Decomposing the occupational structure of rural and urban labor markets allows assessing whether these structures became more alike or more dissimilar between 1970 and 1990. A shift-share method is used to compute 'predicted' and 'specialized' shares for 9 inclusive occupations. A SUR model is...

The paper documents the degree of concentration of textile and apparel employment in rural countries, assesses the vulnerability to job loss by detailed industry in light of the expiration of import quotas, and assesses the potential for adjustment of displaced workers.

Over a third of nonmetropolitan counties lost more than 10 percent of their population over the past 20 years through net outmigration. Poverty and low education account for the high net outmigration in some of these counties, but most are relatively prosperous. Their outmigration is related to...