IWS Documented News INTERNATIONAL: January 2009

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
Volume 6, Number 1, Winter 2009 [27 January 2009]
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR.htm
or
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_all.pdf
[full-text, 110 pages]

Special Edition: The Gender Gap in the Japanese Labor Market

   * Introduction
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_intro.pdf

   * Articles
   Labor Market Segmentation and the Gender Wage Gap
Haruhiko Hori
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_hori.pdf

Occupational Sex Segregation and the Japanese Employment Model:   Case Studies of the Railway and Automobile Industries
Wakana Shuto
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_shuto.pdf

Testing the Taste-Based Discrimination Hypothesis: Evidence from Data   on Japanese Listed Firms
Shinpei Sano
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_sano.pdf

Why Does Employing More Females Increase Corporate Profits?:   Evidence from Japanese Panel Data
Naomi Komada
Kazuhiko Odaki
Yoko Takahashi
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_kot.pdf

Corporate Governance by Investors and the Role of Women
Akira Kawaguchi
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_akawaguchi.pdf

   * Article Based on Research Reports

    Changes in the Transition from High School to Work: Focus on High   School Career Guidance
Yukie Hori
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_yhori.pdf>(285KB )

   * JILPT Research Activities
http://www.jil.go.jp/english/JLR/documents/2009/JLR21_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 : 7:14 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
________________________________________________________________________

WTO

REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS INFORMATION SYSTEM (RTA-IS) [14 January 2009]
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicMaintainRTAHome.aspx

Welcome to the Regional Trade Agreements Information System (RTA-IS)

It allows you to retrieve information on RTAs notified to the GATT/WTO:

   * By WTO Member
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicSearchByMember.aspx

   * By criteria
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicSearchByCr.aspx

You may also select:

   * List of all RTAs in force
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicAllRTAList.aspx

   * List of early announcements
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicEARTAList.aspx

   * Pre-defined reports
http://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicConsultPreDefReports.aspx

This database contains information on only those agreements that have either been notified, or for which an early announcement has been made, to the WTO. For further information please consult the < http://rtais.wto.org/UserGuide/RTAIS_USER_GUIDE_EN.html> user guide and/or contact RTA section
X

See
WTO: 2009 PRESS RELEASES
Press/548
14 January 2009
REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS
WTO launches new database on regional trade agreements
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres09_e/pr548_e.htm

The WTO has launched a new database on regional trade agreements (RTAs). This contains all the relevant documentation received by the WTO following notification by a WTO member that an RTA has been established.

The database, which is one of the requirements of the General Council's Transparency Decision on RTAs, contains all the notifications, links to the content of the relevant RTAs, legal provisions and information on the WTO�s assessments of the RTAs.

The database also contains more detailed information about the RTAs for which the WTO has prepared a �Factual Presentation� or a �factual abstract�. In these cases the following information is provided:

* the timetable agreed in the RTA for the reduction of tariffs as well as data on trade in goods and services for the relevant countries at the time that the RTA enters into force (this only applies to RTAs where the WTO has prepared a Factual Presentation)

* a list of key provisions contained in the RTAs as well as links to brief descriptions of these provisions in the Factual Presentation or factual abstract prepared by the WTO.

The database can be searched by country, region, legal provision, date of notification or entry into force of the RTA. Summary tables of all RTAs currently in force, containing various types of information, can be easily exported by users of the database. To access the database, please go to http://rtais.wto.org/?lang=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 : 1:57 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
________________________________________________________________________

Work Foundation (UK)

Changing Relationships at Work [January 2009]
http://workfoundation.org/research/publications/publicationdetail.aspx?oItemId=211&parentPageID=102&PubType =
or
http://workfoundation.org/Assets/Docs/BT_final270109b.pdf
[full-text, 49 pages]

Abstract
In the 21st century it is not just human capital that matters to successful organisations but also social capital: building and sustaining strong personal and professional networks. This report demonstrates the importance of workplace relationships to job satisfaction and highlights the role that technologies can play in creating and maintaining these links. Our findings also demonstrate that social media is playing a real and surprising role in complementing traditional methods of communication to help people develop and retain their contacts at work. Both old and new technologies can help organisations create the kind of culture that people prefer and the relationships that can help to sustain innovation and prosperity in a 21st century economy.

