Mar 25, 2021
For some, the pandemic has actually been a good time to have a baby
Ballet dancers, actors and athletes took advantage of hiatuses during COVID, even though having a baby amid the pandemic came with a lot of restrictions and uncertainty.
fotostorm via Getty Images
The U.S. birth rate has declined during the pandemic, but for dancers, actors, athletes and others, shutdowns have presented an opportunity to raise a family. Plus, good news from the labor market today tempered by a big-picture look at the pandemic economy. And, the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter are back before Congress again.
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A warning label to add to that good news this morning from the labor market
Initial jobless claims fell below 700,000 last week for the first time since the pandemic started. But, “we’re now celebrating a number that is worse than the worst week of the 2008-2009 recession,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton. She says we’re moving in the right direction, but we’re not moving fast enough. Also, employers are hesitant to hire more until they know for sure more patrons will show up, even though bookings have picked up in the leisure and hospitality sector, Swonk said. In other words, “we’re not going to eliminate this overhang of unemployment anytime soon.”
Big Tech CEOs testify before Congress on misinformation, extremism and more
Marketplace’s Nancy Marshall-Genzer has more.
The team
David Brancaccio
Host
Victoria Craig
Host, BBC
Stephen Ryan
Senior Producer, BBC
Jonathan Frewin
Producer, BBC
Daniel Shin
Producer
Jay Siebold
Technical Director
Brian Allison
Engineer
Meredith Garretson Morbey
Senior Producer
Erika Soderstrom
Producer
Rose Conlon
Producer
Alex Schroeder
Producer
