Harry J. Holzer

TL;DR: For example, this paper found that African American males have one of the lowest rates of postsecondary educational attainment and the highest rate of incarceration of any group in the USA, which translates into Black males having the lowest labor force participation in the nation.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors note the paradox of workforce development policy: that, in an era in which skills are more important than ever as determinants of labor market earnings, we spend fewer and fewer public (federal) dollars on workforce development over time.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review what we have learned about living wage laws and their impacts on the wages, employment and poverty rates of low-wage workers and conclude that living wage law has modestly raised wage levels of low wage workers and have reduced their employment at covered firms, but that the magnitudes of both effects are likely quite small, given how few workers are usually covered by these ordinances.

TL;DR: In the U.S., students from disadvantaged backgrounds have fallen behind other Americans in college attainment, due to weaker academic preparation in their K-12 years (and earlier), lower wealth and liquidity that make it harder to pay tuition and other costs; worse information about and lower familiarity with higher education; and pressure to work full-time while being enrolled to help support their families as mentioned in this paper.

TL;DR: The U.S. labor market will be buffeted by major changes in the next few decades, such as an aging population, automation that displaces workers and requires skill adjustments, and increases in independent or informal work and "fissured" workplaces.