Why manufacturing productivity is on the rise

Sep 1, 2022
Manufacturers are producing more goods with fewer workers, given the tight labor market. But the sector has been hiring more in recent months.
Revised data from the Labor Department show productivity among manufacturers rose almost 5% in the second quarter.
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U.S. added 431,000 jobs in March in sign of economic health

Apr 1, 2022
Despite the inflation surge, persistent supply bottlenecks, the damaging effects of COVID-19 and now a war in Europe, employers have added at least 400,000 jobs for 11 straight months.
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The economy seems great for some people, dire for others. What's going on?

Jun 24, 2021
There's a disconnect between rising GDP and consumer spending — and the number of people out of work.
GDP is growing but unemployment claims are still high in this two-tiered economy.
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U.S. loses 140,000 jobs, first monthly loss since spring

Jan 8, 2021
The figures suggest employers have rehired roughly all the workers they can afford to after laying off more than 22 million.
The unemployment rate stayed at 6.7%, the first time it hasn’t fallen since April.
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New rule lets companies treat some employees as gig workers

Jan 7, 2021
Usually there are lots of benefits and protections that come with being an employee instead of a gig worker, like being paid the minimum wage.
An Uber Eats delivery worker rides an electric scooter in Manhattan in 2020.
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U.S. trade groups, universities file suit against H-1B visa changes

Oct 20, 2020
Two new Trump administration rules would limit the types of jobs H-1B workers can fill and require U.S. companies to pay them higher salaries. Businesses aren't happy.
Scientists work on a rapid COVID-19 antibody test in a lab in New York in April. New H1-B rules could affect U.S. labs that are short on scientists.
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For public good, not for profit.

Job gains don't paint a clear picture of the recovery

Oct 2, 2020
The jobs created in September obscure the fact that thousands were lost permanently and millions of people have stopped looking for work.
A restaurant displays a "Now Hiring" sign amid the coronavirus pandemic, on Aug. 4 in Arlington, Virginia.
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June’s jobs gains weren’t just big. They were widespread across the economy.

Jul 2, 2020
The diffusion index, a measure of the breadth of job gains across industries, jumped for the second month in a row.
Personal and laundry services, which includes dry cleaners, laundromats and other businesses, was among the many sectors that expanded payrolls in June.
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Here’s one (of many) numbers in the jobs report that surprised economists

Jun 5, 2020
More sectors of the economy gained jobs than lost jobs in May, Labor Department data shows.
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