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Work in Progress

Monday, December 25, 2006

An NBR Holiday Special - Airs December 25th, 2006

The American workplace is undergoing great change. Workers are increasingly challenged to master new technologies and to problem solve. At the same time, the workforce's average level of formal education hasn't changed in 25 years. In this holiday special, NBR Washington Bureau Chief Darren Gersh explores workplace trends and how companies are dealing with them.

Work in Progress Title Graphic.
*Additional funding provided by the Russell Sage Foundation.
*A version of this program originally aired in May 2006.
Click to learn about the reports featured in this NBR Special.
Click to review additional reports on this topic.
 Click to review extra material on this topic.
The "Work in Progress" Reports:
The NBR Special "Work in Progress" features three in-depth reports. Click on the links below to learn more about these featured reports.
  • Man and Machine
    This report details how technology has changed the workplace by creating a "new division of labor." It includes an interview with Professor Frank Levy of MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
Image of Professor Frank Levy. Click to learn more. Learn More
  • A Second Chance
    This report focuses on efforts to help prisoners reenter the workforce. It includes a look at Louisiana's Community Prisoner Reformation program and a profile of a former inmate in search of a job.
Image of a Louisiana prisoner. Click to learn more. Learn More
  • The New Workers
    This report examines high schools - the institutions that are educating the economy's newest workers. It includes an interview with Stanford University Professor Linda Darling-Hammond, the nation’s leading thinker on high school reform.
Image of NBR's Darren Gersh outside a high school. Click to learn more. Learn More
Additional Reports on the Workforce:
In addition to the three reports featured in the "Work in Progress" special, NBR Washington Bureau Chief Darren Gersh produced a series of companion pieces focusing on other issues impacting the American workplace. Click on the links below to read and/or watch these additional reports.
  • Temporary Workers
    Temp jobs have accounted for one out of every ten jobs created in America the last five years. This report examines the pros and cons of temporary employment.
    Click to Read Transcript.
Image of temp worker in factory. Watch Report
  • Job Security
    With outsourcing and off-shoring in the headlines, many Americans feel their jobs have become less secure. Is that really the case? This report delves into the debate over economic risk on the job.
    Click to Read Transcript.
Image of woman getting physical therapy in her home. Watch Report
  • Career Ladders
    The opportunities for low-wage workers to move into a middle class job are eroding as manufacturers cut payrolls and the service industry, which offers little job flexibility, expands. This report looks at some employers' efforts to rebuild the career ladders for their workforce.
    Click to Read Transcript.
Image of three women in a training session. Watch Report
  • Immigration
    Immigrants have long shaped American labor markets, but now they're venturing beyond the "gateway" states and into America's heartland. This report profiles the impact of immigrant labor in Denison, Iowa.
    Click to Read Transcript.
Image of immigrant worker in a factory. Watch Report
Extras:
NBR Washington Bureau Chief Darren Gersh conducted in-depth interviews with labor experts who discussed the role immigrants and temporary workers play in the evolving American economy. Excerpts of these interviews appear in the some of the additional reports listed above. To read the complete transcripts of these interviews, click the links below.
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