How Weak is the Labor Market?
April 1, 2021
The most cited unemployment rate does not capture the full extent of weakness in the labor market — and this is a bigger issue in recessions.
Policies and trends around employment impact over 160 million working Americans and their families. Our posts discuss a range of topics including: demographic trends in labor force participation; unemployment; the impact of immigration; minimum wage laws; discrimination; how trade policy affects U.S. jobs; the rise of automation; and employment-focused education and skills programs, among others.
April 1, 2021
The most cited unemployment rate does not capture the full extent of weakness in the labor market — and this is a bigger issue in recessions.
March 10, 2021
Unions can have impacts beyond their members’ labor conditions — affecting wages of nonunion workers, the productivity of firms, and the income distribution.
March 7, 2021
COVID screening at work is now routine. Yet little is known about its impact and whether it could lead to disparate effects by age, race, ethnicity, or gender.
December 12, 2020
Graduating college in a downturn can have lasting career impacts. Worsening trends for new graduates raise concerns for those graduating in the COVID recession.
December 2, 2020
Unemployment insurance is the most important support for displaced workers. However, benefits quickly decline over time and are more generous for higher income workers.
October 21, 2020
Layoffs increase the risk of divorce for married workers. Unemployment insurance can mitigate some of the increased risk, especially for men without children.
October 1, 2020
The combination of job losses that were markedly worse for low-earning workers and the expansion of unemployment benefits made the CARES Act very progressive.
August 27, 2020
The Covid-19 recession has led to a sharp decline in women’s employment contrasting with previous recessions that saw a larger rise in unemployment for men.
August 11, 2020
The CARES Act added a $600 federal benefit that increased the generosity of state unemployment insurance. But many factors impact the intensity with which the unemployed seek work.