DOCUMENT RESUME ED 235 570 EA 016 130 AUTHOR Rumberger, Russell W. TITLE Education, Unemployment and Productivity. INSTITUTION Stanford Univ., Calif. Inst. for Research on Educational Finance and Governance. SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Education (ED), Washington, DC. REPORT NO IFG-PR-83-A14 PUB DATE May 83 GRANT OB-NIE-G-80-0111 NOTE 34p. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) Viewpoints (120) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS ,Administration; Developed Nations; Disadvantaged; *Economic Research; *Economics; Education; . *Employment Patterns; Human Capital; Labor Conditions Labor Demands; Labor Force; Mi ority Groups; Poverty; *Productivity; Technology; *Unemp oyment; Unions IDENTIFIERS Employ ent Act 1946; Full Employment and Balanced, C7rowth Act 1978 ABSTRACT The United States is faced with two serious economic problem's: declining productivity' growth and rising unemployment. These problems have become severe in the last decade. Both problems are caused,by a number of factors, but experts fail to agree on which .factors have most contributed to the problems. This paper examines the relationship between education, the productivity decline, and the unemployment rise. Increasing education is believed to increase productivity and reduce unemployment, but rising educational levels may have contributed to the slowdown in productivity. Research in this area has been unable to explain the decline in productivity. Thirty years ago the educational level of the Unemployed was lower than that of the employed, but by 1971 the, educational levels of the two groups were no longer different. Increases in educational levels may do little to decrease unemployment. Some/observers believe that mexm.mint and business leaders could improve production through ,better management and improved working environments rather than increasing economic and capital investments'. Exitting production techniques could also be modified to employ more labor, better utilize workers' skills and education, and still maintain profitability. Included is a bibliography/of references and tables delineating the data presented. (Author/MM\ *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ***********************************************************************