ABSTRACT
The disappearance of work in many inner-city neighborhoods is partly related to the nationwide decline in the fortunes of low-skilled workers. The workplace has been revolutionized by technological changes that range from the development of robotics to information highways. Of the changes in the economy that have adversely affected low-skilled African-American workers, perhaps the most significant have been those in the manufacturing sector. The traditional American economy featured rapid growth in productivity and living standards. The movement of lower-educated men into the growth sectors of the economy has been slow. Among the factors that have contributed to the growing gap in employment and wages between low-skilled and college-educated workers is the increased internationalization of the US economy. The structural shifts in the distribution of industrial job opportunities are not the only reason for the increasing joblessness and declining earnings among young black male workers.
