Susan N. Houseman (born 1956[1]) is an American economist who is the vice president and director of research at the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.[2] She is also a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research Conference on Research on Income and Wealth, chairs the Technical Advisory Committee of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,[3] and co-directs the Labor Statistics Program at the IZA Institute of Labor Economics.[4]

Susan Nelson Houseman
Alma mater
SpouseCurtis E. Hall
Children4
Awards1985–86 Wells Prize for Outstanding Dissertation in Economics, Harvard University
Scientific career
Fieldslabor economics
InstitutionsW. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
University of Maryland, College Park
Brookings Institution
Websitehttps://www.upjohn.org/about/upjohn-team/staff/susan-n-houseman

Education

edit

Houseman holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics and international relations from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University (1985).[5]

Career

edit

Houseman began her career as a professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution.[3] She left these institutions in 1989 to join the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research of Kalamazoo, in large part because this position allowed her more time to raise her four children.[6] Her research focuses on temporary help employment, outsourcing, and the way that these working arrangements affect workers' compensation and official measures of productivity.[7] Her research has shown that extraordinary growth in the computer industry—not automation in other industries—is responsible for all of the unusual productivity growth in the manufacturing sector,[8] and that declining manufacturing employment in the US is due more to trade than to automation.[9]

During the Covid-19 recession, Houseman was a frequent commentator on layoffs and unemployment insurance programs.[10][11] She also advocated the use of voluntary workshare programs to maintain relationships between workers and employers.[12][13][14][15] Her research on the success of these programs in European countries was cited by the Biden presidential campaign in their plans to expand the use of such programs in the United States.[16]

Selected works

edit
  • Houseman, Susan N. "Why employers use flexible staffing arrangements: Evidence from an establishment survey." Ilr Review 55, no. 1 (2001): 149-170.
  • David, H., and Susan N. Houseman. "Do temporary-help jobs improve labor market outcomes for low-skilled workers? Evidence from" Work First"." American economic journal: applied economics 2, no. 3 (2010): 96-128.
  • Houseman, Susan, Christopher Kurz, Paul Lengermann, and Benjamin Mandel. "Offshoring bias in US manufacturing." Journal of Economic Perspectives 25, no. 2 (2011): 111-32.
  • Houseman, Susan. "Outsourcing, offshoring and productivity measurement in United States manufacturing." International Labour Review 146, no. 1‐2 (2007): 61-80.
  • Abraham, Katharine G., and Susan N. Houseman. Does employment protection inhibit labor market flexibility? Lessons from Germany, France, and Belgium. No. w4390. National Bureau of Economic Research, 1993.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Houseman, Susan N." Name Authority File. Library of Congress.
  2. ^ "Susan N. Houseman | Staff | Upjohn Institute". www.upjohn.org. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Susan Houseman | The Hamilton Project". www.hamiltonproject.org. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  4. ^ "Noted Labor Economist, Dr. Susan Houseman, to Speak at upcoming PMP Session – LMI Institute". www.lmiontheweb.org. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "Curriculum Vitae, Susan N. Houseman" (PDF). W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. December 2018.
  6. ^ Houseman, Susan (Spring–Summer 2006). "Working as a Research Economist at the Upjohn Institute," CSWEP Newsletter page 6". American Economic Association.
  7. ^ "Susan N. Houseman | IZA - Institute of Labor Economics". www.iza.org. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  8. ^ Bernstein, Jared. "Don't blame the robots! An interview on manufacturing, automation, and globalization with Susan Houseman". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  9. ^ "Susan Houseman on Manufacturing". Econlib. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  10. ^ Iacurci, Greg (July 8, 2020). "You may soon lose unemployment benefits — and that extra $600 a week — if you're not hunting for jobs". CNBC. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  11. ^ Iacurci, Greg (October 13, 2020). "Unemployment was supposed to be temporary. Now, it's permanent for almost 4 million". CNBC. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  12. ^ Balaskovitz, Andy. "Work-sharing draws new attention as a 'win-win' alternative to layoffs". mibiz.com. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  13. ^ Houseman, Katharine G. Abraham and Susan N. (May 11, 2020). "Opinion | Since Work Is Rare, It's Time to Share". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  14. ^ Bloomberg (June 14, 2020). "These state programs offer a path to rehire U.S. workers". Daily Herald. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  15. ^ Thompson, Sarah Lehr and Carol. "Program gives employees more than $600 a week for working a few hours less, but few are using it". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  16. ^ Bruno, Bianca (April 16, 2020). "Biden Touts Plan to Overhaul Unemployment Insurance". Retrieved October 16, 2020.