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Abstract

Informed discussions of many important topics in the sociology of work and occupations—such as earnings and wealth inequality, employment and unemployment, gender and race differences in earnings and employment, and the situations of working families—have come to rely increasingly on data provided by the biennial volumes, The State of Working America written by economists from the Economic Policy Institute. These volumes tell us what is happening in the labor force and labor market, often evaluate explanations of trends, and indicate some of their policy implications. This article provides an overview of this series; discusses some of its main conclusions about trends in jobs, wages, and other important features of work and labor markets; and illustrates some ways that these volumes are useful (and could be made even more valuable) for the study of work and occupations.

Keywords

labor markets labor force earnings inequality working families unemployment

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The State of Work (and Workers) in America

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