IWS Documented News INTERNATIONAL: January 2008

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Marketplace from American Public Media

Each month, WORKING brings us into the life of a single worker in the global economy. Intimate profiles of real people with real families, real struggles, real dreams, and real jobs.

WORKING -- a co-production of Homeland Production and Marketplace

BALKAN CRIME-FIGHTER PROFILED TONIGHT ON MARKETPLACE
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/segments/working/

Gordana Jankuloska stands barely five feet tall and weighs just over 100
pounds. Her modest apartment is strewn with stuffed animals. When she's not
working, she likes to watch Animal Planet on TV. As a young commercial
lawyer, she could be making good money in London, where she got her degree.
So why is she working for $4.35 an hour running the security services in a
former East Bloc country known for its underworld-style corruption? "It's a
unique chance," she says, "to do something really big." In this month's
segment of WORKING, Sandy Tolan introduces us to the 32-year-old "whiz kid"
interior minister of Macedonia.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:49 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Census Atlas of the United States [31 January 2008]
http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/censusatlas/

See in particular CHAPTER 11 -- WORK
http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/censusatlas/11_Work.pdf
[full-text, 22 pages]

Press Release
Census Bureau Produces First Comprehensive Atlas in More Than 80 Years [31 January 2008]
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/011433.html

     If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the U.S. Census Bureau's new Census Atlas of the United States speaks volumes about how the nation's population and housing characteristics have changed over the years. The atlas, with more than 700 full-color maps, is the first general population and housing statistical atlas published by the Census Bureau since 1925.

     Featuring more than 300 pages and weighing about 7 pounds, the atlas presents data from 1790 through 2000. It is arranged by topic and grouped into three general themes who we are, where we come from and what we do. Most maps feature county-level detail for the United States and Puerto Rico.

     "The Census Atlas of the United States is an invitation to spend several hours considering the characteristics of our country," said former Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. "These maps do not merely offer graphic representations of the facts and data. They reveal the relationships among our nation's people and the states, cities and counties where they have chosen to live. In short, the book tells the story of our nation its past, present and future."

     Census Atlas of the United States is available on the Census Bureau Web site < http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/censusatlas/>. A print copy of the Census Atlas can be purchased from the Government Printing Office online bookstore at < http://bookstore.gpo.gov>.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 12:04 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

New Zealand
Ministry for the Environment

Environment New Zealand 2007 [31 January 2008]
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/ser/enz07-dec07/index.html
[download individual chapters]
or
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/ser/enz07-dec07/html/index.html
and
SUMMARY
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/ser/enz07-summary-dec07/index.html

Press Release

Current state of the environment report released [31 January 2008]
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/news/enz07-31jan08.html

[excerpt]

A comprehensive state of the environment report released today provides the basis for future action on the environment, says Environment Secretary Hugh Logan.
< http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/ser/enz07-dec07/index.html> Environment New Zealand 2007 presents a thorough snapshot of the health of our environment and will help inform and prioritise decisions that will lead to a sustainable New Zealand, Mr Logan said.

The 450-page report is the country's second state of the environment report, but quantifies a range of key indicators in a way that the first report issued a decade ago did not.

AND MORE...

[Thanks to Kevin Adams, Information Specialist, ESR for the tip].

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 11:37 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Paris, 31 January 2008
News Release
Unit labour cost growth slows for most major OECD economies in the third quarter of 2007
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/25/47/39999631.pdf
[full-text, 4 pages]

[excerpt]
Unit labour costs (ULC) in industry fell for most major OECD economies in the third quarter of 2007. In France, Germany, Japan and the United States they declined more than in the second quarter. Italy is the only G7 economy where ULC grew appreciably in the third quarter of 2007 (0.8%), although there as well they slowed, from the 1.1% increase recorded in the previous quarter.

AND MUCH MORE....

See also
http://www.oecd.org/document/33/0,3343,en_2649_201185_39999713_1_1_1_1,00.html
and
for ACTUAL DATA
Dataset: Unit Labour Cost - Quarterly indicators
http://stats.oecd.org/WBOS/default.aspx?DatasetCode=ULC_QUA

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 11:18 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

INDIA
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
Reports & Publications
http://mospi.nic.in/mospi_nsso_rept_pubn.htm

Scroll to the bottom of this page [URL above] to find the following:

Household Consumer Expenditure, Employment and Unemployment, Unorganised Manufacturing Enterprises NSS 62nd Round (July 2005 - June 2006)

522 Employment and Unemployment Situation in India


524 Operational Characteristics of Unorganised Manufacturing Enterprises in India


525 Unorganised Manufacturing Sector in India-Employment, Assets and Borrowings

The above can be downloaded after FREE REGISTRATION. Simply click on the document and a registration form will appear.

See Press Release
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION IN INDIA: 2005-06 [29 January 2008]
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=34970

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:45 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Press Information Bureau
Government of India

Thursday, December 20, 2007
Ministry of Labour & Employment

NEW INITIATIVES TOWARDS PROTECTING INTERESTS OF UNORGANIZED LABOUR
UPGRADATION AND OPENING OF NEW ITIS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=34153

----------
13:22 IST

YEAR END REVIEW 07

The introduction of the Unorganized Sector Workers Social Security Bill, 2007, the launching of the 'Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana' (RSBY), major programme for upgradation of ITIs and ITCs, the Revised Integrated Housing Scheme (RIHS) 2007-08 for beedi workers etc., expansion of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme to cover 250 districts with an additional $40 million Indo-US joint project on Child Labour in 21 districts, the initiation of concept of the national floor level minimum wage and its revision from Rs.66/- per day to Rs.80/- per day, constitution of two Wage Boards one for Working Journalists and another for Non-Journalist Newspaper Employees, action to provide the skills for youth with lesser educational qualification through the Skill Development Initiative Scheme in areas/clusters which have significant population of Muslims marked the activities and achievements of the Ministry of Labour and Employment during the year 2007.

UNORGANIZED SECTOR WORKERS

To provide social security to workers in the unorganized sector, the Unorganized Sector Workers Social Security Bill, 2007 was introduced in Parliament in September this year. The Bill seeks to provide for health insurance, life and accident insurance, maternity benefits and old age pension and any other benefits that may be decided by the Central Government.

AND MUCH MORE....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:58 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Prepared by
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy
U.S. Department of Labor
January 2008

Impact of Increased Minimum Wages on the Economies of American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands [January 2008]
http://www.dol.gov/asp/media/reports/ascnmi/ascnmi.pdf
[full-text, 51 pages]

[excerpt]
This report is limited to addressing the two questions contained in the Congressional mandate:
(1) what has been the impact on living standards and employment to the present date of the fifty-cent-per-hour increase in the minimum wages of each territory that became effective July 2007;
and
(2) what are the projected impacts of the future increases scheduled under the Act?

Table of Contents
Executive Summary ii
Section 1. Introduction 1
Section 2. American Samoa 5
Section 3. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 23
Bibliography 40

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:24 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Foreign Labor Statistics

Chartbook of International Labor Comparisons, The AMERICAS, ASIA/PACIFIC, EUROPE -- January 2008
http://www.dol.gov/asp/media/reports/chartbook/2008-01/chartbook.pdf
[full-text, 73 pages]

{excerpt]
This chartbook focuses on the labor market situation in selected
countries in the 1996-2006 period. Charts in sections 1 through 4 and
section 6 include countries in North America (the United States, Canada,
and Mexico) and selected Asian-Pacific and European economies.
Weighted aggregates for 15 European Union countries (EU-15) are
shown on most charts. These represent European Union member
countries prior to the expansion of the European Union to 25 countries
on May 1, 2004 and to 27 countries on January 1, 2007. The EU-15
countries are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It should be noted that the selected
economies are not representative of all of Europe and the Asian-Pacific
region; rather, they tend to be the more industrialized economies in
these regions. In section 5, several indicators are presented for five
large emerging economies: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and the
Russian Federation. Due to the lack of suitable data, some of the
countries do not appear on all charts. The appendix describes the
definitions, sources, and methods used to compile the data in the
chartbook. For some series, the appendix provides cautions about the
exact comparability of the measures.

CONTENTS
iv | Contents
Section 1. Gross Domestic Product Per Capita 1
1.1 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, 2006 2
1.2 Average annual growth rates for real GDP per capita, 1996-
2006 3
Section 2. Labor Market Indicators 5
2.1 Size of the labor force, 2006 6
2.2 Average annual growth rates for the labor force, 1996-2006 7
2.3 Labor force participation rates by sex, 2006 8
2.4 Labor force participation rates for youth, 2006 9
2.5 Labor force participation rates for older workers, 2006 10
2.6 Employment as a percent of the working-age population, 2006 11
2.7 Average annual growth rates for employment, 1996-2006 12
2.8 Average annual growth rates for full-time and part-time employment, 1996-2006 13
2.9 Annual hours worked per employed person, 1996 and 2006 14
2.10 Unemployment rates, 2006 15
2.11 Unemployment rates for youth, 2006 16
2.12 Ratio of youth to adult unemployment rates, 2006 17
2.13 Persons unemployed one year or longer, 2006 18
2.14 Ratio of unemployment rate of persons without high school degrees to that of persons with college or university degrees, 2005 19
2.15 Educational attainment of the adult population, 2005 20
Section 3. Competitiveness Indicators for Manufacturing 21
3.1 Hourly compensation costs, 2005 22
3.2 Average annual growth rates for hourly compensation costs, 1995-2005 23
3.3 Employer social insurance expenditures and other labor taxes as a percent of hourly compensation costs, 2005 24
3.4 Average annual growth rates for manufacturing productivity, 1996-2006 25
3.5 Average annual growth rates for manufacturing output and hours worked, 1996-2006 26
3.6 Average annual growth rates for manufacturing unit labor costs in U.S. dollars, 1996-2006 27
3.7 Manufacturing output as a percent of world manufacturing output, 2006 28
Section 4. Other Economic Indicators 29
4.1 Public expenditures on labor market programs as a percent of GDP, 2005-06 30
4.2 Measures of regulation on labor and product markets, 2003 31
4.3 Share of labor costs taken by tax and social security contributions, 2006 32
4.4 Dependency ratios, 2005 and projections to 2025 33
4.5 Trade in goods as a percent of GDP, 2005 34
Section 5. Indicators for Large Emerging Economies 35
5.1 World population distribution, 2005 36
5.2 Age composition of the population, 2005 37
5.3 Dependency ratios, 2005 and projections to 2025 38
5.4 GDP per capita, 2005 39
5.5 GDP per employed person, 1996 and 2005 40
5.6 Labor force participation rates by age, 2006 41
5.7 Employment as a percent of the working-age population by sex, 2006 42
5.8 Trade in goods as a percent of GDP, 2005 43
5.9 Manufacturing output as a percent of world manufacturing output, 2006 44
Section 6. Disability indicators 45
6.1 Persons with disabilities as a percent of the working-age population 46
6.2 Employment as a percent of the working-age population 47
6.3 Persons receiving disability benefits as a percent of the working-age population, 1990 and 1999 48
6.4 Labor market status of persons receiving disability benefits 49
Appendix. Definitions, Sources, and Methods A1
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:15 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34330

The Proposed U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA): Provisions and Implications
January 22, 2008
William H. Cooper (Coordinator),
Mark E. Manyin, and Vivian C. Jones, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Stephen Cooney and Remy Jurenas, Resources, Science, and Industry Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34330_20080122.pdf
[full-text, 56 pages]

Summary
On June 30, 2007, United States Trade Representative Susan Schwab and South
Korean Foreign Trade Minister Kim Hyung-chong signed the proposed U.S.-South
Korean Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) for their respective countries. If
approved, the KORUS FTA would be the largest FTA that South Korea has signed
to date and would be the second largest (next to North American Free Trade
Agreement NAFTA) in which the United States participates. South Korea is the
seventh-largest trading partner of the United States and the United States is South
Korea's third largest trading partner. Various studies conclude that the agreement
would increase bilateral trade and investment flows.

The final text of the proposed KORUS FTA covers a wide range of trade and
investment issues and, therefore, could have wide economic implications for both the
United States and South Korea. The KORUS FTA includes issues on which the two
countries achieved early agreement, such as the elimination on tariffs on trade in
most manufactured goods and the partial liberalization in services trade. The
agreement also includes provisions on a number of very sensitive issues, such as
autos, agriculture, and trade remedies, on which agreement was reached only during
the final hours of negotiations.

If the agreement is to enter into force, Congress will have to approve
implementation legislation. The negotiations were conducted under the trade
promotion authority (TPA), also called fast-track trade authority, that the Congress
granted the President under the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-
210). The authority allows the President to enter into trade agreements that receive
expedited congressional consideration (no amendments and limited debate). The
White House has not indicated when it will send the draft implementing legislation
to Congress. (The TPA sets no deadline for the President to do this.)

While a broad swath of the U.S. business community supports the agreement,
the KORUS FTA faces opposition from some groups, including some auto and steel
manufacturers and labor unions. In addition, the agricultural community and some
Members of Congress have withheld support for the agreement until South Korea
lifts its restrictions on imports of U.S. beef. Some U.S. supporters view passage of
the KORUS FTA as important to secure new opportunities in the South Korea
market. Opponents claim that the KORUS FTA does not go far enough in opening
up the South Korean market and is a lost opportunity to resolve long running
concerns about South Korean barriers. Other observers have suggested the outcome
of the KORUS FTA could have implications for the U.S.-South Korean alliance as
a whole.

Differences between the White House and the Democratic leadership in the
Congress over the implications of the KORUS FTA have made the timing and even
the likelihood of the President's submission and the Congress's subsequent
consideration of implementing legislation uncertain.

This report will be updated as events warrant.

Contents
The KORUS FTA in a Nutshell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Automobiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Other Key Provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Estimates of the Overall Economic Effects of a KORUS FTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
An Overview of the U.S.-South Korean Economic Relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
U.S. and South Korean Objectives in An FTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Sector-Specific Issues and the KORUS FTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Agriculture and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Autos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Textiles and Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Other Manufactured Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Financial and Other Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
General Provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Trade Remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Kaesong Industrial Complex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Foreign Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Intellectual Property Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Labor Rights and Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Government Procurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Environment Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Institutional Provisions and Dispute Settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Other Technical Provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Next Steps, Implications, and the Emerging Debate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Appendix A: South Korea's restrictions on Imports of U.S. Beef . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Appendix B: South Korean Motor Vehicle Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Appendix C: South Korea's Entry into the Visa Waiver Program . . . . . . . . . . . 52

List of Tables
Table 1. Annual U.S.-South Korea Merchandise Trade, Selected Years . . . . . . . 7
Table 2. Asymmetrical Economic Interdependence (2006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 7:45 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34337

China's Sovereign Wealth Fund
January 22, 2008
Michael F. Martin, Analyst in Asian Trade and Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Department
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34337_20080122.pdf
[full-text, 22 pages]

Summary
China established its major sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment
Corporation (CIC) on September 29, 2007 six months after it first announced its
intention to create such a fund. Financed with $200 billion in initial capital, the CIC
is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in the world.

Although many of the CIC's initial investments were apparently political in
nature, the CIC's top management have repeatedly asserted that future investments
will be commercially-based, seeking to maximize the return on investment. Since
its creation, the CIC and its subsidiaries have already made several investments,
including the purchase of 9.9% of the U.S. financial firm, Morgan Stanley, on
December 19, 2007.

According to top Chinese officials, the CIC was created to improve the rate of
return on China's $1.5 trillion in foreign exchange reserves and to soak up some of
the nation's excess financial liquidity. Depending on its performance with the initial
allotment of $200 billion, the CIC may be allocated more of China's growing stock
of foreign exchange reserves.

A number of experts in international finance have expressed some concern
about the recent growth in SWFs and China's creation of the CIC. Analysts have
cautioned that major shifts in SWF investments potentially could disrupt global
financial markets and harm the U.S. economy. Other experts are less concerned
about SWFs and the CIC, and welcome their participation in international investment
markets.

China has responded by maintaining that the CIC will prove to be a source of
market stability. China has also stated that it has no intention of using its SWF to
cause harm to the U.S. economy or global financial markets.

Despite China's reassurances, there have been calls for greater oversight and
regulation of the activities of SWFs. A senior official in the Bush administration has
called on the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to develop guidelines
for SWFs. Some international financial experts have suggested elements to be
included in such guidelines, including standards for transparency, governance, and
reciprocity. Other experts have suggested that the United States should review its
current laws and regulations governing foreign investments in the United States, and
possibly implement special procedures or restrictions on proposed investments by
SWFs. These include financial reporting requirement, limits on SWF ownership of
U.S. companies, and restrictions on the types of equity investments SWFs can make
in U.S. companies.

This report will be updated as circumstances warrant.

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Policy Responses to SWFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Administrative Details of the China Investment Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
CIC's Management Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
CIC's Working Capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Investment Activities of China's Sovereign Wealth Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CIC's Existing Investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CIC's Future Investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Investment Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Reciprocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Market Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Implications for China's Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Implications for Global Financial Markets and the U.S. Economy . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Congressional Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

List of Figures
Figure 1. CIC's Major Investments (as of 12/07) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

List of Tables
Table 1. Leading Sovereign Wealth Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 7:36 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34336

Sovereign Wealth Funds: Background and Policy Issues for Congress
January 28, 2008
Martin A. Weiss, Analyst in International Trade and Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34336_20080128.pdf
[full-text, 24 pages]

Summary
Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are investment funds owned and managed by
national governments. Such funds currently manage between $1.9 and $2.9 trillion
and are expected to grow to over $12 trillion by 2015. This is due to the rapid growth
of commodity prices and large trade surpluses in several emerging market economies.
During the second half of 2007, interest in SWFs increased as Asian and Middle
Eastern SWFs, fueled by surging foreign exchange reserves, invested large sums of
capital in U.S. and other Western companies.

