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Employer Demand for Welfare Recipients by Race

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  • H. J. Holzer
  • M. A. Stoll

Abstract

This paper uses new survey data on employers in four large metropolitan areas to examine the determinants of employer demand for welfare recipients. The results suggest a high level of demand for welfare recipients, though such demand appears fairly sensitive to business cycle conditions. A broad range of factors, including skill needs and industry, affect the prospective demand for welfare recipients among employers, while other characteristics that affect the relative supply of welfare recipients to these employers (such as location and employer use of local agencies or welfare-to-work programs) influence the extent to which such demand is realized in actual hiring. Moreover, the conditional demand for black (and to a lesser extent Hispanic) welfare recipients lags behind their representation in the welfare population and seems to be more heavily affected by employers’ location and indicators of preferences than by their skill needs or overall hiring activity. Thus, a variety of factors on the demand side of the labor market continue to limit the employment options of welfare recipients, especially those who are minorities.

Suggested Citation

  • H. J. Holzer & M. A. Stoll, "undated". "Employer Demand for Welfare Recipients by Race," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1213-00, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    • Handle: RePEc:wop:wispod:1213-00
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Harry J. Holzer & Keith R. Ihlanfeldt, 1998. "Customer Discrimination and Employment Outcomes for Minority Workers," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(3), pages 835-867.
    2. Timothy J. Bartik & Randall W. Eberts, 199. "Examining the Effect of Industry Trends and Structure on Welfare Caseloads," Book chapters authored by Upjohn Institute researchers, in: Sheldon H. Danziger (ed.), Economic Conditions and Welfare Reform, chapter 5, pages 119-157, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    3. Michael A. Stoll & Harry J. Holzer & Keith R. Ihlanfeldt, 2000. "Within cities and suburbs: Racial residential concentration and the spatial distribution of employment opportunities across sub-metropolitan areas," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(2), pages 207-231.
    4. Harry J. Holzer, 1998. "Why Do Small Establishments Hire Fewer Blacks Than Large Ones?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 33(4), pages 896-914.
    5. Paul Ong & Evelyn Blumenberg, 1998. "Job Access, Commute and Travel Burden among Welfare Recipients," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 35(1), pages 77-93, January.
    6. Schoeni, R.F. & Blank, R.M., 2000. "What Has Welfare Reform Accomplished? Impacts on Welfare Participation, Employment, Income, Poverty, and Family Structure," Papers 00-02, RAND - Labor and Population Program.
    7. Harry J. Holzer & Keith R. Ihlanfeldt, 1996. "Spatial factors and the employment of blacks at the firm level," New England Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, issue May, pages 65-86.
    8. Meyer, Bruce D. & Rosenbaum, Dan T., 2000. "Making Single Mothers Work: Recent Tax and Welfare Policy and Its Effects," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 53(4), pages 1027-1062, December.
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    10. O'Regan, Katherine M. & Quigley, John M., 1999. "Spacial Isolation and Welfare Recipients: What Do We Know?," Berkeley Program on Housing and Urban Policy, Working Paper Series qt1mz642ft, Berkeley Program on Housing and Urban Policy.
    11. Sandra K. Danziger & Mary Corcoran & Sheldon Danziger & Colleen M. Heflin & Ariel Kalil & Judith Levine & Daniel Rosen & Kristin S. Seefeldt & Kristine Siefert & Richard M. Tolman, 1999. "Barriers to the Employment of Welfare Recipients," JCPR Working Papers 90, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
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    13. Daniel Immergluck, 1996. "What employers want: Job prospects for less-educated workers," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 24(4), pages 135-143, June.
    14. H. J. Holzer & R. J. LaLonde, "undated". "Job Change and Job Stability among Less-Skilled Young Workers," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1191-99, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
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    17. repec:bla:econom:v:61:y:1994:i:241:p:17-36 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Abraham, Katharine G, 1986. "Structural/Frictional vs. Deficient Demand Unemployment: Reply," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(1), pages 273-276, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Becky Pettit & Stephanie Ewert, 2009. "Employment gains and wage declines: The erosion of black women’s relative wages since 1980," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 46(3), pages 469-492, August.
    2. Denton R. Vaughan & Barbara A. Haley & Aref N. Dajani, 2021. "Ten years later: Self‐sufficiency of welfare mothers before the Great Recession," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(2), pages 184-223, June.
    3. Susan Gooden, 2004. "Examining the implementation of welfare reform by race: Do blacks, hispanics and whites report similar experiences with welfare agencies?," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 27-53, December.
    4. Julie Hotchkiss & M. Melinda Pitts, 2010. "The demand side of the penalty for intermittent labour market behaviour," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(6), pages 531-535.
    5. James P. Ziliak & David N. Figlio, 2000. "Geographic Differences in AFDC and Food Stamp Caseloads in the Welfare Reform Era," JCPR Working Papers 180, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    6. repec:use:tkiwps:3535 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Julie L. Hotchkiss & M. Melinda Pitts, 2007. "Evidence of demand factors in the determination of the labor market intermittency penalty," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2007-16, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    8. Heather Boushey, 2002. "Reworking the Wage Curve: Exploring the consistency of the model across time, space and demographic group," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 293-311.
    9. Susan Tinsley Gooden, 2004. "Examining the implementation of welfare reform by race: Do blacks, hispanics and whites report similar experiences with welfare agencies?," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 27-53, December.
    10. Lewis, Dan & Konstantopoulos, Spyros & Altenbernd, Lisa, 2005. "The Correlates of Work in a Post-AFDC World: The Results from a Longitudinal State-Level Analysis," IZA Discussion Papers 1626, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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