Abstract
Although scholars have developed broader measures of community prosperity, it is still apparent that the core of any prosperous community is a well-functioning labor market that supports decent paying jobs for the local population. This chapter provides a review and critique of the theoretical approaches developed by social scientists on labor markets in general, and rural labor markets specifically, especially in lieu of the changing global economy. Additionally, data presented explore several aspects of rural labor markets in the U.S., with a focus on the last decade. Although state and federal initiatives continue to promote the creation of rural jobs, there is strong evidence that rural workers remain disadvantaged compared to urban workers in terms of the quality and diversity of jobs available, and compensation for those jobs. Just as concerning is that many (but not all) of the changes taking place in the broad structure of the U.S. and global economies do not appear to offer good prospects for reversing these long-term disparities.
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†This handbook represents the collective efforts of many contributors, but sadly, this chapter’s author will not see the final product. Alex Vias passed away suddenly on April 25, 2011 at far too young an age. Throughout his productive, albeit too short, academic career, Alex’s work focused on the changing economic and demographic landscapes in the rural United States. We are grateful for Alex’s contributions to our understanding of rural migration patterns, the changing retail geography in rural areas, and complex health disparities emerging between urban and rural regions. Most of all, however, we will miss Alex as a colleague and friend who brought us a wonderfully dry sense of humor and an unending curiosity about places.
Peter B. Nelson, Department of Geography, Middlebury College, Middlebury College, VT 05753, USA
e-mail: pbnelson@middlebury.edu
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Vias†, A.C. (2012). Perspectives on U.S. Rural Labor Markets in the First Decade of the Twenty-First Century. In: Kulcsár, L., Curtis, K. (eds) International Handbook of Rural Demography. International Handbooks of Population, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1842-5_19
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