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
Oct 24 This is why the recession still hurts By Simone Pathe The American economy is still feeling the effects of the 2008 financial crisis. A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research analyzes the largest components of America's declined output -- from lost investment to lower labor force participation… Continue reading
Oct 03 A two-tiered jobs report for a two-tiered economy By Simone Pathe With the unemployment rate dipping below 6 percent for the first time since the summer of 2008, and payroll gains of 248,000, September's headline employment data points to a real economic recovery -- with jobs. But last month wasn't so… Continue reading
Sep 29 Why are fewer people going to college? By Simone Pathe In an economy where college graduates earn significantly more than high school grads and enjoy a much lower unemployment rate, why are fewer people enrolling in college? Enrollment has dropped by nearly a million since 2011. Is this an expected… Continue reading
Sep 06 Watch U.S. unemployment decrease reflects more workforce dropouts By PBS News Hour According to Friday's jobs report, the unemployment rate dropped from 6.2 percent to 6.1 percent. However, the number of Americans dropping out of the workforce rose. Sudeep Reddy, an economics editor at the Wall Street Journal joins Hari Sreenivasan from… Continue watching
Sep 05 Watch New job growth doesn't indicate a strong labor market By PBS News Hour Though economists predicted a month of strong hiring, only 142,000 positions were added to the market in August. Paul Solman explains why the growth disappointed many. Continue watching
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
Sep 01 Watch U.S. optimism lags behind economic gains, study finds By PBS News Hour For many months now, the number of new jobs created has risen and the jobless rate has fallen substantially. But despite what appears to be a slow and steady recovery, a new study finds that 71 percent of Americans believe… Continue watching