Home » THE DYNAMICS AND SOCIAL REGULATION OF LOW WAGE AND INFORMAL LABOR MARKETS IN THE US

THE DYNAMICS AND SOCIAL REGULATION OF LOW WAGE AND INFORMAL LABOR MARKETS IN THE US

 

Concern for promoting worker mobility within and out of low wage and informal employment continues to grow among scholars and policymakers in the US. Over the last 30 years changes in the structure and function of the US economy have increased labor market segmentation and levels of socioeconomic inequality – especially for workers at the bottom of the labor market. Today, about 1 in 3 US jobs are low wage or informal- a rate likely to increase as 58% of jobs gained since 2010 have been in lower paying occupations and industries (NELP, 2013). Such a reality is not inconsequential given that participation in low wage and informal work is associated with earnings at or below the poverty line, exploitative and hazardous conditions, as well as limited rights, opportunities, and benefits.

In a series of projects funded by the Ford Foundation, the Hellman Foundation, the US Department of Labor, and the University of California, I have examined and contributed to the understanding of labor market dynamics and the social regulation of low-wage and informal labor markets in the US. These projects have sought to understand outcomes experienced by workers engaged in these labor market sectors as well as the contexts and impact that social regulation of the labor market has on such outcomes. Here, social regulation refers to the formal and informal laws, institutions, policies, and cultural attitudes that organize and constrain the relationships and practices of paid work.

 

Related Publications:

  • Scott, S. and M.A. Visser. (In Press). Constraining Labour: The integration dynamics of working-class horticultural migrants in rural areas of Norway, the UK and the US. Sociologia Ruralis.
  • Visser, M.A. (2017). Shedding Light on Economic Opportunity: Skin Tone and Job Quality during the Great Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 43(9): 1562-1579.
  • Visser, M.A. (2016). A Floor to Exploitation? Social Economy Organizations at the Edge of a Restructuring Economy. Work Employment and Society. DOI:1177/0950017016638020.
  • Visser, M.A., Theodore, E.J. Melendez, and A. Valezuela, Jr. (2016). From Economic Integration to Socioeconomic Inclusion: Day Labor Worker Centers as Social Intermediaries. Urban Geography 38(2): 243-265.
  • Melendez, M.A. Visser, N. Theodore, and A. Valenzuela. (2016). Day Laborers’ Work Related Injuries: An Assessment of Risks, Choices, and Policies. International Migration 54(3): 5-19.
  • Visser, M.A. and E. Melendez. (2015). Working in the New Low Wage Economy: Understanding Participation in Low Wage Employment in the Recessionary Era. WorkingUSA 18 (1): 7-29.
  • Visser, M.A. and H.R. Cordero-Guzman. (2015). Low Wage Workers and Organizing: Summary Notes and Introduction. WorkingUSA 18(2): 1-6.
  • Melendez, E., R. Borges-Mendez, A. Visser, and A. Rosofsky. (2015). The Restructured Landscape of Economic Development: Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Workforce Development Collaborations. Economic Development Quarterly. 49(2):150-166.
  • Melendez, E., A. Visser, N. Theodore, and A. Valenzuela. (2014). Worker Centers and Day Laborers Wages. Social Science Quarterly. 95(3): 835-851.
  • Visser, M.A. and E. Melendez. (2011). Puerto Ricans in Low Wage Jobs and Labor Markets: The Issues, Trends and Policies. CENTRO Journal. 23(11): 3-28.
  • Melendez, E. and A. Visser. (2011). Changes in the Structure of Low-Wage Labor Markets and Skills Selectivity among Puerto Rican Migrants. CENTRO Journal. 23(11): 46-61.
  • Visser, M.A. & H.R. Cordero-Guzman. (2015). Low Wage Workers & Organizing. WorkingUSA: The Journal of Labor and Society. 18(2).
  • Melendez, E., A. Valenzuela, N. Theodore, A. Visser, and A.L. Gonzalez. (2010). Day Labor Centers and Community Outcomes. Los Angeles: Center for the Study of Urban Poverty, University of California, Los Angeles.
  • Melendez, E., A. Valenzuela, N. Theodore, A. Visser, and A.L. Gonzalez. (2010). Differences in the Types of Operations of Day Labor Worker Centers. Los Angeles: Center for the Study of Urban Poverty, University of California, Los Angeles.
  • Melendez, E., A. Valenzuela, N. Theodore, A. Visser, and A.L. Gonzalez. (2010). Worker Centers and Day Labor Market Outcomes. Los Angeles: Center for the Study of Urban Poverty, University of California, Los Angeles.