Policy makers in the United States have raised two broad policy concerns about
SWFs: (1) their lack of transparency and (2) their possible misuse for political or
other non-commercial goals. The Senate Banking Committee held hearings on SWFs
in November 2007. Additional congressional hearings are expected in 2008.
SWFs pose a complex challenge for policy makers. On one hand, SWFs are
long-term investment vehicles looking beyond quarterly results and therefore serve
as stable funding sources during financial turbulance. On the other hand, however,
there are operational concerns stemming from government control (i.e., lack of
transparency and possible non-commercial investment goals). Without transparency,
it is difficult to attain a clear picture of SWF investment activity. A lack of SWF
transparency can also obscure governance and risk-management problems within
SWFs.

Many are also concerned that countries will use SWFs to support what one
analyst has called "state capitalism," using government-controlled assets to secure
stakes around the world in strategic areas such as telecommunications, energy and
mineral resources, and financial services, among other sectors.

In response to these concerns, many analysts and policy makers are evaluating
the operations of existing SWFs and are looking to the international financial
institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to establish guidelines
for SWF operations. All of these institutions are currently developing proposals that
will be deliberated during 2008. This report will be updated as events warrant.

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
What Are Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs)? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
What Countries Operate SWFs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Middle East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Size of SWFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Policy Issues for Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Transparency and Governance-Related Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Non-commercial Investment Motives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
U.S. and International Policy Responses to SWFs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Multilateral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

List of Figures
Figure 1. SWF Investments in Western Financial Institutions ($ billions) . . . . . . 3
Figure 2. Global Asset Volume Comparison 2005, $ Trillion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 3. Standard Chartered Ranking of SWFs,by Investment Approach and Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

List of Tables
Table 1. Foreign Exchange Reserves and Current Account Balances . . . . . . . . . . 8
Table 2. Large Sovereign Wealth Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 7:31 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

No. ID-17
OFFICE OF INDUSTRIES WORKING PAPER
U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION (USITC)

International Cooperation on Trade and Labor Issues [January 2008]
Jennifer Baumert, Kyle Johnson, Dawn Heuschel, Brendan Lynch
http://www.usitc.gov/ind_econ_ana/research_ana/research_work_papers/documents/LaborWPID17%20.pdf
[full-text, 68 pages]

ABSTRACT:
The relationship between the labor market and international trade is a broad
and complex subject that has been the focus of significant attention in recent years.
Discussion and analysis in this area has covered a number of discrete issues, including the
effect of shifting trade patterns on employment levels and earnings in domestic markets, the
impact of wage levels and labor legislation on the location of production facilities, and the
positive and negative aspects of the cross-border movement of workers, among others. The
continuing importance of labor issues within the larger trade debate is highlighted by the
inclusion of measures relating to labor standards and/or the cross-border movement of
workers in recent bilateral and multilateral trade agreements such as the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the
U.S.Oman Free Trade Agreement. This paper aims to provide background for future work
on trade-related labor issues by describing how labor issues such as internationally recognized
labor standards and the cross-border movement of workers have been addressed by
international organizations, as well as in U.S. trade legislation and recent trade agreements.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:28 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

International Labour Organization (ILO) Bangkok

EmployAbility: A resource guide on disability for employers in Asia and the Pacific [2007]
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/skills/disability/download/perry.pdf
[full-text, 142 pages]

[excerpt]
Many companies around the region are learning that people with disabilities are
productive and that they bring many benefits to the workplace. EmployAbility:
A resource guide on disability for employers in Asia and the Pacific has been
developed at the request of employers who need information to take advantage
of this often untapped human resource. These employers know that to compete
in a highly competitive, global marketplace, companies must have full access to
talent and be responsive to the communities in which they operate.

Preface
Introduction
What is the business case?....................................................................................5
About this resource manual...................................................................................6

Publications
Publications available and free of charge on the Internet..................................7
Publications free upon request............................................................................ 10
Priced publications...............................................................................................11

Websites
Employers' organizations.....................................................................................13
Information for employers...................................................................................13
General disability information.............................................................................14
General disability organizations..........................................................................14
International and regional organizations............................................................15
Policy Examples
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry................................................18
American Telephone &Telegraph........................................................................24
British Broadcasting Corporation.......................................................................25
Employers' Federation of Ceylon........................................................................33
International Labour Office..................................................................................38
Marriott International...........................................................................................44
Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities...............................................45
Nike: Statement on People with Disabilities......................................................46
Nike: Code Leadership Standard on Non-discrmination..................................52
Westpac Banking Corporation............................................................................53

Good Practice Examples
CEI Plastics............................................................................................................60
Chang Shin............................................................................................................61
CJ Telenix..............................................................................................................63
Employers' Federation of Ceylon........................................................................65
Jollibee Foods Corporation.................................................................................67
JW Marriott...........................................................................................................69
Kyobo Life Insurance............................................................................................71
Nanglo International.............................................................................................73
Panasonic............................................................................................................74
UBS AG.................................................................................................................75

Organizations and Government Offices
Afghanistan.............................................................................................................78
Australia..................................................................................................................79
Bangladesh.............................................................................................................80
Cambodia...............................................................................................................82
China.......................................................................................................................84
Fiji...........................................................................................................................85
Hong Kong SAR, China.........................................................................................85
India.........................................................................................................................87
Indonesia................................................................................................................90
Japan.......................................................................................................................91
Korea, Republic of..................................................................................................91
Lao PDR...................................................................................................................92
Macau SAR, China..................................................................................................92
Malaysia..................................................................................................................93
Mongolia.................................................................................................................95
Nepal.......................................................................................................................96
New Zealand...........................................................................................................96
Pakistan...................................................................................................................97
Philippines..............................................................................................................98
Samoa...................................................................................................................100
Singapore.............................................................................................................101
Sri Lanka................................................................................................................102
Taiwan, China........................................................................................................103
Thailand................................................................................................................103
Viet Nam...............................................................................................................105

Guidelines and Fact Sheets
Hiring persons with disabilities...........................................................................108
Company disability policy guidelines and self-assessment checklist...............110
Inclusion of persons with disabilities...................................................................112
Language..............................................................................................................114
Overcoming fears and concerns........................................................................116
Disability-friendly strategies...............................................................................118
Attitudinal barriers...............................................................................................121
Psychiatric disabilities and mental illness.........................................................125
Hidden disabilities................................................................................................128
Barrier-free tourism..............................................................................................132
Glossary
thanks
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 11:47 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Commission

Database: Women and men in decision-making
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/women_men_stats/index_en.htm

The Commission < http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/women_men_stats/index_en.htm > Database on Women and Men in decision-making covers information on progress in the goal towards gender balance in the political, public, juridical, social and economical domains. Figures are updated quarterly in the political domain, once a year in the other domains.

The database covers all Member States, the acceding countries Bulgaria and Romania and the EFTA countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. From 2006 also Turkey will be included. The goal of the Database is to support the Commissions work on gender equality and will assist in strengthening women's position in decision-making at the European and national level.

The website on women and men in decision-making gives an insight into the relative numbers of women and men participating in the decision-making process and taking up leadership positions in the European Institutions, the 27 EU Member States, the EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), and two of the candidate countries (Croatia and Turkey). The website contains data and indicators that cover decision-making in political, public and juridical and social and economic domains both on European and national level. For the political domain only, decision-making at regional level is also covered.

Data on decision-making in the political domain at national and European level are updated every three months. All other data are updated annually unless there has been an election in one of the regions covered in the political domain when the results will normally be included with the next quarterly update.

Highlight:

    * Following the July elections, there was a threefold increase in the number of women members of the Turkish parliament but this still amounts to less than 10% of all members. Turkey and Malta remain the only countries covered by the database where more than 90% of the members of parliament are men.
    * Amongst the central banks of EU Member States there is not a single woman governor all 27 are men and the proportion of female representatives in the highest decision-making body of the banks is also low at just 15%. Indeed, seven Member States have no women members of these powerful decision-making bodies and only in Sweden is the gender balance close to parity. The situation is even worse in the three European Financial institutions where there are again only male leaders and just 5% women members of the most senior bodies.
    * In the supreme courts of Member States the gender balance is better than in the central banks, with an average of 30% female and 70% male judges but the European courts again lag behind with just 22% women members.

Database:

    * Database: This section allows the user to investigate the percentage of women and men in a number of decision-making positions in organisations in the political, public and juridical and social and economic domains.

Indicators:

    * Indicators: This section allows the user to consult indicators on women and men in political decision-making.

The other main sections are:

    * What's New?: information on recent changes to the website.

    * Definitions and Concepts: a glossary of terms used.

    * Links: a list of links to other relevant projects regarding gender equality in decision-making.

    * About this Site: an overview of the background to this project, the scope and objectives of the website and its target audience.

    * Site Map: structure of the website, allowing quick navigation to the different sections and sub-sections.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:56 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Commission

Women and men in decision-making 2007: Analysis of the situation and trends [25 January 2008]
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/gender_equality/gender_mainstreaming/balancedparticipation/report_trends_final_2007_en.pdf
[full-text, 43 pages]

Executive Summary
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/gender_equality/gender_mainstreaming/balancedparticipation/executive_summary_en.pdf

Table of contents
INTRODUCTION 5
Gender equality in decision-making is a world issue..........................................6
Europe is improving the background potential for women to succeed................7
The political background to gender issues in the EU...........................................8
The Commission's database on women and men in decision-making.................9
PART 1 DECISION-MAKING IN POLITICS 11
The representation of women in parliament is improving, but remains below target..............................11
Women are still under-represented as parliamentary leaders...........................15
Women are better represented at regional level................................................16
More women in national and European governments........................................18
Women ministers are rarely promoted to the top position in government.........20
Women ministers tend to be given a portfolio of socio-cultural functions........20
PART 2 DECISION-MAKING IN THE ECONOMY 24
Central banks have no women governors and, in some countries, very few women in key positions............................25
Economic ministries.........................................................................................26
Women are under-represented in managerial positions across Europe.............27
The situation is most marked in large corporations..........................................28
European Social Dialogue women are better represented on the employees side.................................................31
PART 3 DECISION-MAKING IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND THE JUDICIARY 35
Significant progress in promoting women within the civil service.....................35
Female civil servants more likely to work in ministries with socio-cultural functions....................................................37
Slow progress in the European Institutions generally, but the European Parliament shows the way..........................................38
More women judges in the European courts but some national courts do much better...............................................................39
CONCLUSIONS 41

LIST OF FIGURES
1 Share of women in national parliaments, world average, 1985-2007
2 Share of women and men in national parliaments around the world, 2007
3 Share of women in top-level positions* in EU-27, 2000-2006
4 Share of women in national parliaments (single/lower house), 1997 and 2007
5 Share of women in national parliaments (upper house), 1997 and 2007
6 Share of women members of regional assemblies, 1999 and 2007
7a Share of women and men ministers (senior and junior) in national governments, 2007
7b Share of women and men senior ministers in national governments, 2007
8 Distribution of women ministers by BEIS category, 2007
9 Share of women ministers by BEIS category in the EU-27, 2004 and 2007
10 Representation of women ministers by BEIS function, 2007
11 Share of women in the highest decision-making body of central banks, 2003 and 2007
12 Share of women and men in total employment and in managerial positions, 2006
13 Share of women members of the highest decision-making body of the largest companies in each country, 2003 and 2007
14 Share of women members of the highest decision-making bodies in European cross-industry social dialogue, 2004 and 2007
15 Women and men civil servants in the two highest ranking positions, 2007
16a Women civil servants in the two highest ranking administrative positions by field of activity, 2007
16b Men civil servants in the two highest ranking administrative positions by field of activity, 2007
17 Share of women civil servants in the two highest ranking administrative positions in the three main European institutions, 1999 and 2007
18 Share of women and men judges of the Supreme Courts, 2007
19 Share of women among the members of the European courts, 1999 and 2007

LIST OF TABLES
1 Share of women amongst ministers with an economic portfolio, 2007
2 European sectoral social partner organisations grouped by share of women in the highest decision-making body, 2007
3 Representation of women amongst the top-two levels of civil servants, 2007
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:50 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Korea Labor Institute (KLI)

[KOREA] LABOR TRENDS 2008 [22 January 2008]
https://www.kli.re.kr/kli/html_eng/06_trend/engtrendboard/view.asp?seq=62&page=1&mode=2&ctop=1&csub=0&lsize=0&syear=2008&stype=0&stext =

[excerpt]
Total Employment and Labor Force

The labor force was at 24,471 thousands in November 2007, 246 thousands(1.0%) higher than a year ago. By gender, male labor force rose by 145 thousands(1.0%) to 14,222 thousands, and female labor force by 101 thousands(1.0%) to 10,249 thousands.

The labor force participation rate stood at 62.2% in November 2007, decreased by 0.1 percentage points from the rate observed a year ago.

The employment rate was at 60.4% in November 2007, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from a year earlier. By gender, employment rate for men was same as a year ago (71.7%,) and the rate for women rose by 0.1 percentage points to 49.6%.

Total employment, at 23,739 thousands in November 2007, increased by 281 thousands employees (1.2%) than a year earlier. By gender, male employment rose by 171 thousands(1.3%) to 13,744 thousands, and female employment by 110 thousands(1.3%) to 9,995 thousands.

AND MUCH MORE....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 11:15 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Commission

Equality between women and men 2008 [23 January 2008]
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/gender_equality/docs/com_2008_0010_en.pdf
[full-text, 28 pages]

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction.................................................................................................................. 3
2. Main developments ......................................................................................................3
2.1. Gender gaps.................................................................................................................. 3
2.2. Policy and legislative developments ............................................................................ 5
3. Challenges and policy orientations .............................................................................. 6
3.1. Quality jobs to foster equal economic independence................................................... 6
3.2. Quality services making for reconciliation of work and private life ........................... 7
3.3. Tackling stereotypes, support for individual choices................................................... 8
3.4. Institutional mechanisms in support of political commitments and implementation of legislation ................. 8
4. Conclusions.................................................................................................................. 9
ANNEX................................................................................................................................... 10

Press Release
More women in work, but 'better' jobs needed too [23 January 2008]
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/79&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Abstract
Women are continuing to drive employment growth in Europe, but remain disadvantaged on the labour market in relation to men, says a report adopted by the European Commission today. Despite higher educational attainment, women continue to be employed less and paid less than men. The 2008 report on Equality between women and men will be transmitted to EU leaders at the Spring Summit on 8-9 March.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:47 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34315

The U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement: Effects After Three Years
January 7, 2008
Dick K. Nanto, Specialist in Industry and Trade, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34315_20080107.pdf
[full-text, 23 pages]

Includes numerous CHARTS & TABLES....

Summary
The U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) (P.L. 108-78) went into effect
on January 1, 2004. This report provides an overview of the major trade and
economic effects of the FTA over the three years ending in 2006. It also includes
detailed information on key provisions of the agreement and legislative action.
The U.S.-Singapore FTA has provided greater access for U.S. companies, has
been instrumental in increasing bilateral trade, and has provided reassurance to
Singaporeans of U.S. interest in the country. As a city-state, Singapore operates as
an entrepot with essentially free trade. Under the FTA, concessions dealt mainly
with providing greater access for American service providers and with strengthening
the business environment in areas such as the protection of intellectual property
rights and access to government procurement.

In 2006, the United States ran a $6.9 billion surplus in its merchandise trade
with Singapore, up from $1.4 billion in 2003. U.S. exports of goods to Singapore
surged by 49% from $16.6 billion in 2003 to $24.7 billion in 2006. However, even
with this rapid increase in U.S. exports, the U.S. share of Singapore's imports
declined from 16% in 2003 to 13% in 2006. This suggests that factors other than the
FTA, particularly the overall growth in Singapore's imports, contributed greatly to
the increase. Major U.S. exports to Singapore include machinery, electrical
machinery, aircraft, optical and medical instruments, plastic, and mineral fuel oil.
On the U.S. import side, a noteworthy development is that imports of
pharmaceuticals from Singapore have risen dramatically from $0.09 billion in 2003
to $2.4 billion in 2006. The FTA did not lower the U.S. tariff rate for
pharmaceuticals, since they already enter the United States duty free. What appears
to have occurred has been the development of Singapore as a regional center for
multinational pharmaceutical companies that are stepping up exports.

Negotiations for the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement were launched under
the Clinton Administration in December 2000. The FTA became the fifth such
agreement the United States has signed and the first with an Asian country.
According to the U.S. Trade Representative, the FTA broke new ground in electronic
commerce, competition policy, and government procurement. It also included what
the U.S. Trade Representative considers to be major advances in intellectual property
protection, environment, labor, transparency, and customs cooperation.

The U.S.-Singapore FTA required congressional implementation under
expedited Trade Promotion Authority legislative procedures. The debate over
implementation of the FTA fell between business and free trade interests who would
benefit from more liberalized trade, particularly in services, and labor or antiglobalization
interests who opposed more FTAs because of the overall impact of
imports on jobs and the general effects of globalization on income distribution,
certain jobs, and the environment. Specific provisions of the agreement also
generated debate. This report will be updated as circumstances warrant.

