Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 201,000 in August, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in professional and business services, health care, wholesale trade,transportation and warehousing, and mining. Household Survey Data The unemployment rate remained at 3.9 percent in August, and … Continue reading
The new data showing Amazon employees’ extensive reliance on SNAP 9Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal anti-poverty program formerly known as food stamps) demonstrates an additional public cost of the corporation’s rapid expansion. Even as generous subsidies help its warehouses turn a profit, its workers still must turn to the federal safety net to put … Continue reading
Accurate and complete data can empower college choices, promote student success, and inform federal, state and institutional policies. Yet existing postsecondary student data systems are disconnected, duplicative and incomplete. A Blueprint for Better Information: Recommendations for a Federal Postsecondary Student-Level Data Network underscores the need for a coordinated and comprehensive network that leverages data from … Continue reading
More than one third of college-educated workers have a license that provides the right to practice a particular occupation. In contrast to certificates, these licenses—serving either as a productivity signal or acting as a restrictive practice—are associated with significantly higher earnings. Thus, it is possible that some part of the returns to college are in … Continue reading
The low unemployment rate is leading employers to recruit and hire people they might otherwise screen out, such as people with disabilities or criminal backgrounds. The effects are also showing up in the data: The number of people who cite disability as a reason for not working has recently fallen, reversing a decades-long trend. But … Continue reading
In a new paper out of the Metropolitan policy program, experts John Austin and Richard Kazis discuss rebuilding the rust belt workforce. They point out that many manufacturing hubs across the midwest have not recovered from the disruption of domestic manufacturing jobs. This shift has taken a hit on “employee-based safety net protections,” leaving workers … Continue reading
Evidence indicates that America’s separation of executive and legislative powers makes it unlikely that a point system could operate e ectively or in a manner similar to those in Canada or Australia, which have parliamentary systems of government and agencies with the authority to make rapid and unilateral changes to a point system when problems … Continue reading
These 100 companies were voted the 100 best internship programs in the U.S. by a panel of industry expert judges and thousands of public votes. Congratulations to the #1 internship program winner, KPMG. Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Top 100 Internship Programs — National Intern Day
Some 10 million people over 50 in the U.S. live at or below the annual federal poverty level of $11,800, with another 37 million at risk. No dreams of a beach retirement here. Even among the employed, more than 13.2 million low-income older adults don’t make enough money to meet their expenses despite working steadily. … Continue reading
In communities across the country, many employers are having trouble finding enough skilled workers, especially to fill middle-skilled positions that require some postsecondary training but not a four-year college degree. They may be overlooking an untapped resource. Immigrants in those communities could potentially meet these labor force needs, but many are in lower-skilled jobs with limited … Continue reading
One of the most striking social science findings of recent years is that only half of today’s 30-year-olds earn more than their parents. Raj Chetty and his coauthors showed that rates of absolute mobility—that is, the share of children with higher inflation-adjusted incomes than their parents—declined from around 90 percent for children born in 1940 … Continue reading
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 157,000 in July, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in professional and business services, in manufacturing, and in health care and social assistance. Household Survey Data In July, the unemployment rate edged down by 0.1 percentage … Continue reading
European immigrants in the United States have largely dwindled in number since 1960, after historically making up the bulk of immigration to the country. Today, immigrants from Eastern Europe account for the largest share of European arrivals, and Europeans overall are much older and more educated than the total foreign- and native-born populations. This article … Continue reading
Increased globalization places competitive pressures on firms heavily involved in international trade. To be successful, firms must be innovative and productive—two attributes that rely greatly on a skilled workforce. Key in the toolbox of productive workers are science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills. However, STEM skills are often not enough to generate significant productivity … Continue reading
While there has been considerable attention on illegal immigration into the U.S. recently, opinions about legal immigration have undergone a long-term change. Support for increasing the level of legal immigration has risen, while the share saying legal immigration should decrease has fallen. The survey by Pew Research Center, conducted June 5-12 among 2,002 adults, finds … Continue reading