Author: David E. Balducchi
Publisher: W.E. Upjohn Institute
ISBN: 0880996528
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 247
Book Description
The Unemployment Insurance (UI) system is a lasting piece of the Social Security Act which was enacted in 1935. But like most things that are over 80 years old, it occasionally needs maintenance to keep it operating smoothly while keeping up with the changing demands placed upon it. However, the UI system has been ignored by policymakers for decades and, say the authors, it is broken, out of date, and badly in need of repair. Stephen A. Wandner pulls together a group of UI researchers, each with decades of experience, who describe the weaknesses in the current system and propose policy reforms that they say would modernize the system and prepare us for the next recession.
Unemployment Insurance Reform
Author: David E. Balducchi
Publisher: W.E. Upjohn Institute
ISBN: 0880996528
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 247
Book Description
The Unemployment Insurance (UI) system is a lasting piece of the Social Security Act which was enacted in 1935. But like most things that are over 80 years old, it occasionally needs maintenance to keep it operating smoothly while keeping up with the changing demands placed upon it. However, the UI system has been ignored by policymakers for decades and, say the authors, it is broken, out of date, and badly in need of repair. Stephen A. Wandner pulls together a group of UI researchers, each with decades of experience, who describe the weaknesses in the current system and propose policy reforms that they say would modernize the system and prepare us for the next recession.
Publisher: W.E. Upjohn Institute
ISBN: 0880996528
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 247
Book Description
The Unemployment Insurance (UI) system is a lasting piece of the Social Security Act which was enacted in 1935. But like most things that are over 80 years old, it occasionally needs maintenance to keep it operating smoothly while keeping up with the changing demands placed upon it. However, the UI system has been ignored by policymakers for decades and, say the authors, it is broken, out of date, and badly in need of repair. Stephen A. Wandner pulls together a group of UI researchers, each with decades of experience, who describe the weaknesses in the current system and propose policy reforms that they say would modernize the system and prepare us for the next recession.
Reforming Unemployment Insurance for the Twenty-first Century Workforce
Author: Lori G. Kletzer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Labor market
Languages : en
Pages : 26
Book Description
"Despite significant changes in U.S. labor market, the basic structure of the nation's unemployment insurance (UI) program has remained unchanged since it was created in 1935. The current system is in need for reform in order to meet the needs of a twenty-first century workforce. Shortfalls in the current program fall into four categories: (1) overly restrictive eligibility criteria have resulted in low recipience rates; (2) benefit levels are low; (3) the federal tax system used to finance the program is regressive; (4) and the mechanism to automatically extend UI during periods of prolonged economic downsturns is broken. As a result of these and other factors, only about one-third of unemployed workers currently receive assistance under the UI program, and that assistance falls short of the original goal of replacing at least half of previous earnings. In addition, the system provides no assistance either to the self-employed or to those who become reemployed at lower wages. In this paper we propose three broad reforms, each designed to help the UI system better meet the needs of a twenty-first century workforce. First, we propose strengthening the federal role in UI by setting federal standards that would aim to raise average national benefit levels and average national recipiency rates. Expansion in the program would be financed by raising the FUTA taxable wage base over time to 45,000 to for inflation over recent decades. Second, we propose a wage-loss insurance program, as part of the UI program, to provide an earnings supplement for those workers who become reemployed at a wage lower than the wage they earned at their previous job. Finally, we propose allowing self-employed workers, and perhaps others, to contribute up to 0.25 percent of annual income, up to 200 per year, into Personal Unemployment Accounts (PUAs). These contributions would be matched by the federal government and could be withdrawn later to cushion severe income losses or to finance training or job research"--P. 2.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Labor market
Languages : en
Pages : 26
Book Description
"Despite significant changes in U.S. labor market, the basic structure of the nation's unemployment insurance (UI) program has remained unchanged since it was created in 1935. The current system is in need for reform in order to meet the needs of a twenty-first century workforce. Shortfalls in the current program fall into four categories: (1) overly restrictive eligibility criteria have resulted in low recipience rates; (2) benefit levels are low; (3) the federal tax system used to finance the program is regressive; (4) and the mechanism to automatically extend UI during periods of prolonged economic downsturns is broken. As a result of these and other factors, only about one-third of unemployed workers currently receive assistance under the UI program, and that assistance falls short of the original goal of replacing at least half of previous earnings. In addition, the system provides no assistance either to the self-employed or to those who become reemployed at lower wages. In this paper we propose three broad reforms, each designed to help the UI system better meet the needs of a twenty-first century workforce. First, we propose strengthening the federal role in UI by setting federal standards that would aim to raise average national benefit levels and average national recipiency rates. Expansion in the program would be financed by raising the FUTA taxable wage base over time to 45,000 to for inflation over recent decades. Second, we propose a wage-loss insurance program, as part of the UI program, to provide an earnings supplement for those workers who become reemployed at a wage lower than the wage they earned at their previous job. Finally, we propose allowing self-employed workers, and perhaps others, to contribute up to 0.25 percent of annual income, up to 200 per year, into Personal Unemployment Accounts (PUAs). These contributions would be matched by the federal government and could be withdrawn later to cushion severe income losses or to finance training or job research"--P. 2.
