Job Market Monitor
United States
Out-of-Work in US – 11.3 million individuals
Of the combined unemployed and not-in-the-labor-force populations, our goal is to identify those most likely to be interested in or benefit from workforce development assistance. Therefore, we subtracted the following groups: people receiving retirement and disability benefits, most students, and our best estimate of people who choose to be stay-at-home parents with sufficient earnings from … Continue reading
Information on Postsecondary Labor Market Outcomes in US – Match student records with employment data and regularly publicize aggregate employment and earnings outcomes by program of study, ideally through legislation
Information on postsecondary labor market outcomes is becoming increasingly important for students, educators, institution leaders, and policymakers in today’s rapidly changing economy. This paper assesses the current landscape of employment data, proposing technical enhancements to help agencies and institutions more effectively collect and share information. Recommendations on federal and state policies to better inform students … Continue reading
Labor Market in US – It is doing quite well but earnings inequality continues to rise
In the aggregate the US labor market is doing quite well. Unemployment is currently below 5%, and real weekly earnings of full-time workers increased from the 2000 cyclical peak to the current period of near full employment. The difficulties lie behind the aggregates. Earnings inequality continues to rise, with the growth in earnings most prevalent … Continue reading
Minimum Wages in US – No effect on prices of changes similar to those observed historically research finds
Minimum wage policy attracts an enormous amount of attention in the United States. Between January 2014 and July 2015, the effective minimum wage in- creased in 26 states, and as of January 2015, 75% of Americans supported an increase in the federal minimum wage to over twelve dollars per hour. Researchers have responded to this … Continue reading
Household Finances in US – 44 Percent could not cover an unexpected $400 emergency expense Fed finds
The report, based on the Board’s fourth annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking conducted in October 2016, presents a picture of improving financial well-being among Americans. Overall, 70 percent of respondents said they were either “living comfortably” or “doing okay,” up 1 percentage point from 2015 and up 8 percentage points from the first … Continue reading
Participation in US – 11 percentage point gap in participation rates between men with a college degree and those with a high school degree or less
For decades, the portion of prime-age men (ages 25 to 54) in the labor force has been in decline. More recently, the labor force participation rate of prime-age women has stagnated and also declined. This paper addresses the consequences of, and reasons for, these declines, especially among men. A subsequent effort will address appropriate policy … Continue reading
Data and Analytics Talent in US – The number of positions will increase by 364,000 openings to 2,720,000 in 2020
The democratization of data is transforming our world. Sensors are everywhere. Cities are measur- ing and acting upon a wide variety of data sources. Governments at all levels are opening their data to their citizens. Old businesses are being transformed by data. Dynamic new businesses are powered by data. Anyone with a smart phone now … Continue reading
Millennials in US – The share of college-educated young adults in today’s workforce is higher than ever before
As U.S. college graduates earn their bachelor’s degrees and enter the job market this month, data from the Census Bureau show that the share of college-educated young adults in today’s workforce is higher than ever before. Four-in-ten Millennial workers ages 25 to 29 had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2016, according to a Pew … Continue reading
Millennials in US – The largest living generation
In 2016, there were an estimated 79.8 million Millennials (ages 18 to 35 in that year) compared with 74.1 million Baby Boomers (ages 52 to 70). The Millennial population is expected to continue growing until 2036 as a result of immigration. By some measures, Millennials have very different lives than earlier generations did when they … Continue reading
H-1B Visas in US – About two-thirds (64%) of requests were for occupations in STEM
President Donald Trump has ordered a comprehensive review of the H-1B visa program, the primary way that companies in the United States hire high-skilled foreign workers. The multiagency review is expected to result in suggested changes to ensure that the most skilled and highest-paid applicants receive H-1B visas. Though the order may be the first … Continue reading
Minimum Wage in US – Gradually raising to 15$ by 2024 would directly lift the wages of 22.5 million workers
The federal minimum wage was established in 1938, as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), to help ensure that all work would be fairly rewarded and that regular employment would provide a decent quality of life. In theory, Congress makes periodic amendments to the FLSA to increase the federal minimum wage to ensure … Continue reading
Job Report, US, April 2017 – Total nonfarm and unemployment rate was little changed at 4.4 percent
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 211,000 in April, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, health care and social assistance, financial activities, and mining. Household Survey Data Both the unemployment rate, at 4.4 percent, and the … Continue reading
Immigration in US – About one-fifth of the world’s migrants
The U.S. has more immigrants than any other country in the world. Today, more than 40 million people living in the U.S. were born in another country, accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s migrants in 2015. The population of immigrants is also very diverse, with just about every country in the world represented among … Continue reading
Gender Differences in Occupations in US – Risk aversion and attitudes toward competition, a clear scope for future
The differential sorting of men and women into different occupations could be an important channel through which gender wage differences are maintained. At the same time, the same factors that lead men and women to choose different occupations may also have a direct effect on the gender wage gap. Over the last decade, labor economists … Continue reading
Class of 2017 in US – Underemployment rates among young graduates have improved but remain higher than before the recession began
After years of elevated unemployment and depressed wages, young graduates’ economic prospects have finally begun to brighten. Members of the Class of 2017 have better job prospects than their peers who graduated in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Unemployment rates for young high school and young college graduates have returned to within one percentage … Continue reading
