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Covid-19 pandemic

Why more workers in China are ruling out factory jobs

by Jennifer Pak
Apr 17, 2023
Despite high unemployment among young people, most factories are short of workers. It might reflect false promises and poor conditions.
Production in progress at a factory in China's eastern Anhui province. Factory work has lost much of its popularity as a career choice. “The workers just don't trust factory owners,” one former employee said.
STR/AFP via Getty Images
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Pandemic exodus from big cities was short-lived

by Samantha Fields
Mar 30, 2023
Census data shows fewer people are moving out of coastal urban centers, but Sun Belt states remain popular.
"One of the biggest things that landlords look at when they're deciding whether or not to rent to a tenant is their credit score," Chang said. A lower credit score can affect one's ability to move out and find a new place to live.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Five child care workers on the joys and frustrations of a struggling industry

by Carrie Jung
Mar 30, 2023
Staffing shortages and high turnover have dogged the early education and child care field for years. The pandemic has made them acute issues.
From left to right: Bernadette Davidson, Kiya Savannah, Vanessa Pashkoff, Kimberly Artez and Anna Rogers.
Robin Lubbock/WBUR
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In China's most locked-down city, business can resume but recovery is a long way off

by Jennifer Pak
Feb 21, 2023
The Chinese city of Ruili, on the border with Myanmar, has had more lockdowns than almost any other place in China.
A jade seller and two women stare at their cellphones in Ruili. Vendors are trickling back to the Jiegao jade market, but customers are few and far between.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace
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COVID-19

China's big question after ending "zero-COVID" rules: How many have died?

by Jennifer Pak
Feb 7, 2023
David struggled to help his 83-year-old father before he died of COVID. Will his father's death be counted in China's official toll?
Hundreds of millions of people in China were infected within weeks of the abrupt end to "zero-COVID" rules, experts say. Above, patients are cared for by relatives and medical staff in the atrium of a busy hospital on Jan. 13 in Shanghai.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
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As workers slowly come back, big city office occupancy hits a new pandemic milestone

by Samantha Fields
Feb 2, 2023
For the rest of the country, remote work numbers are stable.
Though more workers have begun returning to offices in larger cities, that's less true for workers elsewhere in the country. Above, a view of office buildings in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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For business owners in China, a touch-and-go reopening after zero-COVID

by Jennifer Pak
Jan 30, 2023
While China's most high-profile executives express unflagging optimism on TV, for small business owners, the picture is more complicated.
Food vendors at the Muslim quarter in Xi'an seem bored without customers in late December 2022. That was when COVID infections swept across China.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace
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Layoffs at Hasbro may be a sign that the high-flying toy industry's coming back down to Earth

by Stephanie Hughes
Jan 30, 2023
The pandemic helped boost toy sales by more than 30%.
After a flurry of toy purchases fueled by the pandemic, toy company Hasbro recently reported layoffs and cratering sales.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Has the drop in immigration contributed to inflation?

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Jan 20, 2023
Immigrants have accounted for a major share of labor force growth for years, increasing production, which keeps inflation lower, experts say.
Immigration to the U.S. dropped dramatically during the pandemic. Above, new U.S. citizens at a naturalization ceremony in Massachusetts on Jan. 5.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Sundance Film Fest and other big events are back after battle with omicron

by Savannah Maher
Jan 18, 2023
Hundreds of businesses rely on major commercial and arts gatherings for much of their annual income.
In Park City, Utah, Sundance's cancellation of in-person events hurt local businesses in 2022. Hotels and restaurants are looking forward to welcoming guests this year.
George Frey/Getty Images
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