The Eighth Edition was updated in many dimensions: all of the data in the text has been updated; updated references to the professional literature; new Internet links and exercises; and updated PowerPoint slides.

New discussion of public policy issues include: illegal aliens (chapter 9), human trafficking (chapter 9), union bargaining power (chapter 11), private military companies (chapter 12), the gender wage gap (chapter 14), unemployment benefits (chapter 18), and participant direction in pension plans (chapter 7).

Continuing and expanded emphasis on global aspects of U.S. labor markets include: new World of Work boxes on human trafficking (Chapter 9), illegal aliens (Chapter 9), and the Danish flexicurity labor market model (Chapter 18). These new World of Work boxes join existing discussions of comparative advantage and international trade (Chapter 5), outsourcing (Chapter 5), trade liberalization and labor standards (Chapter 6), NAFTA (Chapter 6), international pay differences (Chapter 8), international differences in the gender pay gap (Chapter 14), and cross-country differences in intergenerational earnings mobility (Chapter 16). Also, each chapter includes Global Perspectives boxes that provide international comparisons in various topics.