America is out of office
Jul 27, 2022

America is out of office

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Time off for vacation or illness is up from last summer, and impacting productivity. Plus, today's inflation ads vs. those from the 1970s.

Segments From this episode

"These are not normal times"

The Federal Reserve is raising interest rates by three-quarters of a point. “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal unpacks the news from today’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

Between COVID and pent-up vacation demand, absent workers have businesses scrambling

Jul 27, 2022
Hire more workers or do less business — the options aren't great.
Employers across industries are getting creative as more workers take time off.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

Ad spending slowdown hits tech and social media firms, but not equally

Jul 27, 2022
While ad revenue growth is slowing down, experts don't see a decline coming.
Google is expected to comprise 30% of total worldwide digital ad revenues this year, one analyst said. Meanwhile, Snapchat and Twitter are each expected to make up under 1%.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

How advertisers approached inflation in the 1970s, and how they approach it today

Jul 27, 2022
When inflation raged decades ago, some marketers saw it as an opportunity. Now, the money-saving pitch is more subtle.
"Stagflation" plagued the economy of the late 1970s and early '80s. Some marketers saw it as an opportunity to pitch brands as pocketbook friendly. Above, New York's Times Square in 1979.
Frances M. Ginter/Getty Images

Buyers and sellers are feeling a shift in the housing market

Jul 27, 2022
In some markets, sellers can no longer bet on multiple offers and quick deals, and buyers can afford to be pickier.
Mortgage rates have climbed, and the real estate market has cooled.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For farmers, it's not just today's inflation that matters. It's next year's too.

Jul 27, 2022
"We're wondering what this next crop year brings," said Brian Duncan. "But farmers are price takers, and that puts us in a really tough spot."
Brian Duncan at his farm in Polo, Illinois. "We have some opportunities right now," he says. "Prices are good. The challenge we have is how to keep costs in line."
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Music from the episode

Rififif Rococo Chris Joss
Scenic Drive Poolside
Lovely You Monster Rally
Sun Dress Freddie Joachim
Flowers The Deli

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer
Maria Hollenhorst Producer II
Andie Corban Producer I
Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II
Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I
Dylan Miettinen Associate Digital Producer