Adaptation strategies of displaced Idaho woods workers: Results of a longitudinal panel study

Adaptation strategies of displaced Idaho woods workers are examined by mean s of a longitudinal panel study. Workers, laid off by a large company for e conomic rather than for environmental/public policy reasons, were interview ed shortly after the layoff and again a year later, The most commonly chose n adaptation strategy at the time of both the first and second interview wa s to work for one of several small contract logging firms, usually at :sign ificantly reduced wages and benefits and with little job security and great er perceived risks of work-related injury. The next most commonly chosen st rategies at the time of the first interview were retirement and remaining u nemployed. A small number opted for retraining. By the time of the second i nterview the number choosing retraining had increased but was still compara tively small. Perhaps the most striking finding was that at the second inte rview, of 84 original panelists only 2 had left their home area in search o f employment in other locations.