Feb 05 WATCH: Biden wants to go big, fast and alone on COVID relief By Josh Boak, Associated Press Biden says the rescue plan he is pushing forward in Congress is the "answer to the crisis we are in."… Continue reading
Feb 05 U.S. employers add just 49,000 jobs as unemployment falls to 6.3 percent By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press U.S employers added just 49,000 jobs in January, a sign that that the viral pandemic retains a tight grip on the economy nearly a year after it triggered a painful recession. Continue reading
Feb 04 U.S. unemployment claims fall to 779,000 but job cuts grind on By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined to 779,000 last week, a still-historically high total that shows that a sizable number of people keep losing jobs to the viral pandemic. Continue reading
Feb 03 Why U.S. hiring could rebound faster than expected By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press A hopeful view is gaining steam that as vaccinations reach a critical mass in the United States, perhaps around midyear, the economy and the job market will strengthen much faster. Continue reading
Jan 28 U.S. economy shrank 3.5 percent in 2020 after growing 4 percent last quarter By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press Stuck in the grip of a viral pandemic, the U.S. economy grew at a 4 percent annual rate in the final three months of 2020 and shrank last year by the largest amount in 74 years. Continue reading
Oct 29 Watch 6:57 How the pandemic has shifted U.S. labor from services to goods The last major economic report before Election Day indicates a 7.4 percent growth rate in economic output during the year’s third quarter. It’s a sharp rebound from the record plunge of the previous quarter, and the fastest pace since World… Continue watching
Oct 29 U.S. economy grew at 33 percent rate in third quarter, but recovery is incomplete By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press The U.S. economy grew at a sizzling 33.1% annual rate in the July-September quarter — by far the largest quarterly gain on record — rebounding from an epic plunge in the spring, when the eruption of the coronavirus closed businesses… Continue reading
Oct 27 Watch 6:01 Program putting artists to work during pandemic takes leaf from the past By Jared Bowen, GBH The arts have been devastated by the pandemic, with consumer spending in the sector dropping significantly this year. Now, a pilot program in the mountains of western Massachusetts is looking to ideas from the past to ensure artists’ futures. Special… Continue watching
Oct 20 Watch 6:49 Without more federal aid, U.S. economy could take years to recover from pandemic The coronavirus relief package Congress and the White House are negotiating over has a dual purpose of easing financial hardship for the unemployed and putting more money into the hands of consumers to keep the economy running. What happens when… Continue watching
Oct 13 Social security checks to increase modestly in 2021 despite COVID-19 economic fallout By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Social Security recipients will get a modest 1.3% cost-of living-increase in 2021, but that might be small comfort amid worries about the coronavirus and its consequences for older people. Continue reading