Contents
Executive Summary 4
About this report 11
A. Introduction 13
B. Social capital, job satisfaction and workplaces 16
C. Impact of technologies on ways of working 22
D. Organisational culture, new technologies and working relationships 28
E. Communication tools and confidence 30
F. Work, friendship and romance 35
G. Attitudes to technology 37
H. Conclusions 40
Annex A. Overview of survey respondents 42

______________________________
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 : 1:11 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
________________________________________________________________________

EuroStat

Key figures on Europe. 2009 edition [29 January 2009]
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page?_pageid=1073,46587259&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&p_product_code=KS-EI-08-001
or
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-EI-08-001/EN/KS-EI-08-001-EN.PDF
[full-text, 236 pages]

Table of Contents
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-EI-08-001/EN/KS-EI-08-001-EN-TOC.PDF

This publication provides a balanced set of key statistical data on the European Union. Data are generally provided for the European Union total (EU-27), the euro area and the Member States, and - when available - for the candidate countries, the EFTA countries, Japan and the United States. The presentation largely follows the nine statistical themes of Eurostat's free dissemination database: economy and finance; population and social conditions; industry, trade and services; agriculture, forestry and fisheries; international trade; transport; environment and energy; science and technology; and regional statistics.

[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 : 9:00 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

Database - PISA 2006
http://pisa2006.acer.edu.au/

The PISA International Database

PISA is a survey of students' skills and knowledge as they approach the end of compulsory education. It is not a conventional school test. Rather than examining how well students have learned the school curriculum, it looks at how well prepared they are for life beyond school.

Online data

Download the PISA 2006 data set - for professional researchers

http://pisa2006.acer.edu.au/downloads.php

Interactive data selection - to explore the PISA 2006 dataset

http://pisa2006.acer.edu.au/interactive.php

Multi-dimensional Data Request - submit a query to an automated service

http://pisa2006.acer.edu.au/multidim.php

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an internationally standardised assessment that was jointly developed by participating countries and administered to15-year-olds in schools.

The survey was implemented in < http://www.oecd.org/document/31/0,3343,en_32252351_32236225_33663071_1_1_1_1,00.html > 43 countries in the 1st assessment in 2000, in < http://www.oecd.org/document/35/0,3343,en_32252351_32236225_33664291_1_1_1_1,00.html > 41 countries in the 2nd assessment in 2003, in < http://www.oecd.org/document/13/0,3343,en_32252351_32236225_33666189_1_1_1_1,00.html > 57 countries in the 3rd assessment in 2006 and 62 countries have signed up to participate in the 4th assessment in 2009.

Tests are typically administered to between 4,500 and 10,000 students in each country.

______________________________
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 : 8:38 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 2008 [28 January 2009]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf
[full-text, 12 pages]

In 2008, union members accounted for 12.4 percent of employed wage
and salary workers, up from 12.1 percent a year earlier, the U.S.
Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The
number of workers belonging to a union rose by 428,000 to 16.1 million.
In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available,
the union membership rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 17.7 million
union workers.

   The data on union membership were collected as part of the Current
Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000
households that obtains information on employment and unemployment
among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and
over.

   Some highlights from the 2008 data are:

   --Government workers were nearly five times more likely to belong
     to a union than were private sector employees.

   --Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the
     highest unionization rate at 38.7 percent.

   --Black workers were more likely to be union members than were
     white, Asian, or Hispanic workers.

   --Among states, New York had the highest union membership rate
     (24.9 percent) and North Carolina had the lowest rate (3.5 percent).

Membership by Industry and Occupation

   The union membership rate for public sector workers (36.8 percent)
was substantially higher than the rate for private industry workers
(7.6 percent). Within the public sector, local government workers had
the highest union membership rate, 42.2 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 (22.2 per-
cent), telecommunications (19.3 percent), and construction (15.6 per-
cent). In 2008, unionization rates were relatively low in financial
activities (1.8 percent) and professional and business services (2.1
percent). (See table 3.)

   Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupa-
tions (38.7 percent) and protective service occupations (35.4 percent)
had the highest unionization rates in 2008. Sales and related occu-
pations (3.3 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
(4.3 percent) had the lowest unionization rates. (See table 3.)

AND 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 : 9:06 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
________________________________________________________________________

International Labour Organization (ILO)
Oficina Internacional del Trabajo (OIT)

Panorama Laboral de América Latina y el Caribe de 2008 [27 January 2009]
http://oit.org.pe/WDMS/bib/publ/panorama/panorama08.pdf
[full-text, 70 pages]
and
Anexo estadístico
http://oit.org.pe/WDMS/bib/publ/panorama/panorama08%5Banexos%5D.xls

See Press Release 27 January 2009
OIT presentó Panorama Laboral: desempleo de América Latina y el Caribe bajó por quinto año consecutivo a 7,5%
Pero debido a la crisis entre 1,5 y 2,4 millones de personas podrían sumarse a las filas del desempleo regional en 2009
http://www.oit.org.pe/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2277&Itemid=1305

LIMA (Noticias de la OIT) El desempleo urbano bajó en América Latina y el Caribe por quinto año consecutivo en 2008, pero la crisis internacional ya le puso fin a este ciclo positivo y se estima que en 2009 el número de desocupados podría aumentar entre 1,5 y 2,4 millones de personas, dijo hoy la OIT al divulgar una nueva edición de su informe Panorama Laboral.

