Job creation soars in March

Apr 2, 2021
Employers added 916,000 jobs in March and the unemployment rate fell to 6% as vaccination spreads and the economy reopens.
Jobs at restaurants, hotels and bars are among the more than 900,000 added across many industries.
Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

A year of pandemic unemployment, by the numbers

Mar 11, 2021
Three economists share statistics that depict the depth and length of the COVID-19 recession.
For the past 51 weeks, first-time claims have been higher than at any time during the Great Recession.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Fed and Treasury chart path back to "full employment"

Feb 24, 2021
Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen peg the actual unemployment rate at around 10%, higher than the official 6.3%.
Federal Reserve Chair Powell testified on Capitol Hill about the U.S. labor market.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Will January bring more hiring?

Jan 8, 2021
The latest COVID relief package will have a positive effect on the economy as soon as this month.
A waiter at the outdoor dining area of a restaurant in New York last year.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Continuing unemployment claims are down, but that doesn't tell the whole story

Nov 5, 2020
No state lets people stay on unemployment benefits for more than 26 weeks.
Unemployment benefits are running out for people who have been out of work for six months.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The unemployment rate in some neighborhoods is triple the national average

Oct 12, 2020
In parts of the South Bronx, the unemployment rate was estimated to be nearly 30% in August. Nationwide, it's a little less than 8%.
Felix Pinzon, an unemployed construction worker, pushes a cart of food donations in May in the Bronx.
Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

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.
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. unemployment rate falls to 7.9%, hiring slows again

Oct 2, 2020
America’s employers added 661,000 jobs in September, the third straight month of slower hiring.
The September jobs report coincides with other data that suggests that while the economic picture may be improving, the gains have slowed since summer.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Despite June's bullish employment numbers, the job market is reeling — and will be for a while

Jul 2, 2020
Employment remains below pre-pandemic levels, and as recently reopened businesses re-close, more job losses are on the way.
A grocery store employee cleans carts for customers in New York. Low-wage workers are disproportionately affected by the suffering job market.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images