Economy Oct 06 Job growth defies expectations but questions remain about overall health of economy By Paul Solman, Shoshana Dubnow
Nation Feb 03 Watch 6:40 Hiring surges but trends show more working-age men dropping out of labor force Job growth surged last month, shaking off fears of a hiring slowdown. Employers added 517,000 jobs in a hiring boom far stronger than anyone had expected. The jobless rate dropped to 3.4%, the lowest level in 53 years. The report… By Paul Solman, Ryan Connelly Holmes
Nation Dec 20 Moms have made it work during the pandemic — but at what cost? The worry that the coronavirus will upend life at any moment has never let up for families. By Megan McGrew, Molly Finnegan
Making Sen$e Oct 05 The unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been since 1969. Here’s why The unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent in September, the lowest since the Vietnam War. The economy added 134,00 jobs, fewer than expected because of losses from Hurricane Florence. By Gretchen Frazee
Making Sen$e Aug 04 July jobs report closes the near decade-long jobs gap Employers added 209,000 jobs in July, continuing a long trend of substantial job growth and pushing the unemployment rate down to 4.3 percent. By Kristen Doerer
Jun 22 Watch 7:35 Sobering IMF report on U.S. economy cites dwindling middle class, growing income equality By PBS News Hour A new outlook issued Wednesday by the International Monetary Fund drew some startling conclusions about the U.S. economy. The report asserts that the American middle class is gradually shrinking, the seven-year economic recovery is starting to slow and the pronounced… Continue watching
May 06 Job gains fall short, but wages see upswing By Kristen Doerer The U.S. economy added 160,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate remained at 5 percent. Continue reading
Apr 01 The unemployment rate ticked up to 5 percent. Here’s why that’s a good thing By Kristen Doerer “The unemployment rate can tick up for two reasons. One is weak jobs, and the other is more people coming back into the labor force,” said economist Nariman Behravesh. Continue reading
Sep 01 Watch More part-time workers suffer instability, long hours to make ends meet By PBS News Hour As employers seek more control over labor costs, the number of part-time jobs has soared in the post-great recession period. But increasingly erratic work schedules -- an attempt to squeeze maximum efficiency from every part-timer -- has taken a toll… Continue watching
May 02 Watch Good news in jobs report bolstered by shrinking workforce By PBS News Hour The jobs report released Friday finds that employers added 288,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent. However, the dip in unemployment was driven by a sharp decline — more than 800,000 — in the number… Continue watching