Reforming Unemployment Insurance
Author: Oren M. Levin-Waldman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The purpose of this paper is to argue the need for unemployment insurance reform. At a minimum the system needs to be tightened in such a way that it results in fewer layoffs. Beyond this, however, the system needs to be able to offer greater assistance to the growing population of the long-term unemployed. These are the ones who have been permanently displaced from their jobs because of either plant or company closure or changing technologies. And if they aren't the victims of plant closure, they are likely to be the victims of corporate restructuring or "downsizing." In the last decade, this population has more than doubled. These people are part of a growing class of chronically unemployed for whom a policy response is essential. The logic of UI rests on the premise that individuals need to be afforded the opportunity to search and that given the opportunity they will find a job which best matches their skills and experience. But those who receive assistance longer than the norm call into question the underlying assumption that during this period an appropriate fit will emerge. Ultimately I argue that something other than merely extending long-term benefits needs to be done. To continue extending long-term benefits is to merely apply some of the same assumptions commonly made about the short-term unemployed to the long-term unemployed when the realities may in fact be different.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The purpose of this paper is to argue the need for unemployment insurance reform. At a minimum the system needs to be tightened in such a way that it results in fewer layoffs. Beyond this, however, the system needs to be able to offer greater assistance to the growing population of the long-term unemployed. These are the ones who have been permanently displaced from their jobs because of either plant or company closure or changing technologies. And if they aren't the victims of plant closure, they are likely to be the victims of corporate restructuring or "downsizing." In the last decade, this population has more than doubled. These people are part of a growing class of chronically unemployed for whom a policy response is essential. The logic of UI rests on the premise that individuals need to be afforded the opportunity to search and that given the opportunity they will find a job which best matches their skills and experience. But those who receive assistance longer than the norm call into question the underlying assumption that during this period an appropriate fit will emerge. Ultimately I argue that something other than merely extending long-term benefits needs to be done. To continue extending long-term benefits is to merely apply some of the same assumptions commonly made about the short-term unemployed to the long-term unemployed when the realities may in fact be different.
Reforming the Unemployment Compensation System
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means. Subcommittee on Human Resources
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Income maintenance programs
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Income maintenance programs
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
Reforming the Unemployment Insurance System to Promote Entrepreneurship
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Small Business. Subcommittee on Regulation, Business Opportunities, and Energy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 66
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 66
Book Description
Making Unemployment Insurance Work
Author: Oren M. Levin-Waldman
Publisher: Levy Economics Institute of Bard College
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 56
Book Description
Publisher: Levy Economics Institute of Bard College
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 56
Book Description
Reforming Unemployment Insurance in the Age of Non-Standard Work
Author: Jeremy Pilaar
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 30
Book Description
Unemployment Insurance (UI) is one the nation's most effective anti-poverty and economic stabilization measures. Unfortunately, the number of workers receiving benefits has substantially declined in recent decades. This Note probes one likely cause of this phenomenon that scholars have mostly ignored: the rise of non-standard employment, including part-time, temporary, contract, on-call, and independent contract work. Like many New Deal programs, UI was designed to aid individuals with long-term, full-time jobs. It is therefore poorly adapted to a non-standard workforce characterized by low wages, uncertain schedules, and short-lived assignments. Indeed, the analysis shows that UI's monetary eligibility criteria, non-monetary eligibility requirements, outreach mechanisms, and exclusions all disadvantage non-standard workers. The Note proposes reforms in each of these areas to combat this imbalance.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 30
Book Description
Unemployment Insurance (UI) is one the nation's most effective anti-poverty and economic stabilization measures. Unfortunately, the number of workers receiving benefits has substantially declined in recent decades. This Note probes one likely cause of this phenomenon that scholars have mostly ignored: the rise of non-standard employment, including part-time, temporary, contract, on-call, and independent contract work. Like many New Deal programs, UI was designed to aid individuals with long-term, full-time jobs. It is therefore poorly adapted to a non-standard workforce characterized by low wages, uncertain schedules, and short-lived assignments. Indeed, the analysis shows that UI's monetary eligibility criteria, non-monetary eligibility requirements, outreach mechanisms, and exclusions all disadvantage non-standard workers. The Note proposes reforms in each of these areas to combat this imbalance.
