Abstract

In the coming years, the regulation of personnel decisions will be affected by both the changing ethnic and age composition of the labor force and by the growing proportion of relatively unstable jobs at smaller, non-union, and non-manufacturing firms. While affirmative action has become dormant and comparable worth is stillborn, antidiscrimination laws and just cause discharge rulings remain potent threats. Employers face the challenge of maintaining flexibility in shaping their workforces under a regulatory environment that increasingly reflects employees' demand for fairness and stability.