BLS DAILY REPORT, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1999
RELEASED TODAY: The 1999 "Report on the American Workforce" examines
"just-in-time" responses to a competitive economic environment, the central
role of improved skills for all workers, and the heightened pressure on the
balance between work and family. This fourth report on the American
Workforce was prepared by the staff of BLS. ... Single copies of the report
are available from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Washington, D.C. 20212 or by calling 202-606-5886.
Fewer workers are eligible for health coverage through the workplace now
than in the late 1980s, largely because of the increased use of part-time
workers and others who are not eligible for benefits, according to the
Employee Benefit Research Institute's September Issue Brief. ... Although
just as many employers sponsored health plans in 1997 as in 1988, only 75
percent of workers said they were eligible for health insurance through the
workplace in 1997, down from 82 percent in 1988, according to EBRI. That
leaves approximately 40.6 million Americans who did not have health
insurance through their job. About 41 percent of those did not need it
because they had coverage through a spouse, but another 42 percent simply
went without health insurance. ... (Daily Labor Report, page A-12).
Acute shortages of health-care professionals fester nationwide.
Expansion-minded drugstore chains, an aging population, and a slew of new
drugs combine to place pharmacists in demand. Retail chains are outbidding
hospitals to recruit RXers, says Allied Consulting Inc., a Dallas
medical-staffing firm. ... Experienced registered nurses also are in short
supply, especially those trained in neonatal units and other specialties,
says the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. ... (Wall Street
Journal, page A1).
The head of the nation's job safety agency told a regional conference that
businesses would be wise to institute ergonomics programs now so that they
will be grandfathered in when an ergonomics standard is promulgated.
Charles N. Jeffress, head of OSHA, told conference participants that
employers with effective programs will be deemed acceptable under the
standard. The agency "is not asking folks [with programs] to start over
again," he said. ... Jeffress also told attendees that the long-awaited
standard will be proposed soon. ... (Daily Labor Report, page A-5).
DUE OUT TOMORROW:
Consumer Price Index -- August 1999
Real Earnings: August 1999
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