This text covers the essential aspects of modern labor economics from an international perspective, providing students with a comprehensive survey of economic theory and empirical evidence on purely competitive labor markets. In addition, the authors examine the impact of imperfect competition, incomplete information and uncertainty, and institutional factors--stemming from laws, unions, and human resource policies--on wages and employment opportunities. Research papers and policy analyses from a number of countries provide students with a global perspective often absent in other texts. Comprehensive coverage of personnel economics, including incentive pay systems and career compensation, outlines important implications for neo-classical labor economics.