging workers, expanding work opportunities for Minnesotans with disabilities, and ensuring all high school graduates are ready for success. more info >

The long run has become the short run: Budget implications of demographic change
Minnesota State Demographic Center, February 2011, 26 pp.
Examines the effect of an aging population on the state budget between 2011 and 2020. more info >

Profile of older Americans
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, January 2011, 18 pp.
National data profile of older adults, including living arrangements, racial and ethnic composition, geographic distribution, income, poverty, housing, employment, education, health and health care, disability, and caregiving. New reports are issued annually. more info >

14 Solutions that expand job and economic opportunity, and reduce Minnesota's disparities
Organizing Apprenticeship Project, December 2010, 16 pp.
This policy brief offers solutions that expand opportunity, reduce Minnesota's racial, gender and economic disparities, and highlights equity implications of the most pressing policy issues. more info >

Transform 2010: Data report - baby boomer survey
Minnesota Department of Human Services, November 2010, 24 pp.
Results of a survey of Minnesota baby boomers that asked for their thoughts about work and housing and how they expect to approach these issues in the next 10 years. more info >

Rural Pulse 2010
Blandin Foundation, October 2010, 44 pp.
Results of a survey of rural Minnesotans conducted in September 2010. It presents demographic information, including data on employment, family income, and length of residence. Respondents were asked questions about the condition of their community's economy and quality of life; a person's ability to affect change; whether community members worked well together; community leadership; whether their community is welcoming for people of all backgrounds; access to basic services; the community's ability to control crime, provide services for the elderly and protect the environment; access to technology and strong infrastructure; adequate healthcare and cultural/arts opportunities; and availability of quality educational and job opportunities. Respondents were asked to select the most critical issue to their community. more info >

Uneven pain: Unemployment by metropolitan area and race
Economic Policy Institute, June 2010, 11 pp.
Details the variation in unemployment across the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The Twin Cities metropolitan area has the highest black-white unemployment ratio, with the black unemployment rate three times that of the white rate. more info >

Evidence scan of work experience programs
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., May 2010, 38 pp.
This report presents evidence on the effectiveness of interventions that include work experience as a strategy to improve employment outcomes for people with barriers to employment. The report reviews 26 years of rigorous research gathering information from 27 evaluations. The author distinguishes between interventions targeting adults versus youth, paid versus unpaid work, and length of work opportunity.
more info >

American Indians and the great recession: Economic disparities growing larger
Economic Policy Institute, December 2009, 8 pp.
American Indian workers suffered recession-level rates of unemployment long before the current recession began. This issue brief examines the increasing gap between American-Indian and white unemployment rates, both nationally and regionally. more info >

Quarterly economic pulse September 2009
Greater Twin Cities United Way and Twin Cities Compass, September 2009, 4 pp.
Provides recent information on economic trends impacting the Twin Cities region. This issue includes data on unemployment rates, housing, community basic needs, and organizational challenges. more info >

The economic impact of immigrants in Minnesota
Minnesota Business Immigrant Coalition, September 2009, 48 pp.
Information on the estimated fiscal costs and contributions of immigrants in Minnesota. more info >

Quarterly economic pulse July 2009
Greater Twin Cities United Way and Twin Cities Compass, July 2009, 4 pp.
Provides recent information on economic trends impacting the Twin Cities region. This issue includes data on unemployment rates, housing, basic needs and nonprofit challenges. more info >

Increasing the number of children whose parents have stable employment
Annie E. Casey Foundation, July 2009, 16 pp.
This indicator brief outlines eight broad strategies for workforce development that are rooted in lessons learned from recent practice and research. more info >

Reducing the number of disconnected youth
Annie E. Casey Foundation, July 2009, 13 pp.
This brief outlines strategies to reduce the number of disconnected youth. more info >

An Aging world: 2008
U.S. Census Bureau, June 2009, 204 pp.
Examines the challenges and global implications presented by the world's population aging at an unprecedented rate. This report looks at past, current, and projected numbers, proportions, and growth rates of older populations and summarizes socioeconomic statistics for both developed and developing nations. more info >

The geographic distribution and characteristics of older workers in Minnesota: 2004
U.S. Census Bureau, October 2008, 12 pp.
Shows the geographic distribution and the economic dynamics among private sector workers 55 and older, including comparisons among the counties and between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas of Minnesota. more info >

Why do so few women work in New York (and so many in Minneapolis)? Labor supply of married women across U.S. cities
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, May 2008, 47 pp.
This study found that white married women in Minneapolis are more likely to work than white married women in any other major city. After looking at a variety of possible explanations, they found that cities that had large increases in average commuting times from 1980 through 2000 had slower growth in labor force participation. more info >

Growing older in America: The Health & Retirement Study
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 2007, 108 pp.
A national sample of adults over 50 were interviewed to gather information about their physical and mental health, insurance coverage, financial situations, family support systems, work status, and retirement planning. more info >

Why we can't wait: A case for philanthropic action: Opportunities for improving life outcomes for African American males
Ford Foundation, January 2007, 81 pp.
An examination of programs, policies and services that impact the life outcomes of African-American males. The report is intended to serve as a springboard for ideas, strategies and programs that philanthropy professionals, nonprofit leaders and civil society can nurture to the point of outcomes that improve the quality of life for black men and boys. more info >

Economic impact of immigrants
Office of the Legislative Auditor, May 2006, 25 pp.
Summary of economic research on the impact of immigrants in Minnesota, including impacts on government costs and revenues. The report includes census data on Minnesota's immigrant population, a summary information available on the economic impact on immigrants and on U.S.-born workers, and the national and state level impacts of immigrants on public costs and revenues. The final section addresses the impacts of illegal immigrants. more info >

A new approach to low-wage workers and employers: Launching the Work Advancement and Support Center demonstration
MDRC, February 2006, 62 pp.
Looks at the start-up experiences of two Work Advancement and Support Centers. The Centers provide services to help workers keep their jobs or find better ones and provide simplified access to programs intended to provide financial support to low-income workers. more info >

Demographic change and the life circumstances of immigrant families
The Future of Children, July 2004, 31 pp.
A description of the major demographic shifts over the past half-century including statistics reflecting the circumstances of the nation's children across various racial/ethnic groups. more info >

Escaping low earnings : the role of employer characteristics and changes
National Poverty Center, April 2004, 38 pp.
Analyzes the extent to which escape from or entry into low earnings among adult workers is associated with changes in their employers and firm characteristics. more info >

Linking economic development and job creation for the working poor
Welfare Information Network, January 2004, 4 pp.
Highlights recent publications, electronic resources, and programs that focus on strengthening the link between economic development and job creation for the working poor. more info >

Earning while learning : maintaining income while upgrading skills
Jobs for the Future, December 2003, 15 pp.
Looks at programs that allow low-wage workers learn new skills while maintaining an income. It identifies what works for programs and practices that encourage skill development by providing income and support services to those pursuing further education and training. more info >