Contents
Trade in Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Trade and Market Access in Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Financial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Legal Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Electronic Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
U.S. Imports from Singapore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Balance of Trade by Sectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Labor Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Environmental Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Cargo Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Other Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

List of Figures
Figure 1. U.S. Merchandise Exports to, Imports from, and Trade Balance with Singapore . . . . . . . . . . 3
Figure 2. Leading U.S. Exports to Singapore by Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Figure 3. Singapore's Imports by Major Country Shares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 4. U.S. Balance of Trade with Singapore in Services and Its Components . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 5. Growth in U.S. Imports from Singapore by 2-Digit Harmonized System Sectors . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 6. Singapore's Exports of Pharmaceutical Products by Origin . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 7. U.S.-Singapore Balance of Trade by Sectors, 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

List of Tables
Table 1. Singapore's Import Market Shares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Table 2. Major U.S. Imports from Singapore, Customs Value by Two-Digit Harmonized System Commodity Codes . . . . . . . 17
Table 3. Major U.S. Exports to Singapore, Customs Value by Two-digit Harmonized System Commodity Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:28 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

World Bank

KEY RESOURCES (links) in SUPPORT of the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21618003~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html

Doing Business
< http://www.doingbusiness.com/> provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 178 countries and selected cities at the sub-national and regional level.

Governance Indicators
< http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi2007/> project reports indicators for 212 countries and territories between 19962006, for six dimensions of governance: Voice and Accountability, Political Stability and Absence of Violence, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, Control of Corruption.

Logistics Performance Index
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21536576%7EpagePK:64257043%7EpiPK:437376%7EtheSitePK:4607,00.html > identifies the challenges and opportunities countries face in their performance on trade logistics.

Global Economic Prospects 2008:
< http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTDECPROSPECTS/GEPEXT/EXTGEP2008/0,,menuPK:4503385%7EpagePK:64167702%7EpiPK:64167676%7EtheSitePK:4503324,00.html > Developing countries will cushion rich-country slowdown in 2008, according to the just released report.

World Development Report 2008
< http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTWDRS/EXTWDR2008/0,,menuPK:2795178%7EpagePK:64167702%7EpiPK:64167676%7EtheSitePK:2795143,00.html > , Agriculture for Development, says farming has been neglected over the past 20 years, yet 75% of the world's poor still live in rural areas. The agriculture sector must be placed at the center of development to cut in half extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.

Unleashing India's Innovation:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21490203%7EpagePK:146736%7EpiPK:146830%7EtheSitePK:223547,00.html > While India is becoming a top global innovator for high-tech products and services, the country needs to aggressively harness its innovation potential to sustain competitiveness, economic growth, and rising living standards.

East Asia Update:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPACIFICEXT/EXTEAPHALFYEARLYUPDATE/0,,menuPK:550232%7EpagePK:64168427%7EpiPK:64168435%7EtheSitePK:550226,00.html>East Asian economies are likely to remain robust in 2008 despite growing concerns about the U.S. sub-prime crisis and increasing global oil prices, according to a report published in November.

African Development Indicators:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21548806%7EmenuPK:258659%7EpagePK:2865106%7EpiPK:2865128%7EtheSitePK:258644,00.html > After years of stop-and-start results, many African economies appear to be growing at the fast and steady rates needed to put a dent in the region's high poverty rate and attract global investment.

Africa's Silk Road:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21052520%7EpagePK:64257043%7EpiPK:437376%7EtheSitePK:4607,00.html > China and India's New Economic Frontier: The two emerging economic giants of Asia China and India are at the crossroads of the explosion of African-Asian trade and investment.

Dancing with Giants:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21189860%7EpagePK:64257043%7EpiPK:437376%7EtheSitePK:4607,00.html > China, India, and the Global Economy: The book analyzes China's and India's impact on global markets, systems, and commons rather than through their bilateral links with other countries.

Ageing Societies:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTSOCIALPROTECTION/EXTPENSIONS/0,,contentMDK:20505279%7EpagePK:148956%7EpiPK:216618%7EtheSitePK:396253,00.html > Old-Age Income Support in the 21st Century draws on Bank experiences and research that have significantly increased knowledge and insight regarding how best to proceed in the future. The Bank has been involved in pension reforms in nearly 60 countries, and the demand for its support continues to grow.

From Red to Gray:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21378474%7EpagePK:146736%7EpiPK:146830%7EtheSitePK:258599,00.html > Ageing Populations in East Europe and Central Asia: The region needs to get ready to grapple with a unique situation of rapidly aging yet relatively poor populations.

Climate Change:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21571716%7EpagePK:64257043%7EpiPK:437376%7EtheSitePK:4607,00.html > Can the world put the brakes on global warming and climate change without threatening economic growth that has lifted millions out of poverty?

Disease Eradication:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20040888%7EmenuPK:34480%7EpagePK:34370%7EtheSitePK:4607,00.html > Communicable diseases are are the world's biggest killers of children and important causes of preventable deaths among adults in the developing world. More information on
HIV/AIDS,
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTHEALTHNUTRITIONANDPOPULATION/EXTHIVAIDS/0,,menuPK:376477%7EpagePK:149018%7EpiPK:149093%7EtheSitePK:376471,00.html >
malaria,
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20912730%7EmenuPK:34480%7EpagePK:64257043%7EpiPK:437376%7EtheSitePK:4607,00.html >
tuberculosis.
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTHEALTHNUTRITIONANDPOPULATION/EXTTC/0,,menuPK:384145%7EpagePK:149018%7EpiPK:149093%7EtheSitePK:384139,00.html >

Natural Resource Management:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTARD/0,,contentMDK:20452712%7EmenuPK:1308507%7EpagePK:148956%7EpiPK:216618%7EtheSitePK:336682,00.html > Who has access to and control over land and natural resources? These resources are often used by many users for different purposes, and are subject overlapping and contested claims, all of which raise governance and assurance problems and hinder poverty reduction efforts.

Migration and Remittances Website:
< http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTDECPROSPECTS/0,,contentMDK:21121930%7EmenuPK:3145470%7EpagePK:64165401%7EpiPK:64165026%7EtheSitePK:476883,00.html > Recorded remittances to developing countries reached some $240 billion in 2007. But the true size of remittances, including unrecorded flows, is even larger.

Migration and Remittances in East Europe and the Former Soviet Union:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21173991%7EpagePK:146736%7EpiPK:146830%7EtheSitePK:258599,00.html >
Migration within and from East European and Central Asian countries has been large and will likely continue to increase as declining birthrates across much of the region will lead to an increased demand for a young labor force.

Female Migration:
< http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTGENDER/0,,contentMDK:21542651%7EpagePK:210058%7EpiPK:210062%7EtheSitePK:336868,00.html > Women make up almost half the migrant population in the world and their numbers are increasing.

International Migration, Remittances, Brain Drain:
< http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?theSitePK=1572893&contentMDK=20693491&pagePK=64168182&piPK=64168060 > While the mobility of highly skilled workers can offer many benefits, the consequences of the brain drain could be serious for many small developing countries.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 7:48 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

ILR School, Cornell University

ILR IMPACT BRIEFS (recently released)

The ILR Impact Brief series highlights the research and project based work conducted by ILR faculty that is relevant to workplace issues and public policy. The Briefs are prepared by Maralyn Edid, Senior Extension Associate, ILR School.

Transcending Free Market Unionism: A New Alliance for New York State Unions (Jeff Grabelsky, Cornell ILR)
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/briefs/33/

Research question: Will a restructuring of organized
labor's regional associations in New York State re-energize
the union movement and enable it to mount new
and more effective programmatic initiatives?

Conclusion: In the few years since the AFL-CIO consolidated
25 of the 31 central labor councils in New
York State into five area labor federations (ALFs), local
union affiliates have begun to transcend the narrow interests
that long divided one union from another. ALFs
have begun to embrace new and more diverse leaders,
strengthen their functional capabilities, forge coalitions
with community groups, and help elect politicians who
are more responsive to the concerns of working families.
Whether the restructured labor movement has a
greater ability to affect organizing drives and contract
negotiations is still unclear.

It's a Paradox: Union Workers Less Satisfied but Less Likely to Quit (Tove H. Hammer and Ariel C. Avgar, Cornell ILR)
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/briefs/34/

Research question: The academic literature offers a
variety of explanations for why union workers are less
satisfied with their jobs than their non-union counterparts
but are also less likely to quit. What is the bottomline
answer to this paradox?

Conclusion: Existing economic models of human behavior
do not adequately deal with the seeming inconsistency
between union members' attitudes about their
jobs and their subsequent actions. A more promising
explanation might derive from job satisfaction theory,
which suggests that union members have a particular
set of values, expectations, and frames of reference that
they use to evaluate the outcomes of their work effort. Individuals
who join unions may place higher value on
wages and benefits, which are the focus of most collectively-
bargained contracts, than do non-union workers;
historically, unions have delivered in this regard. Unionized
workers may be more dissatisfied because of a more
adversarial climate (e.g., testy supervisory and interpersonal
relations, narrowly-defined jobs) but are less
likely to quit because the things they value mostgood
wages and benefitsare provided.

Workforce Alignment and Fluidity May Yield a Competitive Advantage (Lee Dyer, Cornell ILR; Jeff Ericksen, University of Illinois)
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/briefs/35/

Research question: Dynamic organizations encounter
frequent and discontinuous changes in their operating
environments. What are the components of a human resource
strategy that enable such organizations to
achieve a series of temporary competitive advantages
and ultimately a sustained advantage?

Conclusion: The authors postulate that workforce
scalability is the key competency necessary for ongoing
marketplace success. Workforce scalability encompasses
two factors: alignment and fluidity. The former
is an ideal target that calls for the right number of the
right type of people in the right place at the right time
doing the right thing. The latter is the means by which
organizations hit the target, and specifically refers to
the speed and ease with which employees are moved
around and adjust their behaviors to suit changing business
requirements. A set of operating principles facilitates
the simultaneous attainment of workforce alignment
and fluidity.

Labor Branches Out: Resurgence in the Urban Core (Lowell Turner, Cornell ILR)
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/briefs/36/

Research question: Why are urban labor movements
relatively strong and successful in some American and
European cities but not in others?

Conclusion: Agency (the choices made and strategies
pursued by leaders and organizations) and opportunity
structure (the presence or absence of institutional, political,
and/or social barriers)are the two factors that
seem to account for the revitalization of city-based labor
movements in several locales, such as Seattle, Buffalo,
Los Angeles, and San Jose; European unions have
not progressed quite as far in this regard. Rather than
focus exclusively on traditional workplace issues,
unions active in contemporary urban labor movements
are forging coalitions with other actors in civil society
and mobilizing grassroots participation in union campaigns
as well as in the democratic process.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 6:31 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)
European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO)

Journalists highlight poor employment conditions and decline in standards [21 January 2008]
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2007/12/articles/eu0712029i.htm

An array of employment changes facing journalists is threatening to plunge the media into crisis, according to the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). These changes have led to both a decline in journalists' working conditions and their ability to offer a quality product. In an attempt to tackle the fall in journalistic standards, EFJ has launched the 'Stand up for journalism' campaign to highlight the problems being faced by journalists.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 6:06 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RS22761

November 23, 2007
Extending Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to Service Workers: How Many Workers Could Potentially Be Covered? [online January 2008]
John J. Topoleski, Analyst in Income Security, Domestic Social Policy Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RS22761_20071123.pdf
[full-text, 6 pages]

Summary
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) provides income support and training
assistance to workers who become unemployed for certain trade-related reasons. Only
workers who make an article (i.e., manufacturing workers) are eligible for TAA. Under
current law, service workers who become unemployed for a trade-related reason (e.g.,
outsourcing) are ineligible for TAA. Several bills in the 110th Congress (S. 1848, H.R.
910, H.R. 3589, H.R. 3920) would expand TAA to include service workers and public
sector employees. The available data indicates that the number of displaced
manufacturing workers in offshorable occupations from 2003 to 2005 (489,000) roughly
equals the number of TAA-certified manufacturing workers over the same period
(450,000). There were 840,000 workers displaced from offshorable nonmanufacturing
occupations from 2003 to 2005, suggesting that the pool of TAA-eligible workers could
have increased by over 170% if service workers had been eligible for TAA. In January
2006, nearly three times as many employed nonmanufacturing workers were in
offshorable occupations (20.7 million) than employed manufacturing workers in
offshorable occupations (7.7 million), suggesting a large increase in the pool of
potentially eligible TAA workers.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 5:54 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training ( JILPT)

JAPAN LABOR REVIEW
Vol. 5, No. 1 Winter 2008 [25 January 2008]
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/documents/JLR17_all.pdf
[full-text, 160 pages]
Special Edition
Regional Employment

Introduction

Souichi Ohta
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/documents/JLR17_intro.pdf
[full-text, 3 pages]

Articles

* Circumstances behind Growing Regional Disparities in Employment

Yoshio Higuchi
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/documents/JLR17_higuchi.pdf
[full-text, 32 pages]

* Community Based Economic Renaissance and Job Creation in Japan

Takeo Kikkawa
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/documents/JLR17_kikkawa.pdf
[full-text, 21 pages]

* A Convergence Analysis on the Efficiency of Public Job Placement Services in Japan

Yanfei Zhou
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/documents/JLR17_zhou.pdf
[full-text, 26 pages]

* Measures for Supporting Regional Job Creation in Japan

Minoru Ito
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/documents/JLR17_ito.pdf
[full-text, 16 pages]

* Job Creation by Local Initiatives: Effects of Special Zones for Structural Reform

Kazufumi Yugami
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/documents/JLR17_yugami.pdf
[full-text, 22 pages]

* Present Situation and Issues of Municipal Employment Strategy

Hiroaki Watanabe
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/documents/JLR17_watanabe.pdf
[full-text, 32 pages]

JILPT Research Activities
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/documents/JLR16_activities.pdf

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:36 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF HOURLY COMPENSATION COSTS IN MANUFACTURING, 2006 [25 January 2008]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ichcc.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ichcc.pdf
[full-text, 27 pages]

Average hourly compensation costs in U.S. dollars for production
workers in manufacturing among 33 foreign economies were 82 percent
of the U.S. level in 2006, increasing from 79 percent in 2005,
according to data issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.
Department of Labor. Compensation costs relative to the United
States rose or remained unchanged in 30 of the economies covered in
2006. (See table 1.) For the first time, this news release
contains data for all employees in addition to the series for
production workers. (See discussion on page 6, table B, and table
7.) Both production worker and all employee data are introduced
for the Philippines. The all employee series covers most of the
countries included in the production worker series, but also
introduces Argentina and Slovakia which are not included in the
latter series. A note on China's labor costs appears on page 4 of
this release.

In the United States, hourly compensation costs for production
workers in manufacturing were virtually unchanged at $23.82 in
2006. When measured in national currency terms, trade-weighted
average costs increased 2.6 percent in the combined 33 foreign
economies in 2006. The value of foreign currencies rose 2.0
percent against the U.S. dollar, resulting in a rise in hourly
compensation costs in the foreign economies of 4.7 percent on a
U.S. dollar basis. (See chart 1 and table A.)

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:58 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

UNION MEMBERS IN 2007 [25 January 2008]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf
[full-text ,12 pages]

Includes numerous TABLES....

   In 2007, the number of workers belonging to a union rose by 311,000 to
15.7 million, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. Union members accounted for 12.1 percent of employed wage
and salary workers, essentially unchanged from 12.0 percent in 2006. In
1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the
union membership rate was 20.1 percent. Some highlights from the 2007
data are:

   --Workers in the public sector had a union membership rate nearly five
     times that of private sector employees.

   --Education, training, and library occupations had the highest unioniz-
     ation rate among all occupations, at 37.2 percent, followed closely
     by protective service occupations at 35.2 percent.

   --Among demographic groups, the union membership rate was highest for
     black men and lowest for Hispanic women.

   --Wage and salary workers ages 45 to 54 (15.7 percent) and ages 55 to
     64 (16.1 percent) were more likely to be union members than were
     workers ages 16 to 24 (4.8 percent).

Membership by Industry and Occupation

   The union membership rate for public sector workers (35.9 percent)
was substantially higher than for private industry workers (7.5 percent).
Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest union
membership rate, 41.8 percent. This group includes many workers in several
heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire
fighters. Private sector industries with high unionization rates include
transportation and utilities (22.1 percent), telecommunications (19.7 per-
cent), and construction (13.9 percent). In 2007, unionization rates were
relatively low in agriculture and related industries (1.5 percent) and in
financial activities (2.0 percent). (See table 3.)

   Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations
(37.2 percent) and protective service occupations (35.2 percent) had the
highest unionization rates in 2007. Farming, fishing, and forestry occupa-
tions (2.7 percent) and sales and related occupations (3.3 percent) had the
lowest unionization rates. (See table 3.)

Demographic Characteristics of Union Members

   In 2007, the union membership rate was higher for men (13.0 percent)
than for women (11.1 percent). (See table 1.) The gap between their rates
has narrowed considerably since 1983, when the rate for men was about 10 per-
centage points higher than the rate for women. The rates for both men and
women declined between 1983 and 2007, but the rate for men declined much more
rapidly.

   Black workers were more likely to be union members (14.3 percent) than
were whites (11.8 percent), Asians (10.9 percent), or Hispanics (9.8 percent).
Within these major groups, black men had the highest union membership rate
(15.8 percent) while Hispanic women had the lowest rate (9.6 percent).

   Among age groups, union membership rates were highest among workers 55 to
64 years old (16.1 percent) and 45 to 54 years old (15.7 percent). The low-
est union membership rates occurred among those ages 16 to 24 (4.8 percent).
Full-time workers were about twice as likely as part-time workers to be union
members, 13.2 compared with 6.5 percent. (See table 1.)

Union Representation of Nonmembers

   About 1.6 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union on
their main job in 2007, while not being union members themselves. (See
table 1.) Slightly more than half of these workers were employed in
government. (See table 3.)

Earnings

   In 2007, among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median
usual weekly earnings of $863 while those who were not represented by unions
had median weekly earnings of $663. (See table 2.) The difference reflects a
variety of influences in addition to coverage by a collective bargaining agree-
ment, including variations in the distributions of union members and nonunion
employees by occupation, industry, firm size, or geographic region. (For a
discussion of the problem of differentiating between the influence of unioniz-
ation status and the influence of other worker characteristics on employee
earnings, see "Measuring union-nonunion earnings differences," Monthly Labor
Review, June 1990.)

