Tight labor market, strong holiday sales forecast might force retailers to pay higher wages

Oct 4, 2018
On Friday, we’ll get the latest jobs figures for the month of September. Economists are expecting a strong report, with unemployment expected to drop a bit from an already low rate. We’re also getting awfully close to the holiday hiring season, and sales are expected to be pretty strong, too. But with the unemployment rate […]

Why employers are feeling more pressure to raise pay

Sep 7, 2018
New data from the Labor Department show 201,000 new jobs were created in August, which is about average, month-in, month-out, for the past year.  The unemployment rate was unchanged, at 3.9 percent. We’ve been sitting in that low-unemployment ballpark since mid-spring. Average hourly earnings for private sector workers accelerated in August.  They’re up 2.9 percent compared […]

With unemployment so low, where are the workers coming from?

Aug 3, 2018
The U.S. economy created 157,000 jobs in July. The unemployment rate dipped to 3.9 percent. The last time was saw unemployment that low? The year 2000. What does all of this mean for wages? And for businesses looking to hire more workers?
Commuters arrive from Metro North Railroad trains in Grand Central Station in New York October 19, 2016.
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What GDP tells us about the economy

Jul 26, 2018
GDP growth for the latest quarter is expected to be robust, but that is due in part to some unique elements of the quarter.
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US President Donald Trump walks to Marine One prior to departing from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, January 5, 2018, as he travels for a weekend with Republican lawmakers at Camp David in Maryland.
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For people with disabilities, the unemployment rate is still pretty high

Jul 24, 2017
For people with disabilities, finding a job can be a difficult journey.
Linda Wright (C), 57, attends a job conference for unemployed people with disabilities at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut.
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Janet Yellen's job explained in five questions

Mar 15, 2017
The Fed chair is not shy about explaining what is and is not the job of the U.S. central bank.
Interest rates aren't the only thing Fed Chair Janet Yellen is concerned about on daily basis.
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For public good, not for profit.

Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen speaks at a news conference. The better-than-expected jobs numbers give the Fed another reason to raise interest rates.
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Does the government lie about economic figures?

Oct 17, 2016
A lot of people thinks so — especially supporters of Donald Trump, according to our poll.
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U.S. economy adds 156,000 jobs in September

Oct 7, 2016
That figure is less than what analysts predicted.
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