According to GAO's analysis of data in the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS), on average, low-wage workers worked fewer hours per week, were more highly concentrated in a few industries and occupations, and had lower educational attainment than workers earning hourly wages above $16 in each year GAO reviewed--1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2016. Their percentage of the U.S. workfo

Women in general have surpassed men in obtaining education over the last three decades, but on average, women with a high school degree or less earned lower hourly wages than men with the same level of education. Among these less-educated workers, women tended to work in industries and occupations, such as health care and social assistance, that had lower wages than those in which men worked. Eve

GAO noted that: (1) unemployment rates for workers in IT occupations are well below those for all workers; (2) at 1.3 percent in 1997, the rate was less than one-third the rate for all workers; (3) employment in IT industries has grown steadily, as has employment of workers in IT occupations, which has nearly doubled in the last decade to about 1.9 million in 1997; (4) despite employment increase

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Labor's wage determination process under the Davis-Bacon Act, focusing on the number of counties that had: (1) construction projects receiving more than $2,000 in federal funds in fiscal year 1995; and (2) current wage determinations. GAO noted that in 1995: (1) 3,091 out of 3,100 counties had at least one construc

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed a report comparing federal civilian pay and private-sector pay. GAO noted that: (1) in contrast to a number of other studies, the report concludes that federal civilian employees receive about 51 percent more in salaries, wages, and benefits over their careers than do private-sector employees and that a 33.7 percent wage reduction is needed to bri

GAO found that: (1) campus recruiting was the dominant recruiting method for officials, managers, and professional positions, and newspaper advertisements received the second highest rating; (2) the personal interview received the highest rating among factors companies used in deciding which applicants to hire, and at least half of the companies considered grade point average and work experience

GAO found that: (1) 72 percent of employed respondents were working for government contractors or grantees; (2) over half of the respondents employed by government contractors or grantees received higher pay after leaving DOE, and 60 percent of them reported that higher pay had a major effect on their decision to leave DOE; (3) although most employees peformed the same type of work, they had less

GAO found that: (1) higher salaries paid under the special rates program appeared to help to retain employees in the four clerical occupations reviewed; (2) in 18 of the 20 specific special rate cases examined, quit rates declined in the year after the imposition of special rates; (3) comparatively, quit rates declined in about half of the 118 cases examined where personnel in the same occupation

GAO found that surveyed federal agency personnel and line managers believed that: (1) low federal pay was the most important reason employees left or applicants declined federal employment, especially in geographic areas with high living costs; (2) the availability of nonfederal jobs was the second most important reason for leaving or declining federal employment; (3) federal job security was the

GAO discussed the proposed Federal Pay Reform Act of 1990, focusing on the need to reform federal pay-setting principles and processes and restore competition with nonfederal salary rates. GAO found that: (1) noncompetitive salary rates are a major cause of federal recruitment and retention difficulties; (2) unlimited presidential prerogatives over salary schedule adjustments will not provide ade