workforce

The paper analyses the influence of the capital market on the labour market, especially the impact of start-up financing on the structure of unemployment is of interest. The authors use a cross-country panel data analysis to examine how venture capital investment influences disaggregate unemployment.

According to the author, as a result of the Research Triangle Park, the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area is experiencing the lowest unemployment rates in ten years. As more people find employment, however, many local
businesses and, in particular, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, are finding it harder to find employees with the specific skills and abilities their organizations need.

The paper reviews recent evidence suggesting that computer skills by themselves do not command a wage premium. The authors review the literature and use data from a survey of higher education graduates in Vietnam. Results support the unobserved heterogeneity explanation for computer wage premiums.

The authors use panel firm-level data to study in-firm training in Mexican manufacturing in the 1990s, its determinants, and effects on productivity and wages. Results indicate that over this decade, the incidence of employer-provided training become more widespread among manufacturing enterprises, and a higher proportion of the workforce received training within firms.

The study about the opportunities and obstacles that women business owners face when seeking entry to corporate markets, shows that while many women are successfully selling to large corporations, many challenges still remain: learning about business opportunities, contract bundling, and corporate cost cutting.

The paper explores the notion that contradictory to previous indications, there may not a shortage of scientists in the U.S. The author suggests that instead of raising the false flag of shortages, those concerned about the future of science and engineering should encourage objective appraisals of current career paths.

The Milken Institute report ranks the best performing cities by U.S. metropolitan areas recording the top economic performances and creating the most jobs in the nation. Fayetteville, AR topped the list for 2003, moving up from 23rd last year. Coming in second place was Las Vegas followed by Fort Myers, FL and San Diego, CA.

The study assesses Iowas creative workforce and creative industrial composition to determine a baseline of the states creative workers and the industries that employ them. The study concludes that Iowa exceeds national averages in education and social work, and is at the national average in managerial professions.

The report from the National Science Foundation (NSF) offers examples of creative ways to explore science and technology and catalogs the methodology and results of 211 NSF grants given since 1993. Programs and projects are also featured that are normally not offered in elementary curriculum.

The U.S. General Accounting Office report identifies issues with the current funding formulas and proposes potential alternative allocation formulas of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.