Summary
With millions of people still out of work during the pandemic, Friday's mediocre jobs report puzzled many analysts who expected hundreds of thousands more new jobs.
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Analysts expected hundreds of thousands more new jobs to have been created as the U.S. emerges from pandemic lockdown measures and consumers return to spending.
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President Joe Biden has made the case that additional federal spending on infrastructure and other programs could help add jobs and help the economy recover more quickly.
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Some critics, however, believe that stimulus checks and other federal programs like unemployment insurance benefits have made returning to work less attractive for some potential new employees.
Five Facts
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Who
is interviewed in this piece and what are their backgrounds?
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Why
did experts expect more new jobs in the month of April?
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What
are some of the reasons these experts think the jobs report isn't worth panicking over?
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How
does the Biden administration hope to stimulate more hiring and a faster-growing economy?
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When
do the experts interviewed here expect more workers to help fill the demand for work in the market?
Focus Questions
What actions do you think local officials could take to help boost hiring and the local economy?
Media literacy:
Why do you think the producers chose to interview the two experts in this piece? What perspectives do you think they represent?
