Sep 15 Watch 8:54 Will mega-corporations give way to a local manufacturing renaissance? By PBS News Hour Big companies today aren't creating nearly as many middle-class jobs. Instead they're hiring out much of the work to contractors around the world. But what if we could reverse engineer our technology to bring about a new era of local… Continue watching
Sep 13 Watch 3:12 The U.S. just got a big pay raise. Why don’t we feel it? By PBS News Hour It’s a major issue on the campaign trail: American angst about jobs and wages. New census data from last year shows that for the first time in almost a decade, household incomes in the U.S. have gone up and the… Continue watching
Sep 05 Watch 6:59 Can unions adapt to today’s economic challenges? By PBS News Hour Union membership has been on the decline in the U.S. for decades, and is currently half of what it was in the 1980s. How are unions adapting in an era of stagnant wages and a growing “sharing economy”? Hari Sreenivasan… Continue watching
Sep 01 Watch 7:56 What would trade policy look like in a Clinton White House today? By PBS News Hour Hillary Clinton, long associated with free trade agreements, has made a big switch this election. Economics correspondent Paul Solman sits down with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a leading progressive lawmaker and one of Clinton’s supporters, for a discussion of her… Continue watching
Aug 25 Watch 9:19 For Trump, China is at the heart of U.S. economic problems By PBS News Hour This year’s presidential election has emphasized the trio of trade, globalization and jobs. For the next three weeks, Making Sen$e’s Paul Solman will dive into the candidates’ perspectives on these issues. He starts with Donald Trump, whose trade rhetoric tends… Continue watching
Jun 23 Watch 8:36 Why a severe housing shortage means reduced wages for workers By PBS News Hour According to a new report, more than 40 million American households are spending a third of their income on rent, and housing shortages in major cities such as New York and San Francisco may ultimately lead to billions of dollars… Continue watching
May 18 Watch 2:34 ‘When you work extra, you should be paid extra,’ says Labor Secretary By PBS News Hour Continue watching
May 18 Watch 6:47 Obama Labor decree makes millions more eligible for overtime pay By PBS News Hour For the first time since 2004, the federal government is changing the earnings threshold that governs who is eligible for overtime pay. Some Republicans and business advocates warn that the rules change could turn out to be a job killer. Continue watching
May 17 Obama administration extends overtime protections to 4.2 million workers By Kristen Doerer If you’re a salaried employee who makes under $47,476 a year, you will now be paid time and a half for every hour you work over 40 hours a week. 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