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Wages and Compensation

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Essay
How Veterans Fare in the Civilian Labor Market
Around 200,000 service members transition to the civilian labor market every year. They often find it's like falling into another dimension, one where employers don't even speak the same language. More than a decade of RAND research has sought to ease that transition.
Nov 4, 2022
Journal Article
Increasing the Minimum Wage Could Reduce Divorce in Low-Income Households
U.S. survey data reveals that, among men and women earning low wages, a one-dollar increase in the state minimum wage was linked to delayed marriage and reduced divorce. Both changes are likely to strengthen low-income families.
Mar 16, 2022

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Blog
Extremism, Medicaid, Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Law: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on addressing domestic extremism, managing reductions in Medicaid enrollment, the effects of Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law, and more.
May 19, 2023
News Release
Workers at Homeless Services Agencies in L.A. Often Earn Salaries Below Living Wage Levels
Workers employed by nonprofit homeless services agencies in Los Angeles County often do not earn a living wage, creating stress for the workers and making it difficult to retain staff.
May 10, 2023
Report
Workers in Homeless Services Often Do Not Earn a Living Wage
Workers employed by nonprofit homeless services agencies in Los Angeles County, particularly frontline staff, often do not earn a living wage. Paying them higher wages could improve the quality of their work by boosting morale, easing stress, and reducing turnover.
May 10, 2023
Report
Demographic Diversity of the DoD STEM Workforce
Within the Department of Defense's STEM workforce, which demographic groups are subject to the greatest compensation disparity when compared with white men? What measures can the Pentagon take to address these discrepancies?
Apr 27, 2023
Journal Article
The Value of Working Conditions in the United States and Implications for the Structure of Wages
We document variation in working conditions in the United States, present estimates of how workers value these conditions, and assess the impact of working conditions on estimates of wage inequality.
Apr 27, 2023
Commentary
Building a Professional Early Childhood Workforce Requires a 'Compensation-First' Approach
The benefits and costs of large-scale professionalization efforts in early childhood education (ECE) are not yet clear. And we know little about the implications of such policies for a workforce that already faces a great deal of instability. However, research on ECE professionalization offers some lessons.
Apr 12, 2023
Report
Comparison of Public and Private Sector Cybersecurity and IT Workforces
The authors develop a common taxonomy based on work roles, key tasks, and responsibilities to examine the proportion of cybersecurity and information technology work roles, workers' salaries, and demand across private and public sectors.
Feb 7, 2023
Commentary
The Inflation Pain You Don't See
Official statistics don't capture the pain of inflation for many Americans. That's because there's something wrong with how we define the middle class. Far more American households earn a middle-class income than enjoy a middle-class lifestyle.
Jan 18, 2023
Report
Vermont Early Care and Education Financing Study: Estimated Costs, Financing Options, and Economic Impacts
Vermont is interested in expanding families' subsidies for early care and education (ECE) programs. This report estimates the costs of a high-quality ECE system with a well-compensated workforce and identifies possible funding sources.
Jan 17, 2023
News Release
Pittsburgh Science and Technology Sector Is Large, but Faces Challenges; Improvements Needed to Continue to Flourish
The Pittsburgh region has a robust science and technology sector that is larger than the national average, but action is needed to safeguard the region's strengths and further its ability to compete with other technology hubs.
Jan 9, 2023
Tool
Science and Technology-Focused Postsecondary Options in the Pittsburgh Area
RAND researchers compiled a list of science- and technology-focused (STF) providers and programs in the Pittsburgh area. Potential students can filter the list to find out which types of degrees or certificates can be earned in which STF fields.
Jan 9, 2023
Report
Pittsburgh's Science- and Technology-Focused Workforce
About 18 percent of Pittsburgh's employment is in science- and technology-focused occupations, and the growth rate suggests the need for more workers in the future. What investments and policy changes could safeguard the region's strengths and support it as a flourishing science and technology hub?
Jan 9, 2023
Blog
A Potential Russian Attack on NATO, China in the Arctic, Inflation: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how the West might respond in the case of a limited Russian attack on NATO, what China's Arctic ambitions mean to the United States, how inflation affects middle-class households, and more.
Jan 6, 2023
Report
Evaluation of Flexible Spending Accounts for Active-Duty Service Members
This report presents an analysis of the implications of flexible spending accounts for active-duty service members and their families that would allow pre-tax payment of dependent care expenses, insurance premiums, and out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Dec 12, 2022
Commentary
How COVID-19 Transformed the Jobs Market
The COVID-19 pandemic initially devastated the U.S. economy. It also exposed and exacerbated existing inequities in society. But in as yet unpredictable ways, it may have accelerated profound changes in how labor works today.
Dec 1, 2022
Commentary
Measure ULA Reflects the Wrong Lessons from Proposition HHH
Los Angeles voters approved the so-called “mansion tax,” Measure ULA, which proponents suggested will raise funds for about 26,000 new units of affordable housing over the next decade. But a key labor provision casts doubt on that optimistic projection.
Nov 28, 2022
Report
Early Childhood Educators in Hawai'i
A diverse, well-supported, and well-compensated workforce is essential for the delivery of high-quality early care and education (ECE) programs. What does the employment landscape look like for the ECE workforce in Hawai'i and what policy strategies can improve their compensation and working conditions?
Oct 25, 2022
Report
Civilian Cyber Workers in the U.S. Department of Defense: Demographics, Retention, and Responsiveness to Training Opportunities
Although training is necessary to ensure the continual productivity of the U.S. Department of Defense civilian cyber workforce, simulations indicate that training without consideration of external pay opportunities could adversely affect retention.
Jul 15, 2022
Periodical
RAND Review: July-August 2022
Features explore environmental racism; the economic value to the UK of improving languages education in schools; and causes of civilian harm in Raqqa, Syria, and ways to reduce civilian casualties in current and future military operations.
Jul 8, 2022

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RAND Topic:
Wages and Compensation

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