Union Membership by State

   In 2007, 30 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates
below that of the U.S. average, 12.1 percent, while 20 states had higher rates.
All states in the Middle Atlantic and Pacific divisions reported union member-
ship rates above the national average and all states in the East South Central
and West South Central divisions had rates below it. Union membership rates
were down from those of 2006 in 27 states, up in 20 states, and unchanged in
3 states and the District of Columbia. (See table 5.)

   Among the five states reporting union membership rates below 5.0 percent
in 2007, North Carolina posted the lowest rate (3.0 percent). The next low-
est rates were recorded in Virginia (3.7 percent), South Carolina (4.1 per-
cent), Georgia (4.4 percent), and Texas (4.7 percent). Four states had union
membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2007--New York (25.2 percent), Alaska
(23.8 percent), Hawaii (23.4 percent), and Washington (20.2 percent).

   The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.5 million) and
New York (2.1 million). Nearly half (7.8 million) of the 15.7 million union
members in the U.S. lived in 6 states (California, 2.5 million; New York,
2.1 million; Illinois, 0.8 million; Michigan, 0.8 million; Pennsylvania,
0.8 million; and New Jersey, 0.7 million) though these states accounted for
only about one-third of wage and salary employment nationally.

   State union membership levels depend on both the employment level and
union membership rate. Texas had less than one-quarter as many union mem-
bers as New York despite having over 1.7 million more wage and salary employ-
ees. Similarly, Tennessee and Hawaii had comparable numbers of union members
even though Tennessee's wage and salary employment level was more than four
and one-half times that of Hawaii.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 7:04 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34319

Foreign Ownership of U.S. Financial Assets: Implications of a Withdrawal
January 14, 2008
James K. Jackson, Specialist in International Trade and Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34319_20080114.pdf
[full-text, 18 pages]

Summary
This report provides an overview of the role foreign investment plays in the U.S.
economy and an assessment of possible actions a foreign investor or a group of
foreign investors might choose to take to liquidate their investments in the United
States. Concerns over the potential impact of disinvestment have grown as national
governments have become more active investors and as uncertainty over the risks
associated with securities backed by sub-prime mortgages has increased volatility in
financial markets. Actions taken by foreign investors to liquidate their holdings
could affect the U.S. economy in a number of ways due to the role foreign investment
plays in the United States and due to the current mix of economic policies the United
States has chosen. The impact of any such action on the economy would also depend
on the overall condition and performance of the economy and the financial markets.
If the economy were experiencing a strong rate of economic growth, the impact of
a foreign withdrawal likely would be minimal, especially given the dynamic nature
of credit markets. If a withdrawal occurred when the economy were not experiencing
robust rate of growth or if credit financial markets were under duress, the withdrawal
could have a stronger effect on the economy.

The particular course of action foreign investors might choose to take and the
overall strength and performance of the economy at the time of their actions could
affect the economy in different ways. Congress likely would become involved as a
result of its direct role in making economic policy and its oversight role over the
Federal Reserve. In addition, the actions of foreign investors could complicate
domestic economic policymaking. Foreign investors who decide to liquidate their
holdings of one particular type of investment would normally need to look for other
types of assets to acquire. While there are a multitude of possible strategies foreign
investors could pursue, this analysis assesses the impact of four of the most likely
strategies a single large foreign investor or a group of foreign investors could choose
to employ to reduce or withdraw entirely their holdings of U.S. financial assets:

! A rapid liquidation of U.S. Treasury securities.

! A shift in the make-up of foreign investors' portfolios among
various dollar-denominated assets.

! A rapid shift from dollar-denominated assets to assets denominated
in other currencies.

! A slow shift in the make-up of future accumulations of assets away
from dollar-denominated assets to assets denominated in currencies
other than the dollar.

This report will be updated as events warrant.

Contents
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Foreign Investment in the U.S. Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Flow of Funds in the U.S. Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Foreign and Domestic Sources of Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Foreign Capital and the Value of the Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Withdrawal of Foreign Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Sudden Withdrawal from U.S. Treasury Securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Diversify Portfolios Among Dollar-Denominated Assets . . . . . . . . . . 12
Shift Away from Dollar-Denominated Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Slow Shift Away from Dollar-Denominated Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

List of Figures
Figure 1. Foreign Official and Private Capital Inflows into the United States, 1996-2006 . . . . . . 3
Figure 2. Flows of Funds in the U.S. Economy, 1996-2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

List of Tables
Table 1. Capital Inflows to the United States, 1996-2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Table 2. Flow of Funds of the U.S. Economy, 1996-2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 3. Selected Indicators of the Size of the Global Capital Markets, 2006 . . . 8
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:14 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Watson Wyatt

Many Companies Still Unlikely to Disclose Performance Goals in Their 2008 Proxy Statements, Watson Wyatt Poll Finds [24 January 2008]
Most Companies to Make Other Changes to Their Proxy Disclosures for 2008
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/us/news/press.asp?ID=18567

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 24, 2008 A significant number of large U.S. companies do not plan to disclose performance goals for their executive pay programs in their 2008 proxy statement, according to a poll by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm.

Watson Wyatt found only 42 percent of companies plan to disclose on their 2008 proxy the specific goals used in their executive compensation plans for the 2007 fiscal year. Thirty-one percent of companies have no plans to reveal the goals. The remaining 27 percent are unsure. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted new disclosure rules, effective for the 2007 proxy season, as part of an effort to provide investors with a clearer picture of how a corporation's executives are compensated. The rules request companies disclose their performance goals, unless providing them would result in competitive harm.

The findings are based on a Watson Wyatt poll of legal, compensation and HR executives at 135 large, publicly traded companies.

"Setting sufficiently challenging performance goals and appropriate corporate performance metrics is an extremely important part of the executive pay process," said Ira Kay, global director of executive compensation consulting at Watson Wyatt. "The SEC has put significant pressure on companies to disclose their goals so that shareholders can determine if programs are paying for performance. However, companies are still struggling with the decision of whether to disclose this information."

In addition to demonstrating their reluctance to disclose performance goals, most companies (68 percent) do not plan to change their approach to goal setting. However, a small but growing number of companies (21 percent) intend to modify their compensation programs in response to the SEC rules, a big increase from just 5 percent in a similar 2006 poll. Sixty-three percent of companies have no plans to make changes. The remaining 17 percent are unsure. Also, most companies 89 percent say they will alter the compensation discussion and analysis section of their proxy.

The poll also found that a majority of companies continue to believe the rules will not improve company performance. Most of the companies (77 percent) polled say the disclosure rules will not have much effect on corporate performance, a slight increase from last year. However, the number of companies that think the rules will improve performance nearly doubled, from 11 percent in 2006 to 21 percent in 2007.

"While the rules may not have a large impact on overall corporate performance, they are causing companies to rethink and, in some cases, adjust their executive compensation programs," said Kay. "As the scrutiny of severance, change-in-control provisions and large executive pensions intensifies, companies are likely to continue their focus on more shareholder-friendly 'core' pay elements such as performance-vested shares, stock options and short-term incentives with difficult but attainable performance goals."

For more information on the SEC's executive compensation proxy disclosure rules, visit < http://www.watsonwyatt.com/us/news/www.watsonwyatt.com/execcomp> and < http://www.watsonwyatt.com/CDAscorecard>.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:05 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Towers Perrin

ASIA/PACIFIC COMPENSATION PLANNING REPORT (October 2007) [From Press Release 17 January 2008]
http://www.towersperrin.com/tp/getwebcachedoc?webc=HRS/CHN/2008/200801/AsiaPac_survey.pdf
[full-text, 20 pages]

INCLUDES NUMEROUS TABLES....

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS

The following is a summary of the key findings from
the survey, highlighting the current trends in salary
movement and review practices across Asia/Pacific.
Absolute salary growth rates are projected to be
slightly higher in 2008 than in 2007. Further, it is
forecast that healthy real salary growth will be
accompanied by a reduction in unemployment rates
in 2008 in all Asia/Pacific countries, except
Malaysia, where unemployment is expected to
increase marginally.

Salary movement by employee group
Overall, it is predicted that all employee groups will
experience a rise in salary growth rates in 2008.
The year-on-year changes suggest that the market
for production and support staff is heating up, and
will catch up with the markets for other employee
groups in many countries.

Salary movement by sector
On average, the financial services sector
experienced the largest increases in 2007, followed
by the Retail/FMCG and High-Tech sectors. In 2008,
we expect to see the same pattern.

Salary review status
Compared to 2007, a greater number of
respondents project their salary increase status to
be 'regular' in 2008 (99% versus 97%,
on average).

Salary budget increase
Less than 10% of companies are projecting lower
increases in 2008, when compared to 2007. Many
companies (46%) are projecting higher increases
in 2008, and 42% are expecting no change.

Allocation of budget increase to high performers
A vast majority of participants (70%) expect to
allocate a larger portion of their 2008 salary
increase budget to high performers. While only
10% will allocate the entire budget, only 20%
allocate the budget at the same rate to all
employees, regardless of performance.

Press Release
Towers Perrin Global Study Points to High 2008 Salary Growth in Emerging Markets in Asia [17 January 2008]
http://www.towersperrin.com/tp/jsp/hrservices_webcache_html.jsp?webc=HR_Services/China/Press_Releases/2008/20080117/2008_01_17.htm&selected=press&language_code=global

HONG KONG, CHINA, January 17, 2008 Towers Perrin, in its < http://www.towersperrin.com/tp/getwebcachedoc?webc=HRS/CHN/2008/200801/AsiaPac_survey.pdf > 2008 Global Compensation Planning Report, has projected continuing moderate salary growth in most countries next year, despite expectations for slowing economic growth in some markets.

The survey covered over 900 companies across 12 markets in the Asia Pacific region including Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Results show that absolute growth rates are projected to be slightly higher in 2008 than in 2007. On average, the financial services sector is expected to continue to experience the largest increases in 2008, followed by the Retail/Fast Moving Consumer Goods and High-Tech sectors.

"The report shows that, globally, the more mature economic markets are fairly conservative in terms of salary growth projections for 2008," said Tania Mendez, Asia-Pacific Compensation Database Manager. "In some of the developing countries, however, we're seeing double-digit salary growth due to the tightening of the local labor market or local economic conditions." For example in Asia, salary increases are projected to be highest in India (15%); followed by Indonesia (12%), the Philippines and China (both at 9%). On the other hand, more mature markets such as Japan, are projected to have the most modest increases (3%), along with Taiwan (4.6%). These are similar to increases expected in the U.S. and the UK (3.9% and 4% respectively).

The report also tracked budgeted salary increases by employee group. The year on year changes suggest that the market for production and support staff is heating up in Asia and globally, and will catch up with the markets for other employee groups in many countries.

Furthermore, with increasing budgets in 2008, a vast majority of companies (over 70%) are also expecting to allocate a larger portion of the budget to high performers.

"This information --on a global scale-- is especially important for multi-national organizations competing for talent in rapidly evolving labor markets around the world. Hence, competitive reward practices still remain critical to attracting their workforces across all geographies." added Mendez. "However, employers also need to understand the elements beyond pay to retaining and engaging their workforce."

About the Report

Towers Perrin's 2008 Global Compensation Planning Report reviews projected salary movements and key economic indicators around the world on an annual basis, based on a survey of over 4,000 companies, covering over 60 countriesworldwide. Over 2,000 responses were received from companies inEurope, the Middle East and Africa; over 1,000 were received from companies in theAmericas; over 900 were received from companies in the Asia/Pacific region. These companies represent a wide range of industries and size based on revenue.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 12:57 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)

Programme of work 2008: Annual management plan [24 January 2008]
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0802.htm
or
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2008/02/en/1/ef0802en.pdf
[full-text, 29 pages]

Author: Foundation

Summary: This document gives an overview of the activities planned by the Foundation for 2008, within the framework of its four-year programme 2005-2008, 'Changing Europe: Better work, better life'.

Contents
1. Introduction
Taking stock and looking forward
The European debate in 2008 and beyond
Proposed activities and cooperation
2. Strategic goals and objectives
Improve research and output quality
Identify, develop and understand target groups and expand impact and influence on real decision-makers
Increase visibility and improve image of the Foundation
Secure Foundation's competitive advantage
3. Research and communication programme
General structure of the programme
Monitoring instruments
Network of European Observatories (NEO)
Surveys
Research and exploring what works
Employment and restructuring
Worklife balance and working conditions
Industrial relations and partnership
Social cohesion and quality of life
Communicating and sharing ideas and experiences
Summary of research and communication activities
4. Resources and work processes
Budget for 2008
Human resources
Work processes and support activities
Monitoring and evaluation
5. Summary
Annexes
1. Overview of project budgets
2. Risk register
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 12:19 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

ILO

GLOBAL EMPLOYMENT TRENDS 2008 [23 January 2008]
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_090106.pdf
[full-text, 60 pages]

Press Release
http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_090085/index.htm

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1. Global employment situation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2. Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3. North Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4. Middle East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5. Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6. East Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7. South-East Asia and the Pacifi c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
8. South Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
9. Central and South-Eastern Europe (non-EU) & CIS . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
10. Developed Economies and European Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
11. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Appendix 1. Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Appendix 2. Key regional labour market indicators and policy issues . . . . . 47
Appendix 3. Regional groupings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Figures
Figure 1. Global employment and unemployment trends, 1997-2007 . . . . . 10
Figure 2. Regional shares in worldwide net job creation in 2007 . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 3. Sectoral employment shares (%) in the world, 1997 to 2007 . . . . 12
Figure 4a. Labour Productivity measured as output per person employed in world regions, levels 1997 to 2007 . . . . 13
Figure 4b. Labour Productivity measured as output per person employed in world regions, percentage change in comparison to 1997 . . . . . 13
Figure 5. Employment-to-population ratios, female and male, world and regions, 1997 and 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Figure 6. Unemployment rates total and youth, world and regions, 2007 . . 26

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 11:35 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34317

Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress
January 10, 2008
Clare Ribando Seelke, Analyst in Latin American Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Alison Siskin, Specialist in Immigration Policy, Domestic Social Policy Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34317_20080110.pdf
[full-text, 56 pages]

Summary
Trafficking in people for prostitution and forced labor is one of the most prolific
areas of international criminal activity and is of significant concern to the United
States and the international community. The overwhelming majority of those
trafficked are women and children. According to the most recent Department of
State estimates, roughly 800,000 people are trafficked across borders each year. If
trafficking within countries is included in the total world figures, official U.S.
estimates are that some 2 to 4 million people are trafficked annually. However, there
are even higher estimates, ranging from 4 to 27 million for total numbers of forced
or bonded laborers. As many as 17,500 people are believed to be trafficked to the
United States each year. Human trafficking is now a leading source of profits for
organized crime syndicates, together with drugs and weapons, generating billions of
dollars. Trafficking in persons affects virtually every country in the world.

Since enactment of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of
2000 (P.L. 106-386), the Administration and Congress have aimed to address the
human trafficking problem. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act
of 2005 (TVPRA), which President Bush signed into law on January 10, 2006 (P.L.
109-164), authorized appropriations for FY2006 and FY2007.

The State Department issued its seventh congressionally mandated Trafficking
in Persons (TIP) Report on June 12, 2007. Each report categorizes countries into
four tiers according to the government's efforts to combat trafficking. Those
countries that do not cooperate in the fight against trafficking (Tier 3) have been
made subject to U.S. sanctions since 2003. Sixteen countries were placed on Tier 3
in the 2007 report. On October 18, 2007, President Bush imposed new trafficking
in persons related sanctions on Burma, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and
Venezuela.

In the 110th Congress, there are several bills with trafficking-related provisions.
The Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-
53) directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide specified funding and
administrative support to strengthen the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center.
H.R. 3887 (Lantos), approved by the House on December 4, 2007 by a vote of 405-2,
would, among other provisions, reauthorize anti-trafficking programs through
FY2011, and amend the criminal code and immigration law related to trafficking.
It is likely to be considered by the Senate early in the second session of the 110th
Congress. Another bill, H.R. 2522 (Lewis), would establish a Commission to
evaluate the effectiveness of current U.S. anti-slavery efforts, including antitrafficking
in persons programs, and make recommendations. S. 1703 (Durbin),
approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 20, 2007, would create
additional jurisdiction in U.S. courts for trafficking offenses occurring in other
countries. This report will be updated periodically to reflect major developments.

