Jan 09 We’re adding jobs like it’s 1999, but American workers just can’t get a raise By Simone Pathe The final unemployment report of 2014, released Friday morning, ended a solid year of payroll gains. But despite December's additional 252,000 jobs and the lowest unemployment rate since 2008, wages aren't rising. In fact, average hourly earnings fell in December,… Continue reading
Jan 01 Undisputed facts about the minimum wage By Simone Pathe The minimum wage is increasing in 29 states this year. Who are minimum wage workers? And what do they look like? We boil down the facts behind the minimum wage debate. Continue reading
Nov 09 If the economic news is good, why did voters say it’s bad? By Simone Pathe Two-thirds of voters told exit pollsters last week that the economy was getting worse. And yet, Friday's jobs report marked the ninth straight month of job gains over 200,000 and the lowest unemployment rate since the summer of 2008. Continue reading
Nov 07 The startling fact you, we and Paul Krugman didn’t know about the jobs report By Simone Pathe October's payroll gains were slightly lower than expected at 214,000, but average six-month gains continued to suggest a strong recovery. You might be surprised to learn, however, that those payroll gains don't just reflect full-time jobs. They also include part-time… Continue reading
Sep 18 Twitter Chat: What’s the economic impact of the rise of single U.S. adults? By Nora Daly Every month the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases an “Employment Situation Summary” based on current employment and population statistics the agency collects. But does this report paint a full picture?… Continue reading
Sep 05 Noisy data aside, the big question from August’s jobs report is who’s dropping out of the workforce? By Simone Pathe The economy added a fewer than expected 142,000 jobs last month -- the lowest monthly gain of the year. But the unemployment rate ticked down to 6.1 percent, which is good news, right? Maybe not. That all depends on who's… Continue reading
Sep 04 Jobless claims up slightly By Simone Pathe Initial jobless claims rose by 4,000 for the week ending August 30, bringing the total for the week to only slightly higher than the projected 300,000. Continue reading
Aug 01 Another 200K jobs for ‘The Little Engine That Could’ By Simone Pathe July marks the sixth straight month of job gains exceeding 200,000 -- a growth record not seen since 1997. But there's still not enough turnover in the labor market, the Brookings Institution's Justin Wolfers and MIT's Peter Diamond say, to… Continue reading
Jul 03 A better-than-expected birthday present for U.S. in June jobs report By Simone Pathe Despite concerns about sluggish growth in the first quarter of 2014, the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, and the economy added more than 200,000 jobs for the fifth straight month… Continue reading
Jun 18 Children cost an hour of leisure every day By Sarah McHaney Employed adults in a household with children under six spend a full hour less per day on leisure activities than other employed adults. This is according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual report on how Americans spend their time. Continue reading