"La crisis del empleo ya llegó a la región", advirtió el Director Regional de la OIT para América Latina y el Caribe, Jean Maninat. "Después de cinco años seguidos de reducción del desempleo hasta 2008, la tasa volverá a subir en 2009", agregó.

El Panorama Laboral dice la tasa de desempleo urbano registrada entre enero y noviembre bajó de 8,3 en 2007 al 7,5 por ciento en 2008, a niveles que no habían sido experimentados por la región desde 1992. Esta variación se produjo en un contexto de crecimiento económico positivo, de 4,6% del PIB.

Pero los indicadores oficiales "muestran que en el tercer trimestre de 2008 se observaron los primeros efectos de la desaceleración económica regional sobre el mercado laboral".

Con respecto a lo que podría suceder en 2009, el Panorama Laboral destaca que según los últimos pronósticos el crecimiento económico de la región podría desacelerarse hasta 1,9%, y según los cálculos de la OIT la tasa de desocupación urbana subiría hasta un rango que va de 7,9% a 8,3%.

En números absolutos, esto significa que entre 1,5 y 2,4 millones de personas se sumarían a los 15,7 millones de desempleados actuales, totalizando entre 17,2 y 18,1 millones de desocupados.

"Estos pronósticos plantean la necesidad de tomar medidas para reducir el impacto laboral de la crisis con políticas anticíclicas e innovadoras, con programas de inversión, apoyo a empresas productivas y protección a la población más vulnerable. Tras años de resultados positivos, la región está mejor preparada para este desafío", dijo Maninat.

"En diversos países los gobiernos ya comenzaron a aplicar planes anticrisis que tienen al empleo como un objetivo fundamental, y estas son buenas noticias", señaló.

Agregó que las medidas para preservar y generar empleo requerirán del soporte de un diálogo social más activo entre empleadores, trabajadores y gobiernos, tal y como ya está sucediendo en algunos países de la región.

Situaciones como la baja de ingresos, la pérdida de empleos por parte de los jefes del hogar, y eventualmente el retorno de migrantes, provocarían un aumento de la participación laboral que presionaría aún más los mercados. El Panorama Laboral también advierte que podría aumentar el número de ocupados en el sector informal.

La llegada de la crisis interrumpe un ciclo positivo en materia de tasa de desempleo que se inició después que en 2002 y 2003 fuera registrada la tasa más alta de tiempos recientes, de 11,4%. A partir de 2004 el indicador se fue reduciendo año a año, impulsado por el crecimiento de la economía.

Pero el informe de la OIT ha planteado en diversas oportunidades que hay asignaturas pendientes que se arrastran en los mercados laborales, relacionadas con temas como la modesta evolución de los salarios reales, la persistente desigualdad y un déficit de trabajo decente.

El Panorama Laboral 2008 precisa que el año pasado:

*
En la mayoría de los países, a pesar del buen crecimiento económico, los salarios reales se han retraído o presentan modestos incrementos
*
El aumento promedio ponderado de los salarios mínimos reales fue 3,7% en 2008, menor que el 5,0% en 2007
*
Las mujeres siguen siendo más afectadas por el desempleo que los hombres. La tasa de desempleo femenina fue en promedio 1,6 veces mayor que la masculina
*
Con información de nueve países para 2008, la tasa de desempleo juvenil fue 2,2 veces mayor que la tasa de desocupación total
*
Con datos para 2007, se estima que el empleo informal en el área urbana en cinco países con información disponible fue 58,6%
*
Casi 4 de cada 10 ocupados urbanos carecen cobertura de la protección en salud y/o pensiones.

"No podemos perder de vista el objetivo del trabajo decente. Ahora es importante concentrarse en uno de sus componentes fundamentales, que es la generación de empleo. Pero la superación de la crisis también dependerá de evitar el deterioro en las condiciones de vida de las personas que mueven las economías", dijo Maninat.

Para mayores informaciones por favor contacte a prensa@oit.org.peEsta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra los robots de spam, necesita tener Javascript activado para poder verla , o por teléfono a Luis Córdova, +511-6150386, +511-989301246

El informe Panorama Laboral está disponible en el sitio web de la Oficina regional de la OIT para América Latina y el Caribe, http://www.oit.org.pe/, a partir de las 12:00 del mediodía hora de Lima (16:00 gmt).

