RECENT TRENDS IN JOB-TRAINING

This paper analyzes new data on job qualifications and training. Betwe en 1983 and 1991, the share of workers reporting skill-improvement tra ining on their jobs increased as did the wage premium for this trainin g. Even in 1991, however, 58 percent of al workers reported no trainin g on their jobs, and 44 percent reported needing no special qualificat ions to obtain their jobs. Training rates are especially low for young and less-educated workers. Skill demands appear to have shifted towar d general and cognitive skills-best taught in formal training programs and schools-and away from specific and manual skills acquired through informal on-the-job training.