Contents
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Trafficking and Alien Smuggling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Scope of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Causes of Rise in Trafficking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Traffickers and Their Victims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Regional Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Asia and the Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Middle East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
U.S. Funding for Global Anti-Trafficking Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Trafficking in Persons Report, 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2007 Country Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Focus on Forced Labor Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Results from the 2007 TIP Ranking and Sanctions Process . . . . . . . . 17
The International Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
U.N. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish TIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Other Relevant International Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
U.N. and Related Agencies' Anti-Trafficking Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Other Regional Organizations and International Forums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
European Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) . . . . . . 20
Trafficking into the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Official Estimates of Human Trafficking into the United States . . . . . . . . . 21
Response to Trafficking within the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Immigration Relief for Trafficking Victims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
T Nonimmigrant Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Continued Presence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
U Nonimmigrant Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Aid Available to Victims of Trafficking in the United States . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Health and Human Services Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Department of Labor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Domestic Investigations of Trafficking Offenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Legislation in the 110th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization
Act of 2007, H.R. 3887 (Lantos) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Policy Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
How to Collect Data and Measure Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Credibility of TIP Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Sanctions: A Useful Tool? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Equal Focus on all Types of Trafficking? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Debates Regarding Prostitution and Trafficking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Issues Concerning Immigration Relief for Trafficking Victims . . . . . . . . . 37
Stringency of T Determination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Tool of Law Enforcement or Aid to Victims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Victims' Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix A. Anti-Trafficking Administrative Directive and Legislation . . . . . . 40
Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 . . . . . . . 41
The Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 . . . . . . . 44
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Protection Act of 2004 . . . . . . . . 44
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 . . . . . . . 44
Appendix B. Trafficking Funding Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Appendix C. Information on Domestic Grant Programs for TIP Victims . . . . . 52

List of Figures
Figure 1. Global Anti-TIP Obligations by Agency, FY2005 and FY2006 . . . . . 12
Figure 2. FY2006 Global Anti-TIP Obligations, Regional Distribution . . . . . . . 14

List of Tables
Table 1. T-visas Issued: FY2002 through FY2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Table 2. Authorizations to Implement Victims of Trafficking Act, FY2001-FY2011 . . . . . 47
Table 3. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as Amended Authorizations and Appropriations, FY2001-2007 . . . . . . 51
Table 4. Authorizations and Appropriations for Grant Programs to Assist Victims of Trafficking in the United States: FY2001 FY2008 . . . . . . . 52

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 12:45 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34314

China's Holdings of U.S. Securities: Implications for the U.S. Economy
January 9, 2008
Wayne M. Morrison, Specialist In International Trade and Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Marc Labonte, Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy, Government and Finance Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34314_20080109.pdf
[full-text, 16 pages]

Summary
Given its relatively low savings rate, the U.S. economy depends heavily on
foreign capital inflows from countries with high savings rates (such as China) to help
promote growth and to fund the federal budget deficit. China has intervened heavily
in currency markets to limit the yuan's appreciation. As a result, China has become
the world's largest and fastest growing holder of foreign exchange reserves (FER),
which totaled $1.4 trillion as of September 2007. China has invested a large share
of its FER in U.S. securities, which, as of June 2006, totaled $699 billion, making
China the 2nd largest foreign holder of U.S. securities (after Japan). These securities
include Treasury debt, U.S. agency debt, U.S. corporate debt, and U.S. equities.
U.S. Treasury securities are issued to finance the federal budget deficit. Of the
public debt that is privately held, about half is held by foreigners. As of October
2007, China's Treasury securities holdings were $388 billion, accounting for 16.8%
of total foreign ownership of U.S. Treasury securities and making China the second
largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasuries after Japan. From March to October 2007,
China's Treasury holdings declined by about 8%.

Some U.S. policymakers have expressed concern that China might try to use its
large holdings of U.S. securities, including U.S. public debt, as leverage against U.S.
policies it opposes. For example, various Chinese government officials are reported
to have suggested that China could dump (or threaten to dump) a large share of its
holdings to prevent the United States from implementing trade sanctions against
China's currency policy. Other Chinese officials have reportedly stated that China
should diversify its investments of its foreign exchange reserves away from dollardenominated
assets to those that offer higher rates of returns.

A gradual decline in China's holdings of U.S. assets would not be expected to
have a negative impact on the U.S. economy (since it be matched by increased U.S.
exports and a lower trade deficit). However, some economists contend that attempts
by China to unload a large share of its holdings U.S. securities holdings could have
a significant negative impact on the U.S. economy (at least in the short run),
especially if such a move sparked a sharp depreciation of the dollar in international
markets and induced other foreign investors to sell off their U.S. holdings as well.
In order to keep or attract that investment back, U.S. interest rates would rise, which
would dampen U.S. economic growth, all else equal. Other economists counter that
it would not be in China's economic interest to suddenly sell off its U.S. investment
holdings. Doing so could lead to financial losses for the Chinese government, and
any shocks to the U.S. economy caused by this action could ultimately hurt China's
economy as well.

The issue of China's large holdings of U.S. securities is part of a larger debate
among economists over how long the high U.S. reliance on foreign investment can
be sustained, to what extent that reliance poses risks to the economy, and how to
evaluate the costs associated with borrowing versus the benefits that would accrue
to the economy from that practice. This report will be updated as events warrant.

Contents
China's Foreign Exchange Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
China's Holdings of U.S. Securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
China's Ownership of U.S. Treasury Securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
U.S. Concerns Over China's Large Holdings of U.S. Securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
What If China Reduces its Holdings of U.S. Securities? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Concluding Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

List of Figures
Figure 1. Breakdown of China's Holdings of U.S. Securities as of June 2006 . . 6

List of Tables
Table 1. China's Foreign Exchange Reserves: 2001-2006 and Estimates for 2007 and 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Table 2. Top 5 Holders of Foreign Exchange Reserves and Changes to Holdings From December 2006-September 2007 . . . . . 3
Table 3. Top Five Foreign Holders of U.S. Securities as of June 2006 . . . . . . . . 5
Table 4. Major Foreign Holders of U.S. Treasury Securities: March 2007 and October 2007 . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 12:37 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

WhereToWork.com by Aurora
http://www.wheretowork.com/default.asp

[Note: AURORA is a business wormen's network -- http://www.network.auroravoice.com/about.asp ]

[excerpt]
wheretowork lists the most 'progressive' large companies and what's on offer. These companies are trying to describe what it's like to work there, what's on offer and most importantly what's in it for you. Look how much effort they've put into this jobsite for you. Frankly, some large companies just can't be bothered putting the candidate first and they don't have as much to offer. Your choice !

As a consequence of the above, some hard to find HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION on EACH COMPANY is revealed with the companies providing the information to this site. Go to the following link to find it.

COMPANIES --
http://www.wheretowork.com/organisations/

By the clicking on the above URL, you will find the following information for each of the companies listed.

How to compare companies

When you're looking for a job, these are the five most important things that you need to know about any company.

1. Business (What they do)

Find out what the company actually does, their competitive advantage and what types of projects and opportunities you could find yourself working on.

2. Culture (How they work)

Find out what it's like to work in the company, what's on offer, how progressive their employment initiatives are, what employees say, and what's in it for you.

3. Diversity (Open-mindedness)

Find out if their employee base reflects the real world, if different perspectives and backgrounds are valued, and how open-minded and vibrant the company is.

4. Technoloy (How connected they are)

Find out if the company has good technology, processes and networks to tap you into the information and people as needed.

5. Giving back (Responsibility)

Find out how socially and environmentally friendly the company is and how they give something back to the world
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 5:52 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

The Work Foundation
An Ideopolis Working Paper

Enterprise Priorities to Enterprise Powerhouses: The Public Sector in the Knowledge Economy
Naomi Clayton
January 2008
http://www.workfoundation.org/Assets/PDFs/public_private_ideopolis040108b.pdf
[full-text, 80 pages]

Press Release
http://www.workfoundation.org/aboutus/media/pressreleases/publicaswellasprivatesectorspendingdrivesknowledgeeconomysuccessincitiesallovertheuk.aspx

This report stresses the vital role that public expenditure plays in supporting certain cities across the UK in developing their 'knowledge' economies. Cities in both the North and South including Doncaster, Plymouth, Stoke and Hastings rely almost exclusively on the state for generating high value 'knowledge jobs' with less than one quarter of knowledge jobs in private businesses. The report argues that in light of the recent Comprehensive Spending Review and a shrinking public purse, cities need to do more to co-ordinate efforts in the public and private sectors to maximise the development of the regional 'knowledge' economy.

CONTENTS
Executive summary 3
1. Introduction 8
2. The UK's changing economy 11
3. The role of the public sector in the UK's knowledge economy 20
4. The geography of the UK's knowledge economy 28
5. Towards a typology public and private sectors in the knowledge economy and productivity in the English cities 36
6. Policy implications 56
Conclusions 66
Appendix A: Ideopolis research 69
Appendix B: Metadata 73
Appendix C: Definitions of knowledge intensive sectors 74
References 76

Figures
Figure 1.1: Total identifiable expenditure on services by country and region, per head in real terms (2005/06 prices) indexed to UK, 2001-2007 9
Figure 2.1: Employment and growth in the UK's knowledge economy 13
Figure 2.2: Earnings across the UK regions, 2007 14
Figure 2.3: Change in earnings across the UK regions, 1995 to 2005 15
Figure 2.4: Change in GVA per head across the UK regions, 1995-2005 16
Figure 3.1: Job creation in the knowledge intensive sectors, 1998-2006 21
Figure 4.1: Regional employment in the public and private knowledge intensive sectors, 2006 29
Figure 4.2: Total identifiable expenditure on services by country and region, per head in real terms (2005/06 prices), 2006/07 30
Figure 4.3: Local employment in the public and private knowledge intensive sectors, 2006 31
Figure 4.4: Variations between cities in the public and private knowledge intensive sectors, 2006 34
Figure 5.1: Typologies of UK cities 38
Figure 5.2: The knowledge economy and productivity 39
Figure 5.3: Change in the knowledge intensive sectors in the 56 English cities, 1998-2006 40
Figure 5.4: Change in economic performance in the English cities 41
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 12:44 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

World Bank

Migration and Remittances Factbook 2008
January 8, 2008
http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTDECPROSPECTS/0,,contentMDK:21352016~menuPK:3145470~pagePK:64165401~piPK:64165026~theSitePK:476883,00.html

A snapshot of migration and remittances data for all countries, regions and income groups of the world, compiled from available data from various sources.
For the latest remittances data, please see Remittances data [link on this page]. The print version of the factbook will be available in February 2008.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 12:29 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

ILR Press (an imprint of Cornell University Press)

CORPORATE WASTELAND
The Landscape and Memory of Deindustrialization [January 2008]
Steven High; David W. Lewis
http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4789

$18.95s paper
2008, 192 pages, 6 x 9, 25 halftones
ISBN: 978-0-8014-7401-9

Deindustrialization is not simply an economic process, but a social and cultural one as well. The rusting detritus of our industrial pastthe wrecked hulks of factories, abandoned machinery too large to remove, and now-useless infrastructureshas for decades been a part of the North American landscape. In recent years, however, these modern ruins have become cultural attractions, drawing increasing numbers of adventurers, artists, and those curious about a forgotten heritage. Through a unique blend of oral history, photographs, and interpretive essays, Corporate Wasteland investigates this fascinating terrain and the phenomenon of its loss and rediscovery.

Steven High and David W. Lewis begin by exploring an emerging aesthetic they term the deindustrial sublime, explaining how the ritualized demolition of landmark industrial structures served as dramatic punctuations between changing eras. They then follow the narrative path blazed by urban spelunkers, explorers who infiltrate former industrial sites and then share accounts and images of their exploits in a vibrant online community. And to understand the ways in which geographic and emotional proximity affects how deindustrialization is remembered and represented, High and Lewis focus on Youngstown, Ohio, where residents and former steelworkers still live amid the reminders of more prosperous times.

Corporate Wasteland concludes with photo essays of sites in Michigan, Ontario, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania that pair haunting images with the poignant testimonies of those who remember industrial sites as workplaces rather than monuments. Forcing readers to look beyond nostalgia, High and Lewis reinterpret our deindustrialized landscape as a historical and imaginative challenge to the ways in which we comprehend and respond to the profound disruptions wrought by globalization.

Reviews

"Corporate Wasteland is more than simply the best book on deindustrialization; it's a transnational road trip through the rust belt with everyone from Woody Guthrie to Walker Evans, Joseph Schumpeter to John Steinbeck along for the ride, pointing out the details, arguing about what happened, and digging into the rich complexity of truth itself. The transcendent photographs of rotting industrial hulks and the elegiac words of the workers sear with the intensity of the once red-hot blast furnaces, now long grown cold. This book is not a lamentit is an interrogation of entire landscape."Jefferson Cowie, Cornell University, author of Capital Moves: RCA's Seventy-Year Quest for Cheap Labor

"For the visitor, abandoned structures articulate in hushed eloquence how a town actually can have a broken heart. Corporate Wasteland is an exceptionally thoughtful treatment that reaffirms the malignant beauty and dignified legacy of these structures and communities."Mayor John K. Fetterman, Braddock, Pennsylvania

About the Author

Steven High is Canada Research Chair in Public History at Concordia University in Montreal. He is the author of Industrial Sunset: The Making of North America's Rust Belt, 1969-1984. David W. Lewis is a photographer and the author of The Art of Bromoil and Transfer and The Passion Pit: A Tribute to the Drive-in.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:45 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

NIOSH is seeking public review and comment on a draft document of interim guidance concerning the medical screening of workers potentially exposed to engineered nanoparticles in the manufacture and industrial use of nanoparticles.

Document for Public Review and Comment:

CURRENT INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN
INTERIM GUIDANCE FOR THE MEDICAL SCREENING OF WORKERS
POTENTIALLY EXPOSED TO ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES
November 2007
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/115/PDFs/DRAFTCIBExpEngNano.pdf
[full-text, 39 pages]

Interim Guidance on Medical Screening of Workers Potentially Exposed to Engineered Nanoparticles Docket # NIOSH-115
December 2007
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/115/

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NIOSH, CDC) is conducting a public review of the NIOSH document entitled Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB): Interim Guidance on Medical Screening of Workers Potentially Exposed to Engineered Nanoparticles. This document has been determined by NIOSH to be a Significant Guidance document in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines under the Federal Data Quality Act 2000 (Public Law 106-554, Section 1(a)(3)[515]).This guidance document does not have the force and effect of law. The overall goal of the review is to enhance the quality and credibility of Agency recommendations by ensuring that the scientific and technical work underlying these recommendations receives appropriate review by independent scientific and technical experts.

The draft CIB was developed to address concerns about whether workers exposed to engineered nanoparticles will be at increased risk of adverse health effects and whether medical screening or some other type of occupational health surveillance is appropriate for these workers. Although increasing evidence indicates that exposure to some engineered nanoparticles can cause adverse health effects in laboratory animals, insufficient medical evidence exists at this time to recommend the specific medical screening of workers potentially exposed to engineered nanoparticles.

Charge to Peer Reviewers

The peer review charge was developed in accordance with OMB guidelines, is consistent with NIOSH peer review practice, and is meant to ensure that credible and appropriate science is used in the development of its recommendations on the medical screening for workers exposed to nanoparticles.

The objectives of this document are to describe (1) the scientific evidence relevant to exposure to engineered nanoparticles, (2) the elements of an occupational medical screening program, and (3) the overall aspects of a good health surveillance program in identifying and preventing exposure to potential hazards. The charge to the Peer Reviewers is to review the document to determine whether
   * the hazard identification is a reasonable reflection of the available scientific studies,
   * the discussion of occupational health surveillance including medical screening is consistent with sound occupational health practice, and
   * the conclusions that form the basis of the recommendations are appropriate.

To facilitate review of this Current Intelligence Bulletin, the five questions below should be considered:
   * Do the data cited support the conclusions of the document?
   * Are the conclusions appropriate in light of the current understanding of the toxicological data?
   * Is medical surveillance appropriate at this time for workers with potential exposure to engineered nanoparticles; if so, what form(s) of medical surveillance are specific for such workers?
   * What are the potential benefits, adverse impacts, and limitations of medical screening of workers potentially exposed to engineered nanoparticles?
   * What are the potential benefits, adverse impacts, and limitations of establishing an exposure registry for workers exposed to engineered nanoparticles?

The Peer Reviewers will be provided all substantive public comments received in the NIOSH Docket Office by February 15, 2008.

Public Meeting

A public meeting will be held on January 30, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Robert A. Taft Laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a forum for scientists and representatives of government agencies, industry, labor, and other stakeholders to discuss the document. The meeting will be open to the public, limited only by space available. Due to limited space and security clearance requirements, notification of intent to attend the meeting must be made to the NIOSH Docket Office no later than Friday, January 18, 2008. Persons wanting to provide oral comments at the meeting are requested to notify the NIOSH Docket Office no later than January 11, 2008 at 513/533-8611 or by email at < mailto:nioshdocket@cdc.gov?subject=115%20-%20NIOSH%20Interim%20Guidance%20Nanoparticles > nioshdocket@cdc.gov. Priority for attendance will be given to those providing oral comments. Other requests to attend the meeting will then be accommodated on a first-come basis. Unreserved walk-in attendees will not be admitted due to security clearance requirements.

Time Frame for Review

Written comments on the document will be accepted from December 14, 2007 through February 15, 2008. Written comments can be submitted at the Public Meeting or sent to the NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 4676 Columbia Parkway, MS C-34, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226. All material submitted to the Agency should reference docket number NIOSH-115. All electronic comments should be formatted as Microsoft Word and make reference to docket number NIOSH-115.
DRAFT Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB): Interim Guidance on Medical Screening of Workers Potentially Exposed to Engineered Nanoparticles < http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/115/PDFs/DRAFTCIBExpEngNano.pdf > DRAFTCIBExpEngNano.pdf
(111KB; 39 pgs)

List of Peer Reviewers

Reviewers to be added

Comments will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. ET on February 15, 2008

To submit comments regarding this draft publication, please use one of these options:
   * Send NIOSH comments using this < http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/115/comments.html> online form
   * Send comments by < mailto:nioshdocket@cdc.gov?subject=115%20-%20NIOSH%20Interim%20Guidance%20Nanoparticles > email.
   * Fax comments to the NIOSH Docket Office: 513-533-8285

   * Send by Mail to:
   * NIOSH Mailstop: C-34
   * Robert A. Taft Lab.
   * 4676 Columbia Parkway
   * Cincinnati, Ohio 45226
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:18 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Note: Two points of view below ---

Oxford Economics

UK GDP per capita to overtake US in 2008 for first time since the 19th century [7 January 2008]
http://www.oef.com/Free/pdfs/oxfordeconomicspressreleasejan08.pdf

.. Living standards in the UK as measured by GDP per capita are set to rise above those in the
US in 2008 for the first time since the 19th century. According to Oxford Economics, UK GDP
will reach $48,000 per head of the population (£23,500 per capita) in 2008, compared with
$47,430 per capita (£23,250 per capita) in the US.
.. Moreover, UK GDP per capita will be over 8% higher than in both Germany
($44,200/£21,665 per capita) and France ($44,300/£21,700 per capita) in 2008.

