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Research Summaries

Housing Vacancies Housing Vacancies

and Home Ownership

The monthly Current Population Survey/ Housing Vacancy Survey, conducted by the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, provides estimates and characteristics of occupied and vacant housing units. A housing unit (house, apartment, group of rooms, or single room occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living quarters) is classified as occupied if a person or group of people is living in it at the time of the interview or if the occupants are only temporarily absent; otherwise the housing unit is classified as vacant.

In 1992, national vacancy rates were 7.4 percent for rental housing and 1.5 percent for homeowner housing. The homeowner vacancy rate was lower than the 1991 rate of 1.7 percent, while the rental vacancy rate did not change. The vacancy rate was highest in central cities (8.3 percent for rental housing and 1.8 percent for homeowner housing) and lowest in suburbs (6.4 percent for rental housing and 1.4 percent for homeowner housing). By region of the country, the South had the highest rental vacancy rate (8.2 percent) and the Midwest had the lowest (6.7 percent). The homeowner vacancy rate was highest in the West (1.9 percent) and lowest in the Midwest (1.2 percent).

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Job-Related
Education and
Training

During the 1970's and 1980's, the
educational attainment of U.S. workers
increased markedly. The proportion
of workers ages 25 to 64 who had com-
pleted 4 or more years of college rose
from 14 percent in 1970 to 27 percent
in 1991. In contrast, the proportion who
had completed fewer than 4 years of
high school decreased from 36 percent
to 13 percent during the same period.
Also, there was a significant increase in
the percentage of high school graduates
who enrolled directly in college after
high school, from 47 percent in 1973 to
60 percent in 1990. Continued public
support for the U.S. education system
is reflected in increased expenditures
(in constant dollars). Between 1974
and 1990, per pupil expenditures in-
creased 43 percent in public elementary
and secondary schools and 13 percent
in public institutions of higher learning.

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Recent improvements in educational measures have not been accompanied by higher real income for many workers, however. Median annual income for full-time workers (in 1991 dollars) declined between 1972 and 1990 for men at every education level and for women with fewer than 4 years of high school (table 1). During this period, real income increased slightly for women with 1 or more years of college.

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Program compares the number of people completing education and training programs with the number of job openings caused by employment growth and replacement needs in related occupations. Nearly 2.9 million awards and degrees were granted during

25 age years and older, working year round.

Source: Eck, A., 1993, Job-related education and training: Their impact on earnings, Monthly Labor Review 116(10):21-38.

15,103

19,082

21,393

27,063

14,443

19,583

22,756

29,246

14,338

19,093

23,161

31,668

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In the January 1991 Current Population Survey, respondents were asked whether they needed specific skills or training to get their current jobs and whether or not they took training to improve their skills in their current jobs. Analyses were done to assess the impact of the various sources of training. Two-thirds of respondents indicated that specific skills or training were needed to obtain their current job or that they had taken training to improve their skills. This group also had higher earnings than those at the same education level who said they did not need specific skills or training to get their jobs.

For further information, see Family Economics Review 6(2):17-19.

In 1991, 57 percent of workers reported needing training to qualify for their current job, and 41 percent reported having taken training to improve their job skills since obtaining their job. Between 1983 and 1991, the number of workers who had taken training to improve their job skills increased 39 percent (compared with a 19-percent growth in employment). The incidence of training to improve skills increased with educational attainment. For all education levels, earnings are higher in jobs that generally require qualifying training or that require training to improve skills.

Median earnings of full-time workers increase with increases in educational attainment—about $80 weekly for each

higher level of attainment. For all education levels, workers who reported formal company training as the source of their training to improve skills had the highest earnings.

Between 1983 and 1991, managerial and professional specialty occupations experienced the highest growth rate and the greatest increase in employment share. This group also had the highest proportion of college graduates, the highest proportion that took training, and the greatest increase in real earnings since 1983 (table 2). In contrast, operators, fabricators, and laborers ranked lowest both in growth rate and increase in employment share between the 2 years. This group also had the lowest proportion of college graduates, the second lowest proportion that took training, and the greatest drop in real earnings between 1983 and 1991.

Education alone does not guarantee high income. Many workers with college degrees indicate that they are employed in jobs that do not require special skills or education and that their earnings are lower than the earnings of college graduates in jobs that require specialized education or skills. Workers with less education who are employed in jobs that require special skills or training earn as much as college graduates who do not require training to get their jobs.

Demands of the job market are changing. High-paying production jobs that require unskilled workers to repeat simple tasks have been greatly reduced in number, and more jobs now require reading, math, and communication skills. To have a major impact on earnings, the educational and skill requirements of jobs, as well as the education and skills of workers, must be increased.

Source: Eck, A., 1993, Job-related education and training: Their impact on earnings, Monthly Labor Review 116(10):21-38.

Regular Items

Recent Legislation Affecting Families

Public Law 103-173 (enacted December 2, 1993)—the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act of 1993 amends Title 18, U.S. Code, making it a Federal offense for any person (including a noncustodial parent) to kidnap a child under the age of 16 and retain him or her in a foreign jurisdiction.

Public Law 103-182 (enacted December 8, 1993)-implements the North American Free Trade Agreement by changing existing Federal laws governing trade and other matters to correspond with the terms of the agreement. The agreement, which went into effect January 1, 1994, will eliminate trade and investment barriers between the United States and Mexico over the next 15 years. Also, the agreement makes changes to the United States-Canada free trade accord that has been in effect since January 1, 1989. Eventually all tariffs on goods produced and sold in North America will be eliminated.

Public Law 103-183 (enacted December 14, 1993)-amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend the program of grants relating to preventive health measures with respect to breast and cervical cancer, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases. The law attempts to reduce injuries by curbing interpersonal violence within families. and among acquaintances and reauthorizes trauma care centers. The law also revises and extends programs of the National Center for Health Statistics.

Public Law 103-185 (enacted December 14, 1993)—provides increased flexibility to States in carrying out the LowIncome Home Energy Assistance Program. A State may now take into consideration the amount of the heating

and cooling component of a utility allowance received by a tenant of federally assisted housing.

Public Law 103-204 (enacted December 17, 1993)-the Resolution Trust Corporation Completion Act appropriates $18.3 billion for the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), the agency responsible for completing the resolution of failed thrift institutions. Under the law, the RTC must maintain a comprehensive business plan for the rest of its existence, establish a Division of Minorities and Women, and establish client responsiveness units. in each regional office. When selling nonresidential property, the RTC must give preference to transactions that will provide shelter to homeless persons.

Public Law 103-209 (enacted December 20, 1993)—the National Child Protection Act of 1993 establishes procedures for national criminal background checks for child-care providers. Each State will furnish information on arrests and convictions for child abuse crimes to the national criminal history record system, maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Thereafter, the Federal Government will encourage each State to adopt legislation requiring background checks for child-care providers through the record system maintained by the FBI.

Public Law 103-210 (enacted December 20, 1993)—amends Title 38, U.S. Code, to provide additional authority for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide health care for veterans of the Persian Gulf War for conditions that resulted from exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard.

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