Selected Links

Resources for North Carolina’s Dislocated Workers

Dislocated Worker Toolkit: This online tool provides guided information to assist dislocated workers in the transition from employment to re-employment.
Employment Security Commission: The N.C. Employment Security Commission provides unemployment benefits and assistance with finding new employment.
JobLink: This site provides a searchable tool to locate local JobLink Career Centers and to learn about job-search, training and other services.
North Carolina Community College System: North Carolina’s community colleges provide job training, small business training, certificate and degree programs, high school equivalency courses and other programs useful to dislocated workers.
N.C. Division of Employment and Training: The Division of Employment and Training administers a statewide system of job training and education programs.

Articles and reports of special interest to North Carolina and available on the Internet

North Carolina’s Unfinished Transformation: Connecting Working Families to the State’s Newfound Prosperity (pdf): Released in winter 2006, this report from the N.C. Justice Center asserts that North Carolina’s programs and policies are insufficient to help many low-income working families acquire the skills and education needed in the modern economy.
“Early Implementation of the Health Coverage Tax Credit in Maryland, Michigan and North Carolina: A Case Study Summary”: This report, issued by the Commonwealth Fund in April 2005, examines the effectiveness of a program using the federal income tax system to subsidize health coverage for the uninsured.
The State of Working North Carolina (pdf): The N.C. Justice Center gathered data from state and federal sources to discuss the implications of the recent recession and recovery. The report was published in October 2004.
"Whither North Carolina Furniture Manufacturing?" by Robert L. Lacy: Published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in September 2004, this study examines how North Carolina furniture makers are adapting to global competition.
"Worker Needs Are On the Rise as Funding for Key Services and Training Programs Are on the Decline" (pdf): This issue of BTC Reports examines the current state of funding for the Employment Security Commission, worker training programs and the community college system, and compares their declining budgets against long-term unemployment and dwindling wages in North Carolina. The report was published by the Budget and Tax Center in June 2004.
Community-Based Adjustment to Textile Plant Closure and Downsizing: The economics department and the Center for the Study of the American South of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sponsored this conference in April 2004. From the website, you may downloa
The North Carolina Atlas Revisited/Manufacturing Chapter Update by Alfred W. Stuart: The chapter on manufacturing reviews the history of manufacturing in North Carolina, including data through 2003.
"The Impact of Globalization on North Carolina's Furniture Industries": Published in December 2002, this paper details furniture industry job losses in North Carolina as a whole and by region, comparing the state with the Southeast and suggests policies to strengthen the state's furniture industry. The authors are Ucheoma Nwagbara of the N.C. Department of Commerce, Urs Buchlmann of N.C. State University and Al Schuler of the USDA Forest Service.
"Dislocated Workers: Aiding Their Transition to Good Jobs": From the N.C. Justice Center and CFED, this 2002 report examines the impact of the 2001 recession and long-term economic restructuring on laid-off workers. This link allows you to download a summary or the full report.
The Hidden Problem of Worker Dislocation in North Carolina" (pdf): This 1999 article describes problems that were masked by overall economic growth in the '90s but became more apparent with the recession of 2001. The authors are Michael Luger, Lucy Gorham and Brian Kropp.
"Mass Layoffs in the North Carolina Economy: A Study of Reemployment Experiences": This 1999 study, from the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, identifies the characteristics of establishments and employees involved in mass layoffs, the impact of layoffs and the long-term labor market consequences

Articles and reports relevant to the Southeast and available on the Internet

Author Karl Rhodes acknowledges that globalization of manufacturing has produced cheaper goods, but points to the resulting loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the region served by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The article appeared in the Winter 2004 issue of the bank's quarterly journal.

Southern Growth Policies Board Workforce Publications

Get descriptions of and links for downloading such reports as:

“The Southern Workforce Index” by Carol Conway and Sandra Johnson. This 2005 publication offers an overview of challenges to workforce development in the South and proposes 15 indicators for measuring progress.
"Standards and Practices" by Carol Conway. The author discusses why dislocated workers and other special populations are not served by workforce development systems. Published in 2002.
"The Mercedes and the Magnolia: Preparing the Southern Workforce for the Next Economy" by Carol Conway and Jim Clinton. This paper, published in 2002, proposes a new approach to workforce development, one based on worker knowledge rather than low labor costs.

National articles and reports available on the Internet

"Assisting Laid-Off Workers in a Changing Economy": This issue brief from the National Governors Association explores how states are assisting laid-off workers in an economy that continually creates and eliminates jobs.
"Displaced Workers: Differences in Nonmetro and Metro Experiences in the Mid 1990s" by Karen Hamrick: Looking at national data, this USDA Economic Research Service report concludes that while nonmetro workers are less likely to be laid off, those who are have more difficulty finding new jobs. It was published in 2001.
“Easing the Adjustment Burden on U.S. Workers” (pdf): This paper examines the effectiveness of unemployment insurance and other programs designed to help dislocated workers make the transition to new jobs.
"Gross Job Flows Over the Past Two Business Cycles: Not All 'Recoveries' Are Created Equal": From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Research Papers series, this report compares the recessions of 1991-92 and 2001, pointing to the lack of business investment as the reason for the "jobless recoveries."
"Rural Industry: What Are the Findings from the ERS Rural Manufacturing Study?": The USDA Economic Research Services finds movement toward new economy jobs in a nationwide study, but notes challenges for areas with low educational levels.
“Trade Adjustment Assistance: Experiences of Six Trade-Impacted Communities” (pdf): This report, also from the General Accounting Office, reviews trade adjustment assistance and other assistance programs, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) program, to determine if they have helped distressed communities deal with the adverse impacts of trade.
“Trade Adjustment Assistance: Most Workers in Five Layoffs Received Services, But Better Outreach Needed on New Benefits” (pdf): Studying layoffs across the country, the General Accounting Office assesses the implementation of services available through the Adjustment Assistance Program.
“Trade Adjustment Assistance: Reforms Have Accelerated Training Enrollment, but Implementation Challenges Remain” (pdf): The General Accounting Office assesses progress in implementing provisions of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 2002 and the effects of those measures.