.. Commenting on the figures, Oxford Economics' Managing Director, Adrian Cooper, said:
"The last 15 years have seen a dramatic change in the UK's economic performance and its
position in the world economy. No longer are we the 'sick man of Europe'. Indeed, our
calculations suggest that UK living standards are now a match with those of the US."

.. The improvement in UK relative living standards has been substantial since the early 1990s.
In 1993, following the last major recession and the UK's ejection from the ERM, GDP per
capita in the UK was 34% lower than in the US, 33% lower than in Germany and 26% lower
than in France.

.. The increase in the UK's relative GDP per capita in large part reflects the long period of
sustained strong growth that the UK has enjoyed since 1993. More recently, it also reflects
the strength of sterling, first vis-à-vis the European currencies and, in the last couple of
years, versus the US dollar. However, as the chart below shows, the UK has been catching
up steadily with living standards in the US since 2001 so, it is a well-established trend
rather than simply the result of currency fluctuations.

AND MORE including CHART & TABLES....

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE --
Center for Economic and Policy Research

Misunderestimating' Living Standards
January 2008, John Schmitt and David Rosnick
http://www.cepr.net/content/view/1419/8/

This issue brief finds that a forecast by Oxford Economics suggesting that the United Kingdom's living standards will exceed those of the U.S. in 2008 is misleading. CEPR found that the forecast relies on a basic misunderstanding of standard methods of comparing international standards of living. Using the appropriate economic method, in 2008, the GDP per capita of the United States will exceed that of the United Kingdom by almost 19 percent.

For full-report -- see
http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/living_standards_2008_01.pdf

[Thanks to Shirl Kennedy at Docuticker.com for the tip].

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 7:32 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Watson Wyatt (UK)

Bonuses make all the difference in the financial services sector [11 January 2008]
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=18486

UK, January 11, 2008 - Salaries in the UK financial services sector rose by a median 4.2 per cent in 2007 though this masks wide variations, especially when total cash payments are considered.

Average total cash (which includes salaries and bonuses) in the UK financial services sector rose by between 1.2 per cent and 11.3 per cent last year, depending on job function, according to consultants Watson Wyatt.

Watson Wyatt's 2007 UK Financial Services Compensation Report shows that median basic salaries across the financial services sector rose by 4.2 per cent, while total cash rose by 5.4 per cent.

Those working in investment management saw the highest total cash rises with a median 11.3 per cent. Other jobs which benefited from strong total cash growth included sales (7.9 per cent), commercial/corporate banking (7.7 per cent), actuarial (7.4 per cent) and life underwriting (6.4 per cent). Jobs which typically saw lower than average median total cash increases included purchasing (1.2 per cent), technical (3.8 per cent) and credit/lending (3.9 per cent).

The Watson Wyatt report found salaries rising at a similar level of just over 4 per cent regardless of seniority. However, total cash increases were higher for directors and senior managers (7.2 per cent) compared with junior professionals (5.0 per cent).

"The trend continues whereby base pay increases are fairly consistent across organisations," said Iain Nichols, a senior consultant at Watson Wyatt. "The differentiation is made through bonus payments and comes as a result of the desire to differentiate individual performance as well as the financial performance of the organisation, with salaries rising above average where there is demand for specific skills and abilities."

Watson Wyatt found that 18 per cent of companies look to position base pay above the median, with the vast majority (72 per cent) aiming at the median (50th percentile) level and 5 per cent below (while 5 per cent have no policy). However, on a total cash basis the proportion looking to pay above market rates rises to 43 per cent.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 6:21 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Parliament

Is immigration the cure for a declining working population? [10 January 2008]
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/047-17502-007-01-01-908-20080107STO17493-2008-07-01-2008/default_en.htm

Abstract:
The demographic make-up of Europe is changing. We are getting older and the number of people of working age is decreasing. A study commissioned in 2007 on "Europe's Demographic Future" found that around 56 million immigrant workers could be needed by 2050 to compensate for this decline. A report on the demographic future of Europe by French PSE Member Françoise Castex will be discussed by MEPs in their February plenary session. It is likely to stress the positive role immigration can play.

See also FURTHER INFORMATION--

With fertility falling in Europe - what can be done?
< http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/047-13239-324-11-47-908-20071115STO13227-2007-20-11-2007/default_en.htm >

Ageing and shrinking Europe - what's the answer?
< http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/008-12714-309-11-45-901-20071107STO12713-2007-05-11-2007/default_en.htm >

European "blue card" to solve problem of aging population?
< http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/018-10568-267-09-39-902-20070921STO10548-2007-24-09-2007/default_en.htm >

Gruber report on the Policy Plan on Legal Migration
< http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&language=EN&reference=A6-2007-0322 >

Moreno Sanchez report on policy priorities in the fight against illegal immigration of third-country nationals
< http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&language=EN&reference=A6-2007-0323 >

Françoise Castex draft report on the demographic future of Europe
< http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+COMPARL+PE-392.248+01+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&language=EN >

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 6:15 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Commission (EC) > Employment, Social affairs and Equal Opportunities > Labour Law

LABOUR LAW DOCUMENTATION BY TOPIC
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/labour_law/documentation_en.htm

Anti - discrimination in employment and occupation
Collective Redundancies
Corporate Restructuring
Data Protection in the Employment Context
Transnational agreements; Dispute Resolution: Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
Economically Dependant Workers
Employee Participation in Profits
Employer Insolvency
Equitable Wage
European Company Statute
European Co-operative Society
European works councils
Fixed Term Work
Health and Safety
Information and Consultation
Individual Employent Conditions
Modernisation of Work Organisation
Part Time Work
Posting of Workers
Temporary Agency Workers
Transfer of Undertakings
Working Time
Young People

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:42 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

NOTE: This posting is for information only. It brings your attention to a possible workplace issue.

MintEmail.com [Free Service]
http://www.mintemail.com/perfwd/index.php

[excerpt]
Do you need a temporary email address longer than four hours? If so, then you can create a mintemail.com email address for a certain duration. Whenever an email is sent to this new address, it will be instantly forwarded to your real email address. As a result, your real email address will always remain hidden.

[Thanks to Gary Price at ResourceShelf.com for the tip].

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:44 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

OECD Standardised Unemployment Rates (SURs) - Updated: January 2008 [11 January 2008]
http://www.oecd.org/document/21/0,3343,en_2649_201185_39885653_1_1_1_1,00.html
and
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/26/29/39885598.pdf
[full-text, 4 pages]

Includes CHARTS & TABLES...

[excerpt]
The standardised unemployment rate for the OECD area(1) was 5.5% in November 2007, 0.1 percentage point lower than the previous month and 0.4 percentage point lower than a year earlier.
In the Euro area(2), the standardised unemployment rate was 7.2% in November 2007, the same as the previous month and 0.7 percentage point lower than a year earlier. The United States' standardised unemployment rate for December 2007 was 5.0%, 0.3 percentage point higher than the previous month and 0.6 percentage point higher than a year earlier. For Japan, the rate was 3.8% in November 2007, 0.2 percentage point lower than the previous month and 0.2 percentage point lower than in November 2006.

In November 2007, the standardised unemployment rate in France(3) was 7.9%, 0.1 percentage point lower than the previous month and 1.0 percentage point lower than a year earlier. For Germany, the rate was 7.9% in November 2007, 0.2 percentage point lower than the previous month and 1.3 percentage point lower than in November 2006. For Canada, the standardised unemployment rate was 5.9% in November 2007, 0.1 percentage point higher than the previous month but 0.3 percentage point lower than a year earlier. In September 2007, the rate in the United Kingdom was 5.2%, 0.1 percentage point lower than the previous month and 0.2 percentage point lower than a year earlier. In September 2007, the standardised unemployment rate in Italy was 6.0%, the same as the previous month and 0.5 percentage point lower than a year earlier.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 6:23 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

ExpatsInChina.com
http://www.expatsinchina.com/

To facilitate life for expats in China and also to promote intercultural relationships with other nationals abroad, ExpatsInChina has created the ExpatsClub. Membership is of course FREE of charge! An an ExpatClub member, you will be receiving exclusive insights to China-related topics, discounts on partner products/services and the possibility of having your personal web site promoted. How to join? Find out more here!

The above is a division of
CBW.com (China Business World. com)
http://www.cbw.com/business.html

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 6:10 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES November 2007 [11 January 2008]
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/trade/tradnewsrelease.htm
or
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/trade/2008/pdf/trad1107.pdf
[full-text, 47 pages]
or
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/trade/2008/xls/trad1107.xls
[spreadsheet]
and
Highlights
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/trade/2008/pdf/trad1107_fax.pdf

Goods and Services

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the
Department of Commerce, announced today that total November exports of $142.3
billion and imports of $205.4 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit
of $63.1 billion, up from $57.8 billion in October, revised. November exports
were $0.6 billion more than October exports of $141.7 billion. November imports
were $6.0 billion more than October imports of $199.4 billion.

In November, the goods deficit increased $5.8 billion from October to $72.7 billion,
and the services surplus increased $0.4 billion to $9.6 billion. Exports of goods
increased $0.1 billion to $101.0 billion, and imports of goods increased $5.9 billion
to $173.7 billion. Exports of services increased $0.5 billion to $41.4 billion, and
imports of services increased $0.1 billion to $31.8 billion.

In November, the goods and services deficit was up $4.7 billion from November 2006.
Exports were up $16.4 billion, or 13.0 percent, and imports were up $21.1 billion,
or 11.4 percent.

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES.....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 5:55 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

2005 International Comparison Program in Asia and the Pacific
Purchasing Power Parities and Real Expenditures [10 December 2007]
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/ICP-Purchasing-Power-Expenditures/default.asp
or
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/ICP-Purchasing-Power-Expenditures/PPP-Real-Expenditures.pdf
[full-text, 231 pages]
and
Highlights
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/ICP-Purchasing-Power-Expenditures/Highlights.pdf
[full-text, 32 pages]

This publication presents the final results on estimates of PPPs of currencies of the participating economies in ICP Asia Pacific.

These include estimates of "real" gross domestic product and its major components, namely, household consumption, government consumption, gross capital formation, and net external trade. The estimates of PPPs are more robust in this round through improvements in methodology, data collection, data review, and data processing.

The 2005 International Comparison Program (ICP) is the largest ICP round to date, covering 146 economies that were divided into five geographic regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Commonwealth of Independent States, Latin America, and Western Asia; plus an additional "region" of countries for the regular purchasing power parity (PPP) program managed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Statistical Office of the European Union.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 5:50 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

ASIA ECONOMIC MONITOR 2007 [December 2007]
http://aric.adb.org/pdf/aem/dec07/Dec%20AEM%20complete%20131207.pdf
[full-text, 60 pages]

The Asia Economic Monitor (AEM) is a semiannual review of emerging East Asia�s growth, financial vulnerability, and emerging policy issues. It covers the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; People�s Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Republic of Korea; and Taipei,China.

Contents
Recent Economic Performance 3
GDP Growth 3
Inflation 6
Balance of Payments 7
Financial Markets and Exchange Rates 10
Monetary and Fiscal Policy 12
Assessment of Financial Vulnerability 15
Economic Outlook for 2008, Risks, and Policy Issues 21
External Economic Environment 21
Regional Economic Outlook for 2008 27
Risks to the Outlook 30
Policy Issues 34
Special Section
Can Emerging East Asia Weather Global Financial Instability? 41

Boxes
1. Fed Rate Cuts and Policy Dilemmas 35
2. Measuring Monetary Independence in Emerging East Asia 37
3. Asset Markets and the Real Economy 50
4. Is Emerging East Asia Decoupling from the US? 54
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 5:30 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

SLOAN INDUSTRY CENTERS
http://www.industry.sloan.org/centershome.htm

Click on the INDUSTRY in the left margin. When the page comes up, click on the small URL at the top. This will take you to the web site of that particular center.

See for example

Industrial Performance Center (at MIT)

http://web.mit.edu/ipc/index.html

See some of their working papers at -- http://web.mit.edu/ipc/publications/papers.html

[excerpt]
...
The Sloan Industry Centers are a powerful resource for industry, as well as those whose work is concerned with overarching issues that affect industries. Each Sloan Industry Center dedicated to a single industry is able to examine in-depth the features of that industry and work closely with its leaders. This Sloan Foundation initiative is in the tradition of industrialist Alfred P. Sloan, who established the foundation bearing his name.

The Sloan Industry Centers comprise a unique national network. Housed in many of the nation's most prestigious universities, they listen to the current concerns of industry attentive to the needs of business, and relying on the accumulated experience of business leaders as they address solutions. Together with their partners in industry, Sloan Industry Center researchers work to increase knowledge of the complex influences that shape business enterprises, from new technologies to workforce issues, to the impact of globalization.

AND MORE....

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:53 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

United States International Trade Commission (USITC)

INTERACTIVE TARIFF AND TRADE DATAWEB
http://dataweb.usitc.gov/

----------
The USITC Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb provides international trade statistics and U.S. tariff data to the public full-time and free of charge.

U.S. import statistics, U.S. export statistics, U.S. tariffs, U.S. future tariffs and U.S. tariff preference information are available on a self-service, interactive basis. The USITC DataWeb responds to user-defined queries integrating international trade statistics with complex tariff and customs treatment, and allows both expert and non-expert users to create and save customized country and product lists for future re-use from anywhere in the world.

International trade data are available for years 1989- present on a monthly, quarterly, annual, or year-to-date basis and can be retrieved in a number of classification systems, including the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), or the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Pre-defined reports on international trade statistics are also available by geographic region and partner country. Current U.S. tariffs, which are maintained and published by the USITC as a statutory responsibility, can be accessed via the USITC DataWeb, and retrieved with relevant international trade data.

NOTE:
The ITC DataWeb will be down on Friday, January 11, 2008 from 9:30 am until approx. 2:30 pm in order to perform the monthly update processing cycle of the Trade Database which will include November 2007 data.....Following the update cycle, we will be performing some required system maintenance as well.

October, 2007 trade data are now posted.

ITC TRADE DATAWEB--Direct access to trade data; customized reports; instant answers.
< http://dataweb.usitc.gov/scripts/user_set.asp>

Frequently Asked Questions
< http://dataweb.usitc.gov/scripts/datawebfaq.htm>

External Resources
< http://dataweb.usitc.gov/scripts/external_resources.asp>

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:43 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditons (Dublin Foundation)

Employment guidance services for people with disabilities (CASE STUDIES database) [10 January 2008]
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/areas/socialcohesion/egs/search.php

This database of employment guidance services contains case studies from 16 EU Member States. These have been selected on the basis that they adopt new or enhanced approaches to providing employment services for the target group of people with disabilities or chronic illness. The database consists of employment guidance services that are relatively new, that seek to integrate a range of services, that seek to mainstream the target groups into general employment services and those that seek to provide integrated pathways to work.

These cases are of potential interest to a range of people. These include professionals operating in employment guidance services, be they in the mainstream or specialist sectors, rehabilitation professionals, policy makers, employers and others.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 7:51 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
Research Department Publications
Topic: Labor and Social Issues
http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_list.cfm?pub_type_id=LAB&language=En&parid=2

SEMINAR PAPERS on QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA and the CARIBBEAN REGION [January 2008]

S-880
Seminar Papers
The Quality of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean Region:
Chile
http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=S-880
or
http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubS-880.pdf
[full-text, 128 pages]

S-882
Seminar Papers
The Quality of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean Region:
Bolivia
http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=S-882
or
http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubS-882.pdf
[full-text, 67 pages]

S-881
Seminar Papers
The Quality of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean Region:
Argentina
http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=S-881
or
http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubS-881.pdf
[full-text, 203 pages]

S-883
Seminar Papers
The Quality of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean Region:
Brazil
http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=S-883
or
http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubS-883.pdf
[full-text, 172 pages]

S-884
Seminar Papers
The Quality of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean Region:
Mexico
http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=S-884
or
http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubS-884.pdf
[full-text, 67 pages]

S-885
Seminar Papers
The Quality of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean Region:
Paraguay
http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=S-885
or
http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubS-885.pdf
[full-text, 82 pages]

S-886
Seminar Papers
The Quality of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean Region:
Peru
http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=S-886
or
http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubS-886.pdf
[full-text, 92 pages]

Additional papers will be posted at
http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_list.cfm?pub_type_id=LAB&language=En&parid=2
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:34 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

World Bank

Global Economic Prospects 2008 [9 January 2008]
Technology Diffusion in the Developing World
http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTDECPROSPECTS/GEPEXT/EXTGEP2008/0,,menuPK:4503385~pagePK:64167702~piPK:64167676~theSitePK:4503324,00.html
or
http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTDECPROSPECTS/GEPEXT/EXTGEP2008/0,,contentMDK:21603882~menuPK:4503397~pagePK:64167689~piPK:64167673~theSitePK:4503324,00.html
[full-text, html]
or
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGEP2008/Resources/GEP_complete.pdf
[full-text, 224 pages]

Press Release
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21604212~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html

LONDON, January 9, 2008 Resilience in developing economies is cushioning the current slowdown in the United States, with real GDP growth for developing countries expected to ease to 7.1 percent in 2008, while high-income countries are predicted to grow by a modest 2.2 percent, says the World Bank.

