1 Making Labor Markets Work Jon Forman Alfred P. Murrah Professor of Law University of Oklahoma First Annual Colloquium on Current Scholarship in Labor & Employment Law Milwaukee, Wisconsin October 27, 2006

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3 Average Annual Earnings of Full- time Workers, 2004 Doctors$128,689 Lawyers 105,716 Economists 71,672 Nurses 53,289 Police 50,063 Auto mechanics 38,967 Secretaries 32,349 Garbage collectors 31,284 Orderlies 20,959 Waiters and waitresses 8,789

4 Distribution of Earnings, 2004

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7 Health Coverage of the Nonelderly, 2004 Source of Coveragemillionspercentage Total population Employment-based coverage Individually Purchased Public Medicare Medicaid Military health care No health insurance

8 Clusters without Coverage Employees of small businesses Workers who lose their jobs Workers who decline employer coverage Low-income parents Low-income childless adults The near elderly Young adults Children Immigrants

9 Transition to Expanded Coverage Tax Changes: cap the exclusion for employer- provided insurance at a fixed dollar amount and gradually replace it with a tax credit Employer Mandate: require employers to offer a plan, and automatically enroll workers Individual Mandate: require workers to get coverage

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11 Rate of Return to Investment in Education as a Function of Age 0 Age Rate of return

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14 Making Labor Markets Work Make Health Care Work Vigorously Enforce Discrimination Laws Reduce Incarceration Levels Make Education and Training Work Raise the Minimum Wage Expand the Unemployment Insurance Program Promote Unionization Make Full Employment a Reality Other ideas –Regulate executive compensation –Restrict immigration –Promote worker safety