Web Links

Marginal URLs:

• p. 755: To read a Heritage Foundation lecture about the net effects of outsourcing on U.S. jobs, use the link at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Labor/hl827.cfm.

• For a detailed discussion of factors contributing to the male-female wage gap and its gradual decline, go to http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2007/el2007-17.html.
• To learn about the first major piece of legislation making it illegal to pay men and women differently for performing the same tasks on the job, go to http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/epa.html.

Current Trends in U.S. Labor Markets

The Federal Reserve's "Beige Book," which summarizes regional economic conditions around the United States, provides a wealth of information about the current status of U.S. labor markets. This Internet application helps you assess developments in employment and wages in the United States.

Title: The Beige Book—Summary

Navigation: Go to http://www.federalreserve.gov to access the home page of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors. Click on Monetary Policy, and then click on Beige Book. Then select the report for the most recent period.

Application: Read the section entitled "Prices and Wages" and answer the following questions.

1. Has overall employment been rising or falling during the most recent year? Based on what you learned in this chapter, what factors might account for this pattern? Does the Beige Book summary bear out any of these explanations for changes in U.S. employment?

2. Have U.S. workers' wages been rising or falling during the most recent year?