Labor in the Twentieth Century.

Abstract

Significant changes in the characteristics of the working population and of the work performed have occurred since the beginning of the twentieth century. Some of these changes are the consequences of individual or collective decisions by workers and firms as they faced the economic and social environment; others represent the outcomes of social choices as reflected in legislation. This chapter discusses the major changes in the characteristics of both workers and their jobs that have occurred since 1900. One dimension of the extent to which a given population works for pay, or seeks such work, is the proportion of the labor force. The decline in labor force participation rates among teenage males and females alike is associated with sharp increases in the years of formal schooling attained and the length of the school year. Education is an investment required for entry into an increasing number of jobs. As such, one would expect school enrollments to rise if the pecuniary or psychic returns to schooling rise.