Jul 30 Worker pay rises strongly as businesses fight to fill jobs By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Wages and salaries rose at a healthy pace in the three months ended in June as employers competed to find enough workers to fill millions of available jobs. Continue reading
Jul 29 Watch 6:12 Japan ignored months of protests to host the Olympics. The opposition is still growing By Phoebe Amoroso Tokyo on Thursday registered its highest number yet of COVID-19 cases. Amid American triumphs in the gym and the pool, the reigning world champion pole vaulter Sam Kendricks was forced to leave after testing positive. The Japanese public is split… Continue watching
Jul 29 U.S. economy surpasses pre-pandemic level, but worker shortage persists By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press Unemployment, at 5.9 percent, is still well above the 3.5 percent rate that prevailed before the pandemic struck. And the economy remains 6.8 million jobs short of its pre-pandemic total. Continue reading
Jul 22 U.S. jobless claims rise to 419,000 from a pandemic low By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The weekly number of first-time applications for benefits, which generally tracks layoffs, has fallen steadily since topping 900,000 in early January. Economists say the increase is most likely a blip caused by some one-time factors. Continue reading
Jul 14 Watch 9:41 Parents in Shickley, Nebraska desperately needed child care. The public school stepped up By Cat Wise, Emily Carpeaux, Murrey Jacobson, Kate McMahon The lack of affordable child care is not just an issue in urban and suburban communities. In rural America, limited access also takes a toll on small town economies. Special correspondent Cat Wise and producer Kate McMahon traveled to Nebraska… Continue watching
Jul 13 U.S. consumer prices surge in June by the most since 2008 By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press American consumers faced a third straight monthly surge in prices in June, the latest evidence that a rapid reopening of the economy is fueling pent-up spending for goods and services that in many cases remain in short supply. Continue reading
Jul 10 Watch 11:59 This former steel mill used to employ thousands—how the site is adapting and creating jobs now By Karla Murthy, Sam Weber The Bethlehem steel mill in Maryland was once the largest working mill in the world, employing 30,000 people at its peak in the 1950's. The collapse of the American steel industry forced the mill into bankruptcy, closing for good in… Continue watching
Jul 02 WATCH: Biden speaks on latest gains in jobs report By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The report suggested that American workers are enjoying an upper hand in the job market as companies, desperate to staff up in a surging economy, dangle higher wages. Continue reading
Jul 01 Facing skilled worker shortage, U.S. companies try to train their own new labor pools By Levi Pulkkinen, The Hechinger Report With a growing consensus that some sectors of the economy face a shortage of qualified workers, employers are paying entry-level workers to learn on the job. Continue reading
Jun 05 Watch 5:43 How did the stimulus checks impact everyday Americans? By PBS NewsHour The COVID-19 relief bill provided emergency aid to tens of millions of Americans facing financial insecurity due to the pandemic. Despite ongoing debate over safety net policy, a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau “household pulse” surveys looks at how… Continue watching