WorklifeWizard.org Future Research Isabelle Ferreras Jason Anastasopoulos

All About the WorklifeWizard Who We Are A project of the Labor & Worklife Program at Harvard Law School:  Harvard Trade Union Program  Pension Research and Reform  Labor Economics and Employment and Labor Law Research A Team of Social Scientists

All About the WorklifeWizard Our Team Dr. Richard Freeman - WorklifeWizard Research Director  PhD Economics, Harvard  Professor of Economics at Harvard University & Faculty Co-Chair, Labor and Worklife Program Harvard Trade Union Program Dr. Isabelle Ferreras- WorklifeWizard Research Coordinator  PhD Sociology, University of Louvain, MA Political Science, MIT.  Research Associate, Labor and Worklife Program Jason Anastasopoulos  AM Statistics, Harvard  Web and Publications Coordinator, Labor and Worklife Program

Context The Need for Worklife Data in the US

Context Knowledge About Worklife In the US Data on work and employment in the US is “incomplete”  Employment v. Work Focus on “quantitative” aspects of the American workforce: wages, employment rates, etc.  Lack of “qualitiative” information What is the experience of American workers?

Context Knowledge About Worklife In the US American Data Collection Institutions  US Census Bureau:  Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) The source for data on the American workforce. Over 30,000 articles using BLS data (using Google Scholar). Major surveys are the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Occupational and Employment Survey.

Context Knowledge About Worklife In the US Current Population Survey (CPS)  Deals with employment and unemployment across many dimensions – race, sex, marital status, occupation, industry, etc…) Occupational and Employment Survey  Data forms the basis of our salary checker.  Offers detailed information about wages by state.

Context Knowledge About Worklife in the US Where the Worklife Wizard Comes In  Ask more questions about work life rather than just employment. Employee involvement in the workplace Gender and power issues Employee-management relations  Work life issues not systematically covered

Context A Permanent Research Tool The Google of work life  A resource for researchers, academics and labor  Answers to social, political and economic questions relating to work  Making it happen

Survey Structure and Methods

Structure and Methods The Survey Dual Level Structure  Core Survey  Special Research Modules

Structure and Methods The Survey Core Survey  About questions  Similar to all other WageIndicator Survey Questions  Contains several Current Population Survey questions for statistical purposes.

Structure and Methods The Survey Special Research Modules (SRM’s)  Def. – A set of roughly questions unified by a common theme Gender Customer-worker relations Shared capitalism  Unlike any questions asked by major American data collection institutions.

Structure and Methods The Survey Special Research Modules (SRM’s)  Mechanics Rotation Question Submission & Data Collection

Structure and Methods Methodology Internet Surveys  Problems with non-random sampling  Solutions Advertising and promotion Data Comparisons –Current Population Survey questions in the core

An Information Resource

WorklifeWizard Observatory  An observatory of work life  A source for information about virtually all work related issues Workers rights Labor and employment law Job tips and advice A permanent blog index Work life news, labor news, top news stories, worklife books and more!

Future Collaborations Currently working with Monster.com, Business Week & several US labor unions Partnership program New collaborations with American researchers

CONTACT US! Isabelle Ferreras Research Coordinator Jason Anastasopoulos Web manager