Abstract
The 1981-1982 recession led to the highest unemployment rates of the post-World War II period. Rates were different for workers in different occupations and industries, ranging from less than 5% for those in white-collar occupations and over 14% for those with blue-collar jobs. In comparing postwar recessions, it is shown that wide disparities among occupation unemployment rates are typical and can be indicative of major structural change in the economy. Dislocated workers are defined as individuals with established work histories who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and who will probably face great difficulty in finding comparable employment. For this reason - and also because the public in general benefits from the factors that produce dislocated workers - it is often argued that such workers should be singled out for attention from the other unemployed. Institutions must be developed based on a realization that many employees will face the need for a major career change at some point in their lives.