Related Content: employment

Does A Lower Unemployment Rate Mean A Better Labor Market?

Essential Reads

The government’s latest jobs report offered both good news and bad news, reflecting an emerging reality of the nation’s economy. The unemployment rate fell from 7.9 percent to 7.7 percent in November, the Labor Department reported Friday, its lowest level in four years. It has dropped more quickly in the past year than in any one-year period since 1995.

November, 02, 2012

Weekly Show

In our last show before Election Day, we take a look at the final campaign sprint in a close election. Also, Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern United States and influences the last week of the race. Also, a look at the new unemployment numbers. Joining Gwen: Jackie Calmes, New York Times; John Harris, Politico; John Harwood, CNBC and New York Times; Amy Walter, ABC News.

Economy adds 96K jobs

Essential Reads

U.S. payrolls grew by a weaker-than-expected 96,000 in August, but the unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent, Labor Department says

Software Raises Bar for Hiring

Essential Reads

n an essay in this newspaper last fall, Peter Cappelli, a professor of management and human resources at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, challenged the oft-heard complaint from employers that they can't find good workers with the right skills. "The real culprits are the employers themselves," he asserted. "It is part of a long-term trend," he adds in an interview, "and the recession caused employers to be able to be pickier, to get even more specific in the skills they think they can find outside the company and to cut back on training."

Will the U.S. Economy Bounce Back Later This Year?

Essential Reads

David Wessel on The News Hub discusses the outlook for the U.S. economy and whether we're likely to see growth rebound in the second half of 2012.

Seeking the Missing Five Million Workers

Essential Reads

In the past two years, the over-age-16 population of U.S. has grown by 5.4 million. But the "labor force" hasn't grown at all. David Wessel on The News Hub looks at what's behind the drop and why you should care.

World Economy Highly Unstable

On The Radar

The IMF is raising its forecasts for global growth from levels it expected in January, but there is still a "high degree of instability" in the world economy, Managing Director Christine Lagarde says in an interview with the WSJ's David Wessel.

The Buffett Rule Won’t Get You a Job

On The Radar

On the seventh and final page of its background report on the "Buffett Rule," out this morning, the Obama administration finally dives into what it calls “the economic rationale” for imposing a new minimum tax rate on millionaires. If you’re an unemployed American, that placement should be your first red flag. The second should be the rationale itself.
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Veterans Return Home to Face Unemployment Battle

On The Radar

Bloomberg's Julianna Goldman reports that as tens of thousands of young veterans come home from the wars, many are struggling to find work with civilian employers who don’t recognize their skills, haven’t shared their experiences and aren’t sure what to make of them.
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Jobs Report Leaves Obama, Romney Campaigns Wary

On The Radar

The nation's steady-but-modest job growth presents political challenges for both of November's all-but-certain presidential rivals. Republican Mitt Romney needs an ailing economy to fully exploit his image as a "Mr. Fix-It" who can restore the nation's financial health, as he turned around the troubled 2002 Winter Olympics. President Barack Obama needs job-creation momentum to convince voters that things are moving in the right direction, even if millions of people remain unemployed.