Reforming Labor Market Institutions
Author: Olivier J. Blanchard
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 28
Book Description
This paper explores the characteristics of both optimal and actual unemployment insurance and employment protection. It then sketches potential paths for reforms in both rich and middle-income countries. It reaches three main conclusions:There is a role for both state-provided unemployment insurance and employment protection. In rich countries, one challenge is to combine unemployment insurance with strong incentives for the unemployed to take jobs. Financial incentives are unlikely to be enough at the low end of the wage scale. The other challenge is to redefine employment protection by reducing administrative constraints and judicial intervention, and relying more on financial incentives. In middle-income countries, the main challenge is to move from the current system of high severance payments and employment protection to a system of state-provided unemployment benefits and lower severance payments. Keywords: Unemployment insurance, Employment protection, unemployment benefits, layoff taxes, layoffs, severance payments, informal sector. JEL Classifications: D60, E62, H21, J30, J32, J38, J65.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 28
Book Description
This paper explores the characteristics of both optimal and actual unemployment insurance and employment protection. It then sketches potential paths for reforms in both rich and middle-income countries. It reaches three main conclusions:There is a role for both state-provided unemployment insurance and employment protection. In rich countries, one challenge is to combine unemployment insurance with strong incentives for the unemployed to take jobs. Financial incentives are unlikely to be enough at the low end of the wage scale. The other challenge is to redefine employment protection by reducing administrative constraints and judicial intervention, and relying more on financial incentives. In middle-income countries, the main challenge is to move from the current system of high severance payments and employment protection to a system of state-provided unemployment benefits and lower severance payments. Keywords: Unemployment insurance, Employment protection, unemployment benefits, layoff taxes, layoffs, severance payments, informal sector. JEL Classifications: D60, E62, H21, J30, J32, J38, J65.
Reform of the Unemployment Insurance System
Author: Laurie J. Bassi
Publisher: JAI Press Incorporated
ISBN: 9780762305070
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 334
Book Description
Presents a research in employment policy. This title addresses the reform of the unemployment insurance system.
Publisher: JAI Press Incorporated
ISBN: 9780762305070
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 334
Book Description
Presents a research in employment policy. This title addresses the reform of the unemployment insurance system.
An Illustrated Case for Unemployment Insurance Reform
Author: Christopher J. O'Leary author
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Unemployment insurance
Languages : en
Pages : 30
Book Description
We present a graphic case for unemployment insurance (UI) program reform. Through a series of illustrations summarizing historical trends, we show how the UI system has diverged from its intended purposes. Our figures show the decline of the program in addressing its essential aims of paying adequate unemployment compensation during involuntary unemployment and providing reemployment services. We illustrate the big differences in UI programs that have emerged because of the broad discretion afforded states to determine benefit generosity. We also illustrate declines in the financial means for providing benefits and reemployment services and a widening divergence among states in the quality of UI programs. Our concluding section presents a list of reforms that would restore UI as a pillar of social insurance and the labor market.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Unemployment insurance
Languages : en
Pages : 30
Book Description
We present a graphic case for unemployment insurance (UI) program reform. Through a series of illustrations summarizing historical trends, we show how the UI system has diverged from its intended purposes. Our figures show the decline of the program in addressing its essential aims of paying adequate unemployment compensation during involuntary unemployment and providing reemployment services. We illustrate the big differences in UI programs that have emerged because of the broad discretion afforded states to determine benefit generosity. We also illustrate declines in the financial means for providing benefits and reemployment services and a widening divergence among states in the quality of UI programs. Our concluding section presents a list of reforms that would restore UI as a pillar of social insurance and the labor market.