EPI Research (Page 11 )

  • Literacy and the Entry-Level Workforce: The Role of Literacy and Policy in Labor Market Success

    June 2010

    The 2008–09 economic recession, our country’s worst since the Great Depression, did not impact all Americans equally. While unemployment for the nation peaked at 10.1 percent, it was considerably higher for specific demographics. For instance, adults with less than a high school diploma had a 15 percent unemployment rate, and teenage unemployment rose above 27 percent.

    Across the board, those who were less skilled…

  • Who are the Uninsured? An Analysis of America’s Uninsured Population, Their Characteristics and Their Health

    June 2009

    When reformers talk about our healthcare system, they repeatedly cite the number of uninsured Americans as one of the primary problems in need of a solution. In 2006, the Census Bureau estimates of the uninsured reached 47 million, representing approximately 16 percent of the population. While this number has dominated nearly all healthcare policy debates, it unfortunately remains a relatively coarse measurement and provides little…

  • Impact of Minimum Wage Indexing on Employment and Wages: Evidence from Oregon and Washington

    April 2009

    Minimum wage increases are a hot-button issue in many states. On the one hand, the minimum wage is often cited as a textbook example of how price floors create surpluses in which too many workers chase too few jobs, especially among those applicants with the fewest skills. On the other hand, proponents of raising the minimum wage suggest that increases are virtually painless. Because minimum…

  • Indexing the Minimum Wage: A Vise on Entry-Level Wages

    April 2009

    Policies that index the minimum wage to inflation are becoming politically popular. Whether enacted through ballot initiatives or added as provisions on traditional minimum wage proposals, advocates have stepped up their efforts in recent years to tie wage hikes to specific economic indicators, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI). President Barack Obama’s proposals to combat poverty include mandating a $9.50 minimum wage by 2011…

  • Minimum Wages and Poverty: Will the Obama Proposal Help the Working Poor?

    October 2008

    As this year’s economic crisis hit everyone’s pocketbooks, some advocates called for another increase in the federal minimum wage. Existing proposals—including presidential candidate Barack Obama’s “poverty” strategy and legislation introduced by Senate leaders late last year—would enact a minimum wage of $9.50 an hour and mandate annual indexing to inflation.

    Even economists who support minimum wage hikes acknowledge that there is a tipping point at…