______________________________
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 : 8:35 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
________________________________________________________________________

Catalyst

Browse Research & Knowledge [DATABASE]
http://www.catalyst.org/page/64/browse-research-knowledge

Browse Research & Knowledge to find the information, data, solutions, and models you need make change. Catalyst conducts research in three < http://www.catalyst.org/page/Practice_Areas/practice-areas> practice areas and publishes different < http://www.catalyst.org/page/99/research-and-knowledge-types> types of knowledge products. Catalyst < http://www.catalyst.org/page/Metrics/metrics> Metrics, data-based material culled from across our body of work, allows easy access to materials that quantify women's experiences in business. Filter by Topic for specifics in each practice area.

Examples:
2009 Women in U.S. Management
http://www.catalyst.org/publication/206/women-in-us-management

2009 Australia, Canada, South Africa & United States
http://www.catalyst.org/publication/239/australia-canada-south-africa-united-states

2009 Women CEOs of the Fortune 1000
http://www.catalyst.org/publication/271/women-ceos-of-the-fortune-1000

2009 Women in U.S. Information
http://www.catalyst.org/publication/157/women-in-us-information

2009 U.S. Women in Business
http://www.catalyst.org/publication/132/us-women-in-business

______________________________
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 : 7:44 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

Trade flows weaken in third quarter 2008 [28 January 2009]
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/14/55/42058488.pdf
[full-text, 7 pages]

A. Volumes of Merchandise Trade (customs-based data)

Merchandise export volumes of the Group of Seven countries fell 0.2% in the third quarter of 2008 compared with the previous quarter, while import volumes rose 0.4%. On a year-on-year basis, import volumes fell 1.4% in the third quarter, the first decline since the third quarter of 2006. Exports rose 1.9%, their lowest growth rate since the third quarter of 2006.
While Germany's exports fell by a marked 2.9% quarter-on-quarter, import volume growth picked up by 3.4%, the highest rate of the G7. On a year-on-year basis, exports stagnated at 0.5% and imports grew by 3.5%.

In the United States, export volume growth, at 1.8%, remained positive in the third quarter, while imports declined by 0.7%. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, export growth in the US, at 8.3%, continued to be the highest of the G7, while import volumes continued to decline, falling 3.6%.

Falls continued in Japan where exports were down 1.3% and imports 1.0% lower in the third quarter compared with the previous quarter. Compared with the same quarter of 2007, merchandise exports stagnated at 0.2%, the lowest rate since the third quarter of 2006, while imports continued to decline, falling 1.3%.

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 : 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
________________________________________________________________________

Watson Wyatt (UK)

See
The Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts 2007/08
http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0809/hc00/0060/0060.pdf
[full-text, 48 pages]
and
The Teachers' Pension Scheme (England and Wales) Resource Accounts 2007/08
http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0809/hc00/0021/0021.asp
or
http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0809/hc00/0021/0021.pdf
[full-text, 40 pages]

Press Release
Civil servants expected to spend one third of their lives in retirement [27 January 2009]
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=20465

UK January 27, 2009 In a new set of accounts for the civil service pension scheme, the Government has disclosed that it now assumes an average 40-year-old male civil servant will receive his pension for 29 years following retirement at age 60 two years longer than previously expected.

The accounts also value the new pension benefits earned in the year to March 2008 at an average of around £8,000 per civil servant. Accounts for the teachers' pension scheme, which were laid before Parliament last week, valued pension benefits earned in the year to March 2008 at an average of around £10,000 per teacher.

John Ball, head of defined benefit consulting at Watson Wyatt, said: "The Government thinks 40-year-old civil servants can look forward to spending one third of their lives in retirement. With an increasing number of private sector employers warning that the economic downturn will cause them to cut back their pension arrangements, this is something that most private sector employees can only dream of.

"Public sector employees know they get good pensions but might still be amazed at how much their retirement benefits are worth. The Government does not seem too keen to tell them: it delayed publication of these results by six months and put them online on the day Britain officially entered recession."

Notes to editors

The Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts 2007/08 are available at: http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0809/hc00/0060/0060.pdf . They value the new benefits earned in 2007/08 at £4.58 billion. This works out at an average of just under £8,000 for each of the 577,000 active members.

Assumed life expectancy has increased sharply for male members of the civil service scheme. Assumed life expectancy for female members has risen less quickly and in some cases fallen slightly. Expected age at death is shown in the table below (based on page 31 of the resource accounts). These results are consistent with the tables used for the scheme's last actuarial valuation but had not previously been published in this format.

[TABLE]

The Teachers' Pension Scheme (England and Wales) Resource Accounts 2007/08 are available at http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0809/hc00/0021/0021.asp . They value the new benefits earned in 2007/08 at £6.7 billion. The Government has previously said there were 649,000 active members of the teachers' scheme in March 2008 (Hansard, November 12, 2008, col. 1275W). So £6.7 billion works out at just over £10,000 per active member on average. Further details are in Watson Wyatt's press release of January 23, 2009, available at < http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=20438>http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=20438 .

