Small businesses are still struggling to hire. But the situation's improving.

Sep 1, 2023
The good news: The lowest proportion of small businesses since March 2021 reported having trouble hiring. The bad news: It's still 40%.
Forty percent of small businesses reported having trouble filling job openings last month.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Wage growth may be slowing after period of strong gains

Aug 28, 2023
Reports from companies and job search sites indicate that employers are lowering the pay they offer for newly posted jobs.
Small businesses aren’t adding jobs as quickly as they did last year, which is translating into weaker wage growth, noted economist Luke Pardue at Gusto.
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Inflation moderates in manufacturing and job market

Aug 2, 2023
As supply chains normalize and labor demand slackens, prices and wages are cooling off.
The easing of inflation is especially visible in vehicle production, said Garrett Nelson at CFRA.
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Student debt help could be a new worker perk with loan payments resuming soon

Jun 16, 2023
It’s still a relatively rare benefit: About 8% of employers in the country offer help with student loan debt.
Employers who offer some sort of benefit that helps workers with student debt see it as part of competing for talent in a tight job market.
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Remote cities can teach the nation a lot about hiring and keeping workers

Rural towns have long dealt with labor scarcity, and many have strategies for attracting and investing in talent.
Major companies in northwest Minnesota are able to staff their operations despite the sparse population in the towns and the sometimes inhospitable weather.
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

Is the U.S. economy really a tale of two job markets?

The "dual labor market" theory paints a picture of two very different job markets in terms of stability, pay, and mobility.
The unemployment rate is at a half-century low, yet many workers are unable to escape poorly paid, precarious jobs. One reason could be that the U.S. job market has evolved into two distinct labor markets—a dual labor market--and workers in each section experience very different economies.
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The tight U.S. labor market hasn't benefitted workers equally, Fed study finds

A new Fed study goes beyond the "strong labor market" headlines and finds workers struggling with landing jobs, burnout and more.
Even with all of the talk about ample job openings, some workers aren't taking them. Why? This Federal Reserve survey asked workers just that question.
Courtesy of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

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Jobless claims are up, but unemployment is still low. What does that mean?

May 11, 2023
The four-week moving average of unemployment benefits claims is at the highest level since late 2021. Is this more evidence of a slowly cooling economy?
The four-week moving average of unemployment insurance claims is the highest it’s been since late 2021.
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Prices are still rising, and consumers seem tired

May 10, 2023
Prices rose 4.9% year over year in April and 0.4% during that month. Consumer fatigue is showing in higher credit card balances and lower savings.
Consumers are going to low-price stores more and buying less per visit. They're opting more frequently for generics over name brands, per Jefferies analyst Corey Tarlowe.
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Wage gains after changing jobs were lower in April

May 3, 2023
The moderation in pay growth is part of more balanced and stable economic conditions, some economists say.
"The fact that pay gains are decelerating means that demand and supply are coming into better balance," said ADP's Nela Richardson.
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