Mar 07 A welcome 175K jobs, but long-term unemployment here to stay By Simone Pathe The economy added 175,000 jobs last month, a relief after anemic growth earlier this winter. But 3.85 million Americans have been unemployed for over 27 weeks. Continue reading
Mar 06 Watch Why obsessing over economic indicators may hinder economic improvement By PBS News Hour The monthly jobs report is big news on the first Friday of every month, swaying the financial markets and prompting immediate analysis. But should these numbers matter so much? A new book, “The Leading Indicators,” argues we overvalue data like… Continue watching
Mar 06 How counting the unemployed started as a progressive reform By Zachary Karabell Economists and the media use the monthly jobs numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to take the pulse of our economy. But the collection of that data actually grew out of a progressive reform movement to asses the plight… Continue reading
Feb 24 The Affordable Care Act: Not jobs destroyed, but jobs opened By Suzanne Gallagher Much has been made of the Affordable Care Act's effects on workers, many of whom may now quit their jobs or work less because they can obtain health care outside of work. But their choice to work less could also… Continue reading
Feb 22 Long-term unemployed describe lack of mobility, depression in personal stories By Elisabeth Ponsot As part of PBS NewsHour's coverage of the long-term jobless, we gathered personal stories from Americans who have lost their emergency unemployment benefits since the turn of the new year. NewsHour received hundreds of submissions from people age 23 to… Continue reading
Feb 22 Watch As benefits expire, long-term unemployed make do with less By PBS News Hour On Dec. 28, 1.3 million Americans lost their unemployment insurance when an emergency federal unemployment insurance program expired. Critics of extended unemployment benefits say the benefits raise jobless numbers by allowing people to stay unemployed longer instead of taking an… Continue watching
Feb 21 Too many college grads? Or too few? By Anthony Carnevale, Nicole Smith, Jeff Strohl Don't believe the statistics that point to the stagnant demand for college-educated workers; college attendance is still an advantage in the labor market, and suggesting otherwise only discourages those who could benefit most from going to college. Continue reading
Feb 19 Watch CBO report fuels debate on costs and benefits of boosting the minimum wage By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Feb 18 Picturing hunger in America By Mary Jo Brooks "Hunger Through My Lens" gives digital cameras to food stamp recipients and asks them to chronicle what it's like to be hungry in America. So far, 15 women --who come from all walks of life-- have participated. Over the months,… Continue reading
Feb 17 Unemployment overtakes political gridlock as America's biggest worry By Simone Pathe Nearly a quarter of Americans cite unemployment as the country’s biggest concern in the February poll, up from 16 percent in January. Continue reading