Both sets of resource accounts first became available online on the afternoon of January 23. If they had been published one year after the last set, they would have been available in July.

______________________________
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 : 5:42 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
________________________________________________________________________

International Labour Organization (ILO)

GLOBAL EMPLOYMENT TRENDS 2009 [28 January 2009]
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_101461.pdf

Press Release 28 January 2009
Unemployment, working poor and vulnerable employment to increase dramatically due to global economic crisis
http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_101462/index.htm

GENEVA (ILO News) The global economic crisis is expected to lead to a dramatic increase in the number of people joining the ranks of the unemployed, working poor and those in vulnerable employment, the International Labour Office (ILO) says in its annual Global Employment Trends report (GET) (< http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_101462/index.htm#1 > Note 1).

Based on new developments in the labour market and depending on the timeliness and effectiveness of recovery efforts, the report says global unemployment in 2009 could increase over 2007 by a range of 18 million to 30 million workers, and more than 50 million if the situation continues to deteriorate.

The ILO report also said that in this last scenario some 200 million workers, mostly in developing economies, could be pushed into extreme poverty.

"The ILO message is realistic, not alarmist. We are now facing a global jobs crisis. Many governments are aware and acting, but more decisive and coordinated international action is needed to avert a global social recession. Progress in poverty reduction is unravelling and middle classes worldwide are weakening. The political and security implications are daunting", said ILO Director-General, Juan Somavia.

"The crisis is underscoring the relevance of the ILO Decent Work Agenda. We find many elements of this Agenda in current measures to promote job creation, deepening and expanding social protection and more use of social dialogue", Mr. Somavia said. He called on the upcoming meeting of the G-20 on 2 April in London, alongside financial issues, to urgently agree on priority measures to promote productive investments, decent work and social protection objectives, and policy coordination.

Key projections of the GET report

The new report updates a preliminary estimate released last October indicating that the global financial crisis could increase unemployment between 15 to 20 million people by 2009. Its key conclusions are as follows:

Based on November 2008 IMF forecasts, the global unemployment rate would rise to 6.1 per cent in 2009 compared to 5.7 per cent in 2007, resulting in an increase of the number of unemployed by 18 million people in 2009 in comparison with 2007.

If the economic outlook deteriorates beyond what was envisaged in November 2008, which is likely, the global unemployment rate could rise to 6.5 per cent, corresponding to an increase of the global number of unemployed by 30 million people in comparison with 2007.

In a current worst case scenario, the global unemployment rate could rise to 7.1 per cent and result in an increase in the global number of unemployed of more than 50 million people.

The number of working poor people who are unable to earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the US$2 per person, per day, poverty line, may rise up to 1.4 billion, or 45 per cent of all the world's employed.

In 2009, the proportion of people in vulnerable employment either contributing family workers or own-account workers who are less likely to benefit from safety nets that guard against loss of incomes during economic hardship could rise considerably in the worst case scenario to reach a level of 53 per cent of the employed population.

Other findings

The ILO report notes that in 2008, North Africa and the Middle East still had the highest unemployment rates at 10.3 and 9.4 per cent respectively, followed by Central & South Eastern Europe (non EU) & the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) at 8.8 per cent, sub-Saharan Africa at 7.9 per cent and Latin America at 7.3 per cent.

The lowest unemployment rate was once again observed in East Asia at 3.8 per cent, followed by South Asia and South-East Asia & the Pacific where respectively 5.4 and 5.7 per cent of the labour force was unemployed in 2008.

The report shows that the three Asian regions South Asia, South-East Asia & the Pacific and East Asia accounted for 57 per cent of global employment creation in 2008. In the Developed Economies & European Union region, on the other hand, net employment creation in 2008 was negative, minus 900,000 which explains in part the low global employment creation in this year.

Compared with 2007, the largest increase in a regional unemployment rate was observed in the Developed Economies & European Union region, from 5.7 to 6.4 per cent. The number of unemployed in the region jumped by 3.5 million in one year, reaching 32.3 million in 2008.

According to the study, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia stand out as regions with extremely harsh labour market conditions and with the highest shares of working poor of all regions. Although the trend has been declining over the past ten years, around four fifths of the employed were still classified as working poor in these regions in 2007.

Policy measures

The economic crisis of 2008 has deepened the concern over the social impacts of globalization which the ILO had previously raised. Stressing the need to take measures to support vulnerable groups in the labour market, such as youth and women, the ILO report observes that a huge labour potential remains untapped worldwide. Economic growth and development could be much higher if people are given the chance of a decent job through productive investment and active labour market policies.

