ABSTRACT
This chapter documents the impact of the shutdown on those most immediately affected, namely, the displaced workers and their families. In a closing all workers lose their jobs; however, there is variability among workers in the length of their unemployment and in the nature of their new jobs, if they become reemployed. The few studies which compare economic effects of plant closings for blue-collar women as well as men are somewhat consistent in finding a longer period of unemployment following job loss for women than men. An additional economic cost of shutdowns is lower income for the displaced workers. This results not only from the period of unemployment and reemployment at lower wages and/or reduced hours, but also from longer, more frequent periods of unemployment because of loss of seniority and greater probability of job dissatisfaction.
