Mar 06 Unemployment Rate Soars to 8.1% in February By Admin, PBS News Hour U.S. employers cut 651,000 jobs in February, the Labor Department reported Friday, pushing the nation's unemployment rate to 8.1 percent, the highest it has been since 1983. Continue reading
Mar 06 Is Anyone Still Hiring? Question: Is anyone still hiring? Paul Solman: The number is now in: 651,000 jobs shed in February. Also, from the Bloomberg story this morning: “The payroll drop in January was revised up to 655,000 from 598,000 and December now… Continue reading
Mar 06 Unemployment Woes Hit Cities, Suburbs Harder than Most of U.S. By Admin, PBS News Hour As the country absorbs the newest round of national unemployment data Friday, the real-world effect in local communities is proving a mixed picture. Continue reading
Mar 03 Watch Debate Centers on Proposal to Create Jobs by Updating National Infrastructure A debate at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia focused on proposals to create jobs through an overhaul of the nation's infrastructure. Robert MacNeil moderated the discussion. Continue watching
Mar 03 Bernanke Defends AIG Rescue, Urges Quick Moves on Economy By Admin, PBS News Hour Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke advised moving "aggressively" to ease the economic crisis during testimony to lawmakers Tuesday while defending the government's latest moves to prop up troubled insurance giant American International Group. Continue reading
Mar 02 Why Don't We Offer Earlier Retirement Incentives to Open Up Jobs for the Unemployed? Question/Comment: Someone must have already considered this idea for the economic stimulus, but I haven’t heard anything about it: Why don’t we offer earlier retirement incentives for people still working at retirement age because they want to get their maximum… Continue reading
Feb 27 Watch Obama Seeks to End Iraq Combat Mission in 2010 Speaking at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune Friday, President Barack Obama set a timetable to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq in 2010, while leaving a transitional force in place. Kwame Holman reports on the president's speech and reactions on Capitol… Continue watching
Feb 27 Economy Shrank 6.2% at End of 2008, Fastest Since 1982 By Admin, PBS News Hour The U.S. economy contracted at a sharp 6.2 percent pace at the close of 2008, its worst showing since 1982, as exports plunged and consumers and businesses cut back spending. Continue reading
Feb 26 Watch Other News: U.S. Jobless Claims Rise, Stocks Fall on Health Care Plans In other news, the Labor Department reported that U.S. jobless claims rose to their highest levels since 1982 and markets fell on concerns that medical and drug companies would lose money under the president's new health care budget. Continue watching
Feb 25 Are We Overreacting to Unemployment Numbers? Question/Comment: In the early ’80’s unemployment was over 10 percent. I’m old enough to remember what the economy was like at that time. It wasn’t pretty given interest rates, but on the other hand we weren’t considering massive government funding… Continue reading