"The Decent Work Agenda is an appropriate policy framework to confront the crisis. There is a powerful message that tripartite dialogue with employers and workers organizations should play a central role in addressing the economic crisis, and in developing policy responses", Mr. Somavia said.

The report lists a number of ILO recommended policy measures being applied by many governments, as discussed by the ILO Governing Body in November of 2008, namely:

i) wider coverage of unemployment benefits and insurance schemes, re-skilling redundant workers and protecting pensions from devastating declines in financial markets;

ii) public investment in infrastructure and housing, community infrastructure and green jobs, including through emergency public works;

iii)support to small and medium enterprises;

iv)social dialogue at enterprise, sectoral and national levels.

If a large number of countries, using their own accumulated reserves, emergency IMF loans and stronger aid mechanisms, put in place coordinated policies in line with the ILO Decent Work Agenda, then the effects of the downturn on enterprises, workers and their families could be cushioned and the recovery better prepared.

CONTENTS
Contents
Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................4
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................5
2008: From financial crisis in developed countries to a global economic and jobs crisis...................6
Government responses ...........................................................................................................7
Economic growth and labour market developments..........................................................................8
Regional labour market developments................................................................................. 11
Labour market outlook for 2008 and 2009: scenarios........................................................................ 15
Scenarios for 2009: unemployment ....................................................................................... 15
Scenarios for 2008 and 2009: working poverty ...................................................................... 17
Scenarios for 2008 and 2009: vulnerable employment .......................................................... 19
Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 21
Policy concerns.....................................................................................................................22

Annexes
Annex 1. Tables..................................................................................................................................................... 24
Table A1. Economic growth and change in unemployment, world and regions......................... 24
Table A2. Unemployment rate, world and regions (%) ................................................................... 25
Table A3. Unemployment in the world (million).............................................................................. 26
Table A4. Labour force participation rate in the world (%)............................................................ 26
Table A5. Employment-to-population rate, world and regions (%).............................................. 27
Table A6. Sectoral share in employment, world and regions (%) .................................................. 28
Table A7. Working poor indicators, world and regions................................................................... 29
Table A8. Vulnerable employment shares, world and regions (%) ................................................ 30
Annex 2. Scenarios................................................................................................................................................ 31
Table S1. 2009 Unemployment scenarios (rates) .............................................................................. 31
Table S2. 2009 Unemployment scenarios (numbers of people) ..................................................... 32
Table S3. 2008-2009 Working poverty scenarios (USD 1.25, rates) .............................................. 33
Table S4. 2008-2009 Working poverty scenarios (USD 1.25, numbers of people)..................... 34
Table S5. 2008-2009 Working poverty scenarios (USD 2, rates).................................................... 35
Table S6. 2008-2009 Working poverty scenarios (USD 2, numbers of people) .......................... 36
Table S7. 2008-2009 Vulnerable employment scenarios (rates) ..................................................... 37
Table S8. 2008-2009 Vulnerable employment scenarios (numbers of people) ............................ 38
Annex 3. Regional figures .................................................................................................................................. 39
Annex 4. Note on world and regional tables ................................................................................................. 51
Annex 5. Methodologies for constructing scenarios................................................................................... 53

Figures
1. Global unemployment trends, 1998-2008 .................................................................................... 8
2. Global employment trends, 1998-2008 ........................................................................................ 9
3. Regional shares in employment creation in 2008....................................................................... 10
4. Economic growth and growth of vulnerable employment in Latin America and the
Caribbean, 1997-2007 ............................................................................................................... 13
5. Global unemployment according to three scenarios................................................................... 16
6. Working poverty scenarios (USD 1.25) ..................................................................................... 18
7. Working poverty scenarios (USD 2) .......................................................................................... 19
8. Global vulnerable employment according to three scenarios..................................................... 20

Box
1. New World Bank poverty estimates........................................................................................... 11
______________________________
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 : 5:21 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
________________________________________________________________________

Department of Labor Web Archive
http://www.dol.gov/oasam/library/digital-archive.htm

Press Release
U.S. Department of Labor announces digital 'snapshot' project to archive content of all departmental Web sites [8 January 2009]
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/oasam/archive/oasam20091865.htm

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that it will launch an online digital library to archive its Web sites under a contract with the San Francisco-based Internet Archive.

Through an on-demand system, the Web Snapshot Initiative was designed to capture the content of all departmental Web sites for historical purposes thus documenting the department's missions, goals and programs on the site as of mid-January 2009.

The project, which commenced during the first week of January 2009, will archive complete working copies of approximately five million Labor Department Web site documents that will be made available to the public through the department's main Web site at www.dol.gov/Archive and through the Wirtz Labor Library collection at www.library.dol.gov. Copies of the documents will be stored to help meet the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) records management requirements. Archived documents will be available for viewing no later than Jan. 23.