Global Economic Prospects 2008 (GEP 2008) notes that world growth slowed modestly in 2007 to 3.6 percent compared with 3.9 percent in 2006, a downturn due largely to weaker growth in high-income countries. In 2008 global growth is expected to be 3.3 percent.

A weaker US dollar, the specter of an American recession and rising financial-market volatility could cast a shadow over this soft landing scenario for the global economy. These risks would cut export revenues and capital inflows for developing countries, and reduce the value of their dollar-investments abroad. In this context, the reserves and other buffers that developing countries have built up in past years may be needed to absorb unexpected shocks.

"Overall, we expect developing-country growth to moderate only somewhat over the next two years. However, a much sharper United States slowdown is a real risk that could weaken medium-term prospects in developing countries," said Uri Dadush, Director of the World Bank's Development Prospects Group and International Trade Department.

The report's authors assume that credit turmoil in international markets will persist into late 2008, but that costs to large financial institutions will remain manageable. Moreover, they predict that spillover from problems in the US housing market on consumer demand will remain limited.

"Looking at trade, strong import demand across the developing countries is helping to sustain global growth. As a result and given a cheaper US dollar, American exports are expanding rapidly. This is helping shrink the U.S. current account deficit and is contributing to a decline in global imbalances," said Hans Timmer, co-author and Manager of the Global Trends team in the Bank's Development Prospects Group.

Recent robust developing country growth has contributed to high commodity prices, notably for oil, metals and minerals. These have benefitted many commodity exporters, thus explaining the strength of demand growth in some poorer countries. However, the recent increase in grain prices partly due to increased grain production for biofuels is hurting real incomes among the urban poor.

GEP 2008 also argues that more prudent macroeconomic management and technological progress have helped increase total factor productivity and real income growth in developing countries over the past 15 years, a trend expected to help reduce poverty in the next decade. The special theme of GEP 2008 is technology diffusion in developing countries (see related news release).

Developing country highlights

In the first half of 2007, industrial production sped up across the developing regions, notably in East Asia (20%, year over year). Robust production data are also reflected in GDP results. China, India, and Russia were instrumental in driving up output.

GDP in East Asia and the Pacific is expected to grow about 10 % in 2007, with China expected to grow by more than 11%. Growth for the region should ease to 9.7 % in 2008 and to 9.6 % by 2009. The effects from the turmoil in the world's financial centers may be small in most economies in the Region. Except for China, direct exposures of financial institutions in the region to mortgage-based securities (or sub-prime crisis) are limited.

GDP in Europe and Central Asia is expected to grow by 6.7 % in 2007, and then slow to 6.1 % in 2008 and 5.7 % in 2009. Inflation has risen in several countries, tied to sustained strong domestic demand and rising food and fuel prices (made worse by drought in Bulgaria and Romania). Signs of overheating are evident in Bulgaria and the Baltic states. In Turkey, an easing of monetary policy is expected to strengthen domestic demand, leading to a pickup in growth, and a continued large current account deficit.

GDP in Latin America and the Caribbean advanced by 5.1 % in 2007 and is growth expected to ease to 4.5 % in 2008 and further to 4.3 % by 2009, mainly reflecting a return to more sustainable growth rates in Argentina and Venezuela. Elsewhere, including in Brazil, growth should remains robust, while in Mexico it is expected to rebound from a weak 2007.

GDP in the Middle East and North Africa eased slightly in 2007 to 4.9 % and will likely rise with the help of high oil prices to 5.4 % in 2008. In oil-exporting countries, higher oil prices are adding to revenues, some of which are being invested infrastructure in countries like Algeria and Iran. Diversified exporters like Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia are enjoying double-digit growth, thanks to increased trade demand from Europe.

GDP growth in South Asia edged down slightly in 2007 to 8.4 %, with industrial production and GDP growth driven by strong domestic demand. An expansion of credit, rising incomes, and strong worker remittances are buoying private consumption. Meantime, improvements in business sentiment along with rising corporate profits, are providing a further boost.

GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa grew 6.1 % in 2007, and is expected to rise 6.4% in 2008, with much of the impetus coming from strong domestic demand. Investment in the region is expected to remain strong, despite the tightening of international credit conditions, due in part to large foreign-financed investments. In contrast, private demand in South Africa, where higher interest rates and an erosion of real incomes are curbing real outlays, is projected to soften. Regional growth may slip to 5.8 % by 2009 as oil exporters respond to international conditions and restrain output moderately.

-- ### --
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:49 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

OECD

Annual inflation in the OECD area surges to 3.3% in November 2007 [8 January 2007]
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/55/47/39859738.pdf
[full-text, 4 pages]

Consumer prices in the OECD area rose by 3.3% in the year to November 2007 compared with 2.8%
in the year to October 2007. On a monthly basis, the price level rose by 0.5% in November after 0.3%
between September and October 2007.

Energy and food items account for most of the increase in inflation. Consumer prices for energy
increased by 13.3% year-on-year in November, compared with a rise of 8.5% in October, while for food they
were up by 4.6% year-on-year in November, compared with 4.1% in October. Excluding food and energy,
consumer prices rose by 2.0% in the year to November compared with 1.9% in October.

AND MORE...including CHARTS & TABLES....

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:17 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Mercer

Survey on Executive pay in European financial services companies [7 January 2008]
http://www.mercer.com/pressrelease/details.jhtml/dynamic/idContent/1291805

UK
London, 7 January 2008

   * Banking chief executive officers received median bonus payments of 164 percent of base salary in 2007 (up from 121 percent in 2006), while insurance chief executives received 140 percent of base salary (up from 101 percent in 2006)
   * Over 70 percent of compensation for financial services chief executives is paid through bonuses and long-term incentives
   * Continued shift in Europe from options to restricted stock and performance-related shares; the majority of share plans have performance conditions attached. Share plans may prove popular given current share price turmoil
   * Demand for top executives fuelled higher salary increases in 2007 (median salary increase of 6 percent for CEOs)
   * Financial services companies are taking a more global and/or pan-European approach to executive remuneration decision-making for senior executive

Following another strong year in 2006/2007, banking chief executive officers received median base salaries of 1.15 million according to Mercer's Pan-European Financial Services Executive Compensation Guide < http://www.imercer.com/default.aspx?page=surveydetail&surveyid=3814&newRegionId=3 >. The survey also showed that bonus payouts of 164 percent of base salary were made in 2007, taking their median annual total cash compensation* to 2.7 million and the total direct compensation including long-term incentives to 4.3 million.

The survey provides total direct compensation information for all key board positions in the banking and insurance industries, with an overview of compensation policies and benefits for each location. The survey covers bonus payouts and long term incentive grants made in 2007 for the 2006 performance year and pay for the next three executive tiers, which is not disclosed in company reports.

According to the survey, insurance company chief executives received median salaries of 0.9 million with bonus payouts of 140 percent of base salary, bringing their median total cash compensation to 2.6 million and the total direct compensation including long-term incentives to 4.0 million. In the upper quartile, banking chief executive officers earn total direct compensation of 8.4 million compared to their insurance counterparts who earn 4.4m. The median chief executive officer salary increase was 6 percent.

According to Vicki Elliott, worldwide partner and Mercer's global financial services industry leader, "As part of a broader trend across Europe, remuneration for financial services executives has become more linked to performance. This has been driven by increased shareholder scrutiny. Financial services chief executive officers on average receive 70 percent of remuneration through variable performance related pay - in the form of annual bonus and long term incentives."

Ms Elliot continued, "The shift from options to restricted stock and performance-related share plans has continued. The majority of share plans in financial services companies now have performance conditions attached. The recent turmoil in financial services share prices means that share plans will have more value to executives than stock options. Many financial services companies use more than one long term incentive plan in order to balance achievement of financial performance goals with stock market volatility."

Among survey participants, 34 percent are planning to review long-term incentives and share-based schemes over the next 12 months.

Base pay
Median salary increases for financial sector executives across Europe ranged from 3.5 percent to 7.8 percent of base pay in 2007 and are expected to be between 2.8 percent to 5.0 percent for 2008, the survey found. However, demand for certain executive positions fuelled higher pay raises.

Pan-European approach
Mark Hoble, a partner in Mercer's UK executive compensation team added, "There has been a more pan-European approach to executive pay decisions. This has been driven by mergers and acquisitions activity, the expansion of financial services operations across Europe and the hunt for key executive talent. Increasingly, companies tend to benchmark themselves against other financial services organisations across Europe,"

Notes for Editors:

*Annual total cash refers to the total of annual base salary plus any guaranteed cash and the actual annual short-term incentive amount.
*Annual total direct refers to the total of annual base salary plus any guaranteed cash and the actual annual short-term and long-term incentive values.

The effective date of the pay and benefits data analysed in this study is 1 June 2007. The exchange rate used is EUR/GBP: 1.47083.

The survey covered 53 job positions and some 1,250 executives at 35 top multinational banking and insurance companies. This survey is only available to participants.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 5:51 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34297

Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Employment: National and State Trends and Issues
December 27, 2007
Stephen Cooney, Specialist in Industrial Organization and Business, Resources, Science, and Industry Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34297_20071227.pdf
[full-text, 40 pages]

Summary
The U.S. motor vehicle manufacturing industry employs about 1 million
workers, or about 7.5% of the entire U.S. manufacturing workforce, including those
who work in manufacturing parts and bodies, as well as those who assemble motor
vehicles. Since 2000, the industry has eliminated about 300,000 manufacturing jobs,
but the employment level is still almost as high as in 1990. By comparison,
manufacturing in general has suffered a much higher rate of job loss.

The Detroit-based U.S.-owned manufacturers (General Motors, Ford, and
Chrysler, collectively known as the "Big Three"), all of which are organized by the
United Auto Workers union (UAW), have cut back domestic production by 3 million
units since 2000, accounting for all the net employment losses. The shift in consumer
preferences from trucks and SUVs to smaller vehicles has accelerated a loss of
market share by the Big Three producers and gains for foreign-owned domestic
manufacturers and imports. Big Three employment losses were partially offset by
new investments by foreign-owned manufacturers in the United States. Today,
companies owned by foreign investors produce 28% of all U.S.-made light motor
vehicles, up from 11% in 1990.

The patterns of job loss and creation have not been evenly distributed around
the country. Forty-four percent of all persons in the industry work in a "heartland
auto belt" of three states, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, each of which has more than
100,000 persons in the industry. Michigan alone has accounted for more than a third
of the net job loss in the industry since 2000. Losses in Ohio and Indiana have been
less severe, offset somewhat by foreign investment. Alabama has been the big recent
job gainer, adding 15,000 jobs since 2000. Tennessee and Kentucky, now the fourth
and fifth largest producing states, have added the most jobs since 1990, and South
Carolina has also seen a big net gain. These jobs, mostly non-union, have stretched
the "auto belt" more to the South.

New fuel economy standards for automobiles and light trucks, as approved by
Congress and signed into law (P.L. 110-140), may encourage greater development
of small, fuel efficient cars, but the number of such U.S. plants, even for foreignowned
companies, has declined in recent years. S. 2191, approved at committee
level in the Senate in December 2007, would use funds from the auction of emission
allowances to support domestic manufacture of fuel-efficient vehicles and
components. Congress may also consider the proposed Korea-U.S. Free Trade
Agreement, which addresses the current imbalance in automotive trade. The
Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800), approved by the House, but on which a
cloture vote failed in the Senate, could help the UAW organize foreign-owned
companies.

In seeking to improve the competitiveness of Big Three assembly operations
against both non-union domestic producers and imports, the UAW and the Big Three
in 2007 negotiated new contract bargaining agreements. The deals addressed health
care costs, wage levels, and other issues.

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Jobs: A National Crisis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Sales and Production Trends in the U.S. Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
U.S. Demand for Domestically Made Vehicles Declines Trucks
Worst Affected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Big Three UAW Plants Suffer Largest Production Cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Impact of Sales and Production Trends on Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
National Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Employment Data . . . . . . . . . . 9
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Holds Up Better Than Other
Manufacturing Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Past Performance and Future Outlook for Motor Vehicle
Manufacturing Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Performance by State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Heartland Auto Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
A "One-State Recession" in Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Mixed Results in Ohio and Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Employment Mostly Stable in Other Leading States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Other Motor Vehicle Manufacturing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
U.S. Manufacturing of Small Motor Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Changing Detroit: The 2007 Collective Bargaining Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The 2007 Contract Negotiation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Summary of New Contract Bargaining Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Transfer of Retiree Health Care to UAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Two-Tier Pay and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Jobs Bank Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Detroit Big Three Cost Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Labor Gains in Job Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Reducing Detroit's Commitment to Canada? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Conclusion: A Competitive Detroit Big Three? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Outlook for U.S. Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Employment . . . . . . 33
Legislative Initiatives May Affect Automotive
Manufacturing Employment Outlook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

List of Figures
Figure 1. Motor Vehicle Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 2. U.S. Motor Vehicle Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 3. U.S. Motor Vehicle Industry Manufacturing Employment . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 4. Employment Trends, Motor Vehicle and General Manufacturing . . . 11
Figure 5. U.S. Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Employment by State . . . . . . . . . 16

List of Tables
Table 1. Motor Vehicle Manufacturing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Table 2. Four Decades of U.S. Small Car Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Table 3. Identification of Small Cars by Manufacturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Table 4. U.S. Small Car Manufacturing Assembly Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:33 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Work Foundation (UK)
A Research Report for The Work Foundation's Knowledge Economy Programme

Public Service Innovation [December 2007]
Rohit Lekhi, Research Republic LLP
http://workfoundation.org/products/publications/azpublications/publicserviceinnovation.aspx
or
http://workfoundation.org/Assets/PDFs/PSI2.pdf
[full-text, 112 pages]

The agenda for public service reform increasingly demands that services meet the rising expectations of citizens. At the same time, rapid changes in information and communication technologies provide new opportunities for gains in both efficiency and effectiveness. However, public services are subject to very different pressures than private companies, and so must innovate in very different ways.

This research report presents developments in public service innovation arising from the growth of the knowledge economy. As such, it is a component part of The Work Foundation's Knowledge Economy Programme.

The report has the following three aims:
   * To examine current debates, issues and themes around innovation in public services.
   * To review specific innovations in public services driven by the knowledge economy.
   * To conduct primary research on selected case studies of knowledge economyrelated innovations in public services.

Contents
Introduction 4
1. Innovation and public services: Issues and themes 6
1.1 Why innovate?
1.2 Defining innovation
1.3 Success factors
1.4 Barriers
2. Public service innovation in the knowledge economy 22
2.1 The impact of social change and new technologies
2.2 Policy drivers
2.3 Experiences of innovation in central and local government
2.4 Recent examples
3. Case studies 53
3.1 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
3.2 Microsoft and the Black Country Consortium
3.3 BBC Vision
3.4 South East of England Development Agency
3.5 H.M. Land Registry
3.6 Competition Commission
3.7 London Connects
3.8 Liverpool Direct
3.9 Lancashire Constabulary
3.10 Croydon Primary Care Trust
3.11 Information Commissioner's Office
3.12 University of Warwick
Conclusion 102
References 104

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:09 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Staff Reports, August 2007, Number 298

Job-Finding and Separation Rates in the OECD
http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/staff_reports/sr298.html
or
http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/staff_reports/sr298.pdf
[full-text, 31 pages]

Bart Hobijn and Aysegül Sahin

In this paper, we provide a set of comparable estimates of aggregate monthly job-finding and separation rates for twenty-seven OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries; these estimates can be used for the cross-country calibration of search models of unemployment. We find that cross-country differences in job-finding rates are much greater than those in separation rates. Our results are quantitatively and qualitatively in line with those published in previous studies; however, they cover a much larger set of countries. We combine our estimates with evidence on unemployment and labor force participation rates to impute steady-state worker flows for twenty-three of the countries in our sample.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:27 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Staff Reports, December 2007, Number 311

Firms and Flexibility
http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/staff_reports/sr311.html
or
http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/staff_reports/sr311.pdf
[full-text, 49 pages]

Authors: Bart Hobijn and Aysegül Sahin

We study the effects of labor market rigidities and frictions on firm-size distributions and dynamics. We introduce a model of endogenous entrepreneurship, labor market frictions, and firm-size dynamics with many types of rigidities, such as hiring and firing costs, search frictions with vacancy costs, unemployment benefits, firm entry costs, and a tax wedge between wages and labor costs. We use the model to analyze how each rigidity explains firm-size differentials between the United States and France. We find that when we include all rigidities and frictions except hiring costs and search frictions, the model accounts for much of the firm-size differentials between the United States and France. The addition of search frictions with vacancy costs generates implausibly large differentials in firm-size distributions.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 8:23 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

National Science Foundation (NSF)

First-Time, Full-Time Graduate Student Enrollment in Science and Engineering Increases in 2006, Especially Among Foreign Students [3 January 2007]
NSF 08-302 | December 2007 |
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08302/
or
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08302/nsf08302.pdf
[full-text, 6 pages]

After 2 years of decline, U.S. enrollment of foreign graduate students in science and engineering (S&E) fields increased in 2006. The increase was largely due to first-time, full-time enrollment of foreign students, which grew 16% over the 2005 level (table 1). [2] First-time, full-time enrollment of S&E graduate students with U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status rose by slightly more than 1%. Total enrollment of first-time, full-time S&E graduate students rose 6% over the 2005 level.

Includes numerous TABLES....

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 6:19 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Please forward the following to persons who may be interested

The International Institute for Labour Studies, a research center affiliated
with the International Labour Organization in Geneva (Switzerland), is
advertising four research positions at different levels. The relevant information
can be found at the URLs below. Deadlines for applications are Jan. 14.

