Data show a job market that's slowing, or at least pausing

Dec 7, 2018
Two numbers in the Labor Department’s jobs report Friday seem to indicate the job market might be slowing down a bit, or at least hitting the pause button. First, what it calls the U-6 unemployment rate: It measures total unemployment, including discouraged and underemployed workers. It rose 0.2 percent to 7.6 percent. Second, within that U-6 […]

The low unemployment rate is the best it’s been in 18 years, but wages were growing faster back then

May 4, 2018
The unemployment rate fell to 3.9 percent in April, the lowest it has been since the early 2000s — near the end of both President Bill Clinton’s second term and the dot-com boom. But wages back then were rising at a faster pace, while they’ve been pretty flat in today’s job market. Why? What are […]

Tariffs may impact U.S. employment figures

Mar 9, 2018
President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs will take effect in two weeks. But it will probably be months before there’s any evidence of how the tariffs will impact the job market. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

What the Fed may be weighing this week as it eyes short-term interest rates

Dec 11, 2017
A big date on the economic calendar this week: the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee meeting Dec. 12 and 13. We’ll find out Wednesday whether it’s raising short-term interest rates again. An important piece of the economic puzzle landed on today with the November jobs report. It showed unemployment at a low 4.1 percent and […]

What LinkedIn tells us about the economy

Oct 9, 2017
It may have some insights that the government doesn't.
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Jobs surveys track the labor market differently

Oct 6, 2017
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts together the monthly jobs report from two separate surveys that track the job market differently. The Establishment or Payroll Survey counts jobs and wages as reported by 147,000 sample employers. The Household Survey counts people who are employed, unemployed or not in the labor force as reported in phone questionnaires […]

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Learning your ABCs in the future: reading, writing, coding and AI

Oct 4, 2017
One AI pioneer said learning the basics of coding and AI could be key to income equality and opportunity in the future.
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The risks of going back to school can have economic rewards

Sep 28, 2017
Pam Palme, a nurse anesthetist in Colorado, shares her story of going back to school to pursue nursing.
A student looks through an instruction manual with a page open to directions on using a defibrillator during an elderly care training program.
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Ask A Manager: What should you do if you're overqualified?

Alison Green answers your questions on being overqualified and credit checks.
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