"The new online archive will give the public and government easy and secure access to the historical records of the Labor Department," said Paul Craven, the department's director of enterprise communications. "The system will provide greater transparency of government documents available through the department's Web sites."

The Internet Archive houses an online digital library in partnership with the Library of Congress and NARA. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 1996 to build an "Internet Library," with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format. The organization has the largest public Web archive available, comprising 100 billion pages and more than 65 million Web sites in 37 languages. The Internet Archive's other federal partners include the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine. National libraries of Australia, Chile, Israel, Singapore, Spain and other countries also use this service.

Archived News Release Caution: Information may be out of date.

______________________________
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 : 11:20 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
________________________________________________________________________

CDC WONDER (data portal)
http://wonder.cdc.gov/

WONDER provides a single point of access to a wide variety of public health reports and data systems, both local and external, categorized here by topic.

[excerpt]
Welcome to CDC WONDER -- Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research -- an easy-to-use, menu-driven system that makes the information resources of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) available to public health professionals and the public at large. It provides access to a wide array of public health information.

CDC WONDER furthers CDC's mission of health promotion and disease prevention by speeding and simplifying access to public health information for state and local health departments, the Public Health Service, and the academic public health community. CDC WONDER is valuable in public health research, decision making, priority setting, program evaluation, and resource allocation.

CDC WONDER, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is an integrated information and communication system for public health. Its purposes are:

To promote information-driven decision making by placing timely, useful facts in the hands of public health practitioners and researchers, and
To provide the general public with access to specific and detailed information from CDC.

With CDC WONDER you can:

Access statistical research data published by CDC, as well as reference materials, reports and guidelines on health-related topics;
Query numeric data sets on CDC's computers, via "fill-in-the blank" web pages. Public-use data sets about mortality (deaths), cancer incidence, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, vaccinations, natality (births), census data and many other topics are available for query, and the requested data are readily summarized and analyzed, with dynamically calculated statistics, charts and maps.

The data is ready for use in desktop applications such as word processors, spreadsheet programs, or statistical and geographic analysis packages. File formats available include plain text (ASCII), web pages (HTML), and spreadsheet files (Tab Separated Values). All of these facilities are menu-driven, and require no special computer expertise.

______________________________
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 : 8:25 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
________________________________________________________________________

Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

Fundamentals of Employee Benefit Programs
http://www.ebri.org/publications/books/index.cfm?fa=fundamentals

Fundamentals offers a straightforward, basic explanation of employee benefit programs in the private and public sectors. Written in clear, nontechnical language, this fact-filled reference book covers everything from health insurance to pension plans and from retirement planning to dependent care programs. Chapters review the history of a program, outline its design and structure, and provide sources and key contacts for more information.

The material in Fundamentals has been used both by business and academia in numerous educational and training programs, simplifying complex and confusing laws and regulations.
These online chapters are being continually updated and expanded to include the most current available information on health, retirement, and other benefits-related topics. Please note the date of each section, as the online Fundamentals is a "living" book that will include new data and updates and they become available.

Due to the large amount of detailed information provided in each chapter, we need to distribute them in Adobe "PDF" format. If your computer does not already have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader ® viewer software to read these files, < http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/readstep.html> click here for the one-time free download necessary to read any of our online publications. To download a chapter, click on the chapter number. Most of these chapters were created in Acrobat ® v. 6.0if you have an older version, you may have difficulty opening these files, and will need to download the free update of Acrobat Reader ®.

Fundamentals is divided into the following five sections.

< http://www.ebri.org/publications/books/index.cfm?fa=fundamentals#one > Overview |
< http://www.ebri.org/publications/books/index.cfm?fa=fundamentals#two > Retirement Benefits |
< http://www.ebri.org/publications/books/index.cfm?fa=fundamentals#three > Health Benefits
< http://www.ebri.org/publications/books/index.cfm?fa=fundamentals#four > Other Benefits |
< http://www.ebri.org/publications/books/index.cfm?fa=fundamentals#five > Public-Sector Benefits

© 2005, Employee Benefit Research Institute

Part One: Overview

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt01.Chp01.pdf > 1: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS IN THE UNITED STATES: AN INTRODUCTION [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt01.Chp02.pdf > 2: SOCIAL SECURITY [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt01.Chp03.pdf > 3: SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY INSURANCE [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt01.Chp04.pdf > 4: MEDICARE [Published 2005]