Senior Economist - Quantitative Analysis of Social Impacts of Globalisation (2 posts)
https://erecruit.ilo.org/public/hrd-cl-vac-view.asp?o_c=2000&jobinfo_uid_c=18539&vaclng=en

Economist
https://erecruit.ilo.org/public/hrd-cl-vac-view.asp?o_c=2000&jobinfo_uid_c=18540&vaclng=en

Development Economist
https://erecruit.ilo.org/public/hrd-cl-vac-view.asp?o_c=2000&jobinfo_uid_c=18541&vaclng=en

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 5:44 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

ILO--Social Dialogue, Labour Law, and Labour Administration

Termination of Employment Legislation Digest
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/ifpdial/info/termination/index.htm

Profiles of National Legislation covering Termination of Employment

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/ifpdial/info/termination/countries/index.htm

Comparative Tables

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/ifpdial/info/termination/tables.htm

[excerpt]
The Termination of Employment Legislation Digest is a database on termination of employment regulation. The present project, based on the Termination of Employment Digest published by the ILO in 2000, aims at establishing a set of national and comparative information on this topic.

To illustrate the diversity of national approaches, the Digest reviews the legislation of more than 77 countries, as well as provides comparative tables for easy reference.

Dealing exclusively with employees in the private sector, the Digest offers a practical guide for the lay reader, as well as for lawyers, government officials and employers' and workers' organisations.

To enrich and update the Digest database, your remarks, suggestions and any new information (legislative changes, academic papers) are welcome!

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:34 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?rubrique1&lang=en

2007 Annual Survey of VIOLATIONS OF TRADE UNION RIGHTS
http://survey07.ituc-csi.org/getcontinent.php?IDContinent=0&IDLang=EN

Press Releases -- General and by Region
http://survey07.ituc-csi.org/pressrel.php?IDLang=EN

Videos and Photos
http://survey07.ituc-csi.org/videos.php?IDLang=EN

[excerpt]
An appalling total of 144 trade unionists were murdered for defending workers� rights in 2006, while more than 800 suffered beatings or torture, according to the Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations, published by the 168-million member International Trade Union Confederation. The 379-page report details nearly 5,000 arrests and more than 8,000 dismissals of workers due to their trade union activities. 484 new cases of trade unionists held in detention by governments are also documented in the report.

For the 2006 Report, see-
http://www.icftu.org/survey2006.asp?language=EN

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 1:19 PM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

ILR Press (an imprint of Cornell University Press)

LIFE SUPPORT: Three Nurses on the Front Lines
Suzanne Gordon; Claire Fagin, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N. (Foreword)
http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4802

"A beautiful, profound, and profoundly important book. . . . Gordon's message is simplicity itself: sick people need skilled, humane, and insightful care that keeps their interests paramount. Registered nurses have historically provided that care, but now their ability to fulfill their crucial role faces the greatest jeopardy in the history of the profession. . . . Life Support belongs in the august company of Silent Spring, The Other America, The Feminine Mystique, and other pivotal works with the power to shape the nation's consciousness."Washington Post

"In this enlightening, involving, in-depth book, Gordon interweaves the history and philosophy of nursing with on-the-job observations of three nurses at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital. Gordon lets the nurses speak for themselves, effectively illustrating their commitment to their profession and involving readers in real-life dramas."Publishers Weekly

"For patients, physicians, nurses, and health policy analysts, Gordon's passionate and accessible account of the impact of managed care on skilled nursing provides clear grounds for concern."Health Affairs

In this book, Suzanne Gordon describes the everyday work of three RNs in Bostona nurse practitioner, an oncology nurse, and a clinical nurse specialist on a medical unit. At a time when nursing is often undervalued and nurses themselves in short supply, Life Support provides a vivid, engaging, and intimate portrait of health care's largest profession and the important role it plays in patients' lives. Life Support is essential reading for working nurses, nursing students, and anyone considering a career in nursing as well as for physicians and health policy makers seeking a better understanding of what nurses do and why we need them. For the Cornell edition of this landmark work, Gordon has written a new introduction that describes the current nursing crisis and its impact on bedside nurses like those she profiled in the book.

About the Author

Suzanne Gordon is an award-winning journalist. She is Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and Assistant Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing. She is the author of Nursing against the Odds, the coauthor of From Silence to Voice, and the coeditor of The Complexities of Care, all from Cornell. Claire Fagin is Leadership Professor Emerita, Dean Emerita and Interim President Emerita at the University of Pennsylvania.

______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:29 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

ILO Bureau of Statistics, in collaboration with the Skills and Employability Department

The employment situation of people with disabilities: Towards improved statistical information [2007]
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/skills/disability/download/statsguide.pdf
[full-text, 53 pages]

This guide highlights basic knowledge from the fields of labour and disability statistics which has
to be combined for a comprehensive description of the employment situation of people with
disabilities. It complements an earlier compendium of national statistical methodologies,
'Statistics on the employment situation of people with disabilities', and will be of great relevance
to countries around the world as they work to promote and monitor equal employment
opportunities for disabled persons.

Contents
Preface ........................................................................................................................... v
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
1. Indicators on the employment situation of people with disability.................... 4
1.1 The decent work concept .................................................................................. 4
1.2 Measuring decent work with statistical indicators.............................................. 4
2. Current situation ................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Statistics on the total labour force..................................................................... 7
2.2 Statistics on the employment situation of people with disabilities ..................... 7
2.2.1 Data sources........................................................................................... 8
2.2.2 Coverage ................................................................................................ 9
2.2.3 Disability information ............................................................................... 9
2.2.4 Employment information ....................................................................... 10
2.3 Conclusions .................................................................................................... 11
3. Measuring the economically-active population................................................ 12
3.1 The economically-active population................................................................ 12
3.1.1 Scope of the population ........................................................................ 13
3.1.2 Scope of economic activity.................................................................... 14
3.1.3 Measurement issues ............................................................................. 14
3.2 Employment .................................................................................................... 15
3.2.1 Definition ............................................................................................... 15
3.2.2 The one hour criterion ........................................................................... 15
3.2.3 Particular groups................................................................................... 16
3.2.4 Measurement of hours of work.............................................................. 16
3.3 Unemployment................................................................................................ 17
3.3.1 Definition .............................................................................................. 17
3.3.2 Relaxation of the standard definition..................................................... 18
3.3.3 Measurement ........................................................................................ 18
3.4 Major economic classifications........................................................................ 19
3.5 Conclusions .................................................................................................... 21
4. Measuring disability............................................................................................ 22
4.1 Conceptual framework of the WHO ................................................................ 22
4.1.1 The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) .......... 22
4.1.2 WHO health measures.......................................................................... 24
4.2 UN guidelines and recommendations on disability statistics........................... 25
4.2.1 Guidelines and principles for the development of disability statistics .... 25
4.2.2 Principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses28
4.3 The work of the Washington Group ................................................................ 29
4.3.1 Basic principles and recommendations................................................. 29
4.3.2 Questions on disability .......................................................................... 30
4.4 Conclusions .................................................................................................... 33
5. Final remarks....................................................................................................... 34
References................................................................................................................... 35
Glossary....................................................................................................................... 38
Annex I: Question set on disability............................................................................ 42
Annex II: Tables for the tabulation of Indicators ...................................................... 45
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 10:16 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Condtions (Dublin Foundation)
European Monitoring Centre on Change (EMCC)
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)

ERM Report 2007 - Restructuring and employment in the EU: The impact of globalisation [20 December 2007]
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0768.htm
or
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2007/68/en/1/ef0768en.pdf
[full-text, 117 pages]

Author:
Storrie, Donald; Ward, Terry

Summary:
This report provides some perspectives on the effects of trade liberalisation on the European labour market. For its analysis, it draws on data from the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM), the only EU-wide monitoring instrument available. The 2007 ERM report identifies some of the recent and emerging trends in the current phase of globalisation and provides suggestions on how policy should be re-oriented to address these new circumstances.

CONTENTS

Overview 1
Introduction 7
Chapter 1: Economic globalisation and labour markets: 9
The nature and logic of trade pre-1980 10
Emergence of the 'Tiger economies' 11
Key empirical characteristics of recent international trade 12
Fragmentation, outsourcing and offshoring 17
Trade, offshoring and labour markets 20
Chapter 2: Evidence of offshoring in the European Restructuring Monitor 25
Cases of restructuring involving offshoring 26
Cases of relocation within the EU15 27
Offshoring by Member State 28
Offshoring by sector 29
Types of job delocalised 32
Regions of destination of delocalised activities 34
Regions of destination by sector 35
Regions of destination by activity 35
Nationality of the enterprises that offshore 38
Enterprise nationality by region of destination 41
Concluding remarks 42
Chapter 3: Future perspectives on globalisation and its policy implications 45
An emerging new globalisation paradigm? 45
Quantifying service jobs at risk 47
Policy implications of a new globalisation paradigm 48
Limits to offshoring 50
The future scale of globalisation 51
Is Chinese and Indian growth sustainable? 54
Concluding remarks 57
Chapter 4: Mitigating negative effects of globalisation 59
The role of the government in labour market adjustment 60
Chapter 5: Active labour market policy and displaced workers 63
Potentials and limits of active labour market policy 63
Targeting active labour market policy measures 65
Evaluating active labour market policy measures 66
Evidence of the impact 67
Efficiency and equity when targeting displaced workers 69
Empirical evidence of the costs of job displacement 72
Appropriate types of active labour market policy for displaced workers 74
Concluding remarks 78
Chapter 6: Active labour market policies for trade-induced displacement 79
Experiences from the United States Trade Adjustment Assistance 79
The European Globalisation adjustment Fund 83
Chapter 7: Social partners and relocation 89
Relocation and European Works Councils 89
Relocation and trade union response in some high-skilled white-collar unions 92
The Danish approach: Social partnership, vocational education and training 96
Main policy conclusions 98
Bibliography 101
Appendix 1: The European Restructuring Monitor 107
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************

# posted by SBasefsky : 6:35 AM

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin Foundation)

Foundation Focus - Issue 4: Family matters
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef07113.htm
or
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2007/113/en/1/ef07113en.pdf
[full-text, 16 pages]

Author: Foundation

Summary: This issue of Foundation Focus looks at families in the light of recent policy developments at EU and national level and based on Foundation research findings in this area. The aim of each issue of the series is to explore a subject of social and eco

IWS Documented News INTERNATIONAL

Thursday, January 31, 2008

[IWS] MARKETPLACE -- WORKING Series (Profiling a Single Worker in the GLOBAL ECONOMY)

[IWS] CENSUS ATLAS of the UNITED STATES -- WORK (Chapter 11) [31 January 2008]

[IWS] New Zealand: ENVIRONMENT NEW ZEALAND 2007 (REPORT) [31 January 2008]

[IWS] OECD: UNIT LABOR COSTS SLOW for MAJOR OECD ECONOMIES (except ITALY) [31 January 2008]

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

[IWS] INDIA: EMPLOYMENT & UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION: 2005-2006 and more [January 2008]

[IWS] INDIA: YEAR END REVIEW '07 (Ministry of Labour and Employment) [20 December 2007]

[IWS] DOL: MINIMUM WAGE IMPACT--AMERICAN SAMOA, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS [January 2008]

[IWS] CHARTBOOK of INTERNATIONAL LABOR COMPARISONS, THE AMERICAS, ASIA/PACIFIC, EUROPE--JANUARY 2008

[IWS] CRS: Proposed U.S.-SOUTH KOREA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (KORUS FTA): PROVISIONS & IMPLICATIONS [22 January 2008]

[IWS] CRS: CHINA'S SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND [22 January 2008]

[IWS] CRS: SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUNDS: BACKGROUND & POLICY ISSUES FOR CONGRESS [28 January 2008]

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

[IWS] USITC: TRADE & LABOR ISSUES INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION [January 2008]

[IWS] ILO Bangkok: DISABILITY RESOURCES GUIDE for EMPLOYERS in ASIA & the PACIFIC [2007]

Monday, January 28, 2008

[IWS] EC: DATABASE: WOMEN & MEN IN DECISION-MAKING

[IWS] EC: WOMEN & MEN in DECISION-MAKING 2007: ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION & TRENDS [25 January 2008]

[IWS] KLI: [KOREA] LABOR TRENDS 2008 [22 January 2008]

[IWS] EC: EQUALITY BETWEEN WOMEN & MEN 2008 REPORT [23 January 2008]

[IWS] CRS: U.S.-SINGAPORE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT: EFFECTS AFTER THREE YEARS [7 January 2008]

[IWS] World Bank: KEY RESOURCES (links) in SUPPORT of the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM 2008 [22 January 2008]

[IWS] ILR IMPACT BRIEFS--recently released RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS of the ILR SCHOOL

[IWS] EIRO: JOURNALISTS' POOR WORKING CONDITIONS HIGHLIGHTED & DECLINE IN STANDARDS [21 January 2008]

[IWS] CRS: SERVICE WORKERS--TRADE AJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE EXTENSION? [23 November 2007]

Friday, January 25, 2008

[IWS] JILPT: JAPAN LABOR REVIEW--Special Edition REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT--Vol. 5, No. 1 Winter 2008 [25 January 2008]

[IWS] BLS: INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF HOURLY COMPENSATION COSTS IN MANUFACTURING, 2006 [25 January 2008]

[IWS] BLS: UNION MEMBERS IN 2007 [25 January 2008]

Thursday, January 24, 2008

[IWS] CRS: FOREIGN OWNERSHIP of U.S. FINANCIAL ASSETS: IMPLICATIONS of a WITHDRAWAL [14 January 2008]

[IWS] Watson Wyatt: PERFORMANCE GOALS for EXECUTIVE PAY in U.S. COMPANIES [24 January 2008]

[IWS] Towers Perrin: ASIA/PACIFIC COMPENSATION PLANNING REPORT [17 January 2008]

[IWS] Dublin Foundation: PROGRAMME of WORK 2008: ANNUAL MANAGEMENT PLAN [24 January 2008]

[IWS] ILO: GLOBAL EMPLOYMENT TRENDS 2008 [23 January 2008]

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

[IWS] CRS: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS: U.S. POLICY & ISSUES FOR CONGRESS [10 January 2008]

[IWS] CRS: CHINA'S HOLDINGS of U.S. SECURITIES: IMPLICATIONS for the U.S. ECONOMY [9 January 2008]

[IWS] WhereToWork.com for COMPARATIVE HR INFORMATION on COMPANIES

Monday, January 14, 2008

[IWS] Work Foundation: PUBLIC SECTOR & KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY [January 2008]

[IWS] World Bank: MIGRATION & REMITTANCES FACTBOOK 2008 [8 January 2008]

[IWS] ILR Press: CORPORATE WASTELAND: THE LANDSCAPE & MEMORY OF DEINDUSTRIALIZATION [January 2008]

[IWS] NIOSH: WORKER EXPOSURE TO NANOPARTICLES--COMMENT/REVIEW SOUGHT--DEADLINE 15 February 2008

[IWS] UK to OVERTAKE U.S. in GDP PER CAPITA in 2008? [7 January 2008]

[IWS] Watson Wyatt (UK): BONUSES in FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTOR Make the Difference [11 January 2008]

[IWS] European Parliament: IS IMMIGRATION THE CURE FOR A DECLINING WORKING POPULATION? [10 Janurary 2008]

Saturday, January 12, 2008

[IWS] EC: LABOUR LAW DOCUMENTATION BY TOPIC web page

Friday, January 11, 2008

[IWS] TEMPORARY E-MAIL ADDRESS [Free]--HIDE YOUR REAL ADDRESS

[IWS] OECD Standardised Unemployment Rates (SURs) - Updated: January 2008 [11 January 2008]

[IWS] EXPATS in CHINA web page

[IWS] BEA: U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES November 2007 [11 January 2008]

[IWS] ADB: [ASIA] PURCHASING POWER PARITIES & REAL EXPENDITURES [10 December 2007]

[IWS] ADB: ASIA ECONOMIC MONITOR 2007 [December 2007]

Thursday, January 10, 2008

[IWS] SLOAN INDUSTRY CENTERS

[IWS] USITC: INTERACTIVE TARIFF & TRADE DATAWEB

[IWS] Dublin Foundation: DISABILITIES CASE STUDIES DATABASE for EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE [10 January 2008]

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

[IWS] IADB: EDUCATION in CHILE, BOLIVIA, ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, MEXICO, PARAGUAY, PERU [January 2008]

[IWS] World Bank: GLOBAL ECONOMIC PROSPECTS 2008 [9 January 2008]

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

[IWS] OECD: INFLATION SURGES to 3.3% in November 2007 [8 January 2007]

[IWS] Mercer: SURVEY--EXECUTIVE PAY in EUROPEAN FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANIES [7 January 2008]

Monday, January 07, 2008

[IWS] CRS: MOTOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT: NATIONAL & STATE TRENDS & ISSUES [27 December 2007]

Friday, January 04, 2008

[IWS] Work Foundation: PUBLIC SERVICE INNOVATION [December 2007]

[IWS] FRB(NY): JOB-FINDING & SEPARATION RATES in the OECD [August 2007]

[IWS] FRB(NY): FIRMS & FLEXIBILITY (Comparing FRANCE & U.S) [December 2007]

[IWS] NSF: FOREIGN STUDENT ENROLLMENT in SCIENCE & ENGINEERING INCREASES in 2006 [3 January 2007]

[IWS] Positions Open: INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LABOUR STUDIES (at the ILO)

Thursday, January 03, 2008

[IWS] ILO: TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION DIGEST [Database of 77+ Countries]

[IWS] ITUC: 2007-- VIOLATIONS OF TRADE UNION RIGHTS

[IWS] ILR Press: LIFE SUPPORT: THREE NURSES ON THE FRONT LINES [2007]