INTRODUCTIONS

An introduction is usually the first section in a formal report. The introduction introduces the report to the reader.

The introduction explains what the report is about, why it was written, for whom it was written, and what it will cover. An introduction is usually no more than one or two pages (Figure 34).

Most introductions do the following:

image Introduce the topic of the report.

image Explain the purpose of the report.

image Identify the target audience for the report.

image Provide an overview of the content covered in the report.

image Provide any history that may motivate readers to be interested.

Sections within the report may have their own introductions. A section introduction introduces a new topic, provides a content overview of the topic, and eases the transitions between sections.

Figure 34 Introduction

INTRODUCTION

America’s Dynamic Workforce presents an overview of current conditions and notable trends affecting the American labor market and economic activity. Primary emphasis is on measures of labor market performance—employment, labor force participation, unemployment, and compensation. General measures of economic performance such as gross domestic product (GDP) and productivity growth are also described as they relate to labor market conditions and trends. Throughout this report the focus is on the data—what the numbers actually say about the American labor market—and on how individual data items fit together to present an overall portrait of the health and dynamism of the market.

There are six chapters:

Chapter 1 summarizes the current levels and trends of payroll jobs, total employment, job openings, turnover, unemployment, and GDP.

Chapter 2 provides a global context for understanding the U.S. labor market and compares the United States and other countries along common dimensions of labor market indicators.

Chapter 3 presents an overview of patterns, recent trends and projections regarding the distribution of employment across industries and occupations.

Chapter 4 examines the educational attainment of the labor force, including trends and comparisons of employment, earnings, and unemployment relative to educational attainment.

Chapter 5 examines the concept of labor force flexibility in terms of schedules, work arrangements, and other factors.

Chapter 6 highlights the dimensions of opportunity in the American workforce, including dynamic age, gender, race, and ethnicity perspectives.

The end notes provide important technical details, caveats, and references to additional information about the data items discussed in the main text.

Most of the tables and charts in America’s Dynamic Workforce: 2006 reflect annual average data for calendar years ending in 2005 as the most recent full year available. In some cases, monthly data through the latest available month in 2006 (typically June) are also referenced.

In this report, the terms “population” and “labor force” refer to the civilian non-institutional population ages 16 and older and to the civilian labor force age 16 and over unless specified otherwise. Similarly, data on workers refer to employed persons age 16 and over unless otherwise noted. Monthly or quarterly labor market data are seasonally adjusted unless specified otherwise.

Much of the data in this report were compiled from the public access files of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Web site at www.bls.gov.

(Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor)

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