Part Two: Retirement Benefits

< http://www.ebri.org/publications/books/index.cfm?fa=fund04> PENSION PLANS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund05.pdf > DEFINED BENEFIT AND DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLANS: UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund06.pdf > PROFIT SHARING PLANS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund07.pdf > THRIFT PLANS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund08.pdf > 401(K) PLANS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund09.pdf > EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLANS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund10.pdf > CASH BALANCE PENSION PLANS AND OTHER HYBRID RETIREMENT PLANS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund11.pdf > SIMPLIFIED EMPLOYEE PENSIONS

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund12.pdf > NONDISCRIMINATION, MINIMUM COVERAGE, AND PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS FOR PENSION PLANS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund13.pdf>I NTEGRATING PENSION PLANS WITH SOCIAL SECURITY [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund14.pdf > MULTIEMPLOYER PLANS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund15.pdf > SECTION 403(B) PLANS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund16.pdf > INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund17.pdf > RETIREMENT PLANS FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED [Published 1997]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/fund18.pdf > PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT [Published 1997]

Part Three: Health Benefits

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp20.pdf > 20: HEALTH BENEFITS: OVERVIEW [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp21.pdf > 21: PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLANS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp22.pdf > 22: DENTAL CARE PLANS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp23.pdf > 23: VISION CARE PLANS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp24.pdf > 24: HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT PLANS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp25.pdf > 25: MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE BENEFITS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp26.pdf > 26: RETIREE HEALTH BENEFITS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp27.pdf > 27: COBRA CONTINUATION OF COVERAGE [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp28.pdf > 28: NONDISCRIMINATION AND HEALTH BENEFITS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt03.Chp29.pdf > 29: MANAGING HEALTH CARE COSTS [Published 2005]

Part Four: Other Benefits

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt04.Chp30.pdf > 30: PAID LEAVE [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt04.Chp31.pdf > 31: UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt04.Chp32.pdf > 32: VOLUNTARY DISABILITY INSURANCE [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt04.Chp33.pdf > 33: GROUP LIFE INSURANCE PLANS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt04.Chp34.pdf > 34: WORKERS COMPENSATION [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt04.Chp35.pdf > 35: DEPENDENT CARE [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt04.Chp36.pdf > 36: EDUCATION ASSISTANCE BENEFITS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt04.Chp37.pdf > 37: LEGAL SERVICES PLANS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt04.Chp38.pdf > 38: DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS [Published 2005]

Part Five: Public-Sector Benefits

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt05.Chp39.pdf > 39: THE PUBLIC SECTOR ENVIRONMENT [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt05.Chp40.pdf > 40: BENEFIT COST COMPARISONS BETWEEN STATE/LOCAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYERS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt05.Chp41.pdf > 41: REGULATION OF PUBLIC-SECTOR RETIREMENT PLANS [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt05.Chp42.pdf > 42: DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS IN PUBLIC SECTOR [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt05.Chp43.pdf > 43: LIFE INSURANCE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt05.Chp44.pdf > 44: HEALTH INSURANCE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt05.Chp45.pdf > 45: LEAVE PROGRAMS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR [Published 2005]

< http://www.ebri.org/pdf/publications/books/fundamentals/Fnd05.Prt05.Chp46.pdf > 46: DEFINED CONTRIBUTION AND SUPPLEMENTAL SAVINGS PLANS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR [Published 2005]

______________________________
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 : 8:10 AM

IWS Documented News INTERNATIONAL

Friday, January 30, 2009

[IWS] JAPAN LABOR REVIEW: THE GENDER GAP in the JAPANESE LABOR MARKET [SPECIAL EDITION] [27 January 2009]

Thursday, January 29, 2009

[IWS] WTO: REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS INFORMATION SYSTEM (RTA-IS) [14 January 2009]

[IWS] Work Foundation (UK): CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK [January 2009]

[IWS] EuroStat: KEY FIGURES ON EUROPE 2009 EDITION [29 January 2009]

[IWS] OECD: PISA 2006 [DATABASE on STUDENT SKILLS, etc.]

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

[IWS] BLS: UNION MEMBERS IN 2008 [28 January 2009]

[IWS] OIT: 2008 PANORAMA LABORAL DE AMERICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE [27 January 2009]

[IWS] Catalyst: BROWSE RESEARCH & KNOWLEDGE [DATABASE]

[IWS] OECD: Trade flows weaken in third quarter 2008 [28 January 2009]

[IWS] Watson Wyatt (UK): CIVIL SERVANTS 1/3 of LIFE in RETIREMENT EXPECTATION [27 January 2009]

[IWS] ILO: GLOBAL EMPLOYMENT TRENDS 2009 [28 January 2009]

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

[IWS] DOL: ARCHIVE of DOL WEB SITES for JANUARY 2009 [8 January 2009]

[IWS] CDC WONDER (DATA PORTAL for PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION)

[IWS] EBRI: FUNDAMENTALS OF EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PROGRAMS

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