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by Sylvia Allegretto, August 2010
The economy needs jobs, jobs, jobs and more jobs—this is not news to the 25 million unemployed and underemployed workers who continue to bear the hardships of the Great Recession. Workers have grown weary and families once bending are now breaking under the strain. The severe crisis of jobs in the United States and, particularly, in California seems to be lost as austerity dominates the policy dialogue in Washington, DC. In California, another round of cuts and anti-stimulus measures are underway and they will move the state further away from recovery. The downturn has hit the state especially hard and given its size and importance in the U.S. economy it is hard to imagine a robust recovery without the Golden State.
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New claims for jobless benefits rise to 479K
Initial requests for jobless benefits rose last week to their highest level since April, a sign that hiring remains weak and some companies are ...
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The New Workplace Sexism
They might not think of it as sexual harassment, but what men say to other men when women's backs are turned is damaging, too.
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A Labor War Ended
Labor's longest-running and most contentious divorce dispute has finally been settled. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and UNITE HERE, the union of hotel and gaming workers, announced last night that they had reached an agreement on who will represent which workers and who will get which financial assets, ending a two-year battle that had pitted two of the nation's most progressive and innovative unions against each other.
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Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report [07/22/2010]
In the week ending July 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 464,000, an increase of 37,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 427,000. The 4-week moving average was 456,000, an increase of 1,250 from the previous week's revised average of 454,750.
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Univision poll:Hispanic financial worries deep
For Hispanics in America, the ravaged economy has been a personal nightmare.
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DOL pay equity and workplace flexibility initiatives announced as part of White House Middle Class Task Force forum [07/20/2010]
Today, at a White House Middle Class Task Force forum hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced several department initiatives designed to end wage discrimination while improving pay equity and work/life balance.
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Economy showing signs of recovery, but job growth in states too slow
In Sustainable Economics, Wages and Living Standards, Jobs, Press Releases
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Unemployment Declines in 44 States, But Rises in Nevada
Nine saw their unemployment rates fall by at least 0.4%. New Hampshire's rate fell by the most, 0.5% to 5.9%. Of the ten worst state labor markets
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Goodbye census! Hello, unemployment
"I survived once on unemployment, but I don't prefer to go through another last-ditch route like that again," Jensen said. "I'll go wherever I have to go to
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Nummi workers hone job-hunting skills
Not only have the former auto plant employees lost their jobs, their entire industry is imploding.
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Where Few Women Go: A Building Site
Building sets for school musicals showed Sharon Darling that she loved construction, setting her on a path to become an electrician.
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Corporate profits have recovered, but job market still depressed
In Economic Performance, Financial Markets, Recession/Stimulus, Wages and Living Standards, Jobs
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White House insists stimulus plan a job engine
The White House said Wednesday that President Barack Obama's stimulus law had raised employment by up to 3.6 million jobs, as it battled to trump public skepticism over the mammoth plan.
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Fears grow as millions lose jobless benefits
Deborah Coleman lost her unemployment benefits in April, and now fears for millions of others if the Senate does not extend aid for the jobless.
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The graying of the labor force
For the first time on record, working seniors outnumber teens.
Bloomberg News Workers over 65 vie with Teens
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The State of the Job Market, June 2010
June’s employment numbers offer a discouraging picture of the job market recovery, says Gary Burtless. He analyzes the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data and what they mean for the progress of economic recovery in the United States.
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“Missing” workers return
In February, in testimony to Congress about the urgent need for more jobs, EPI President Lawrence Mishel explained that even once the economy started to create jobs again, unemployment rates would continue to rise as large numbers of “missing workers” returned to the work force.
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How Health Reform Helps Reduce the Deficit
The new health reform law will extend coverage to over 30 million uninsured Americans and provide important consumer protections to tens of millions of insured Americans whose coverage may have critical gaps. These coverage expansions will be more than paid for by specific reductions in spending for Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs and by additional tax revenues. Overall, health reform will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over 2010-2019, according to the Congressional Budget …
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Long-term Joblessness Reaches New High
Friday’s employment report wasn’t good news for the long-term unemployed. The number of people looking for work for 27 weeks or more grew by 169,000 to 6.7 million, half of the total number of unemployed, and the average duration of joblessness continued to grow, to 33 weeks. Gary Burtless responds to the question of whether the government should propose new tax, training or other policy ideas to target the jobless who can’t find work.
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Metropolitan Milwaukee's Problems Mirror the National Challenge
Presenting Milwaukee as a case study, Alan Berube provides insight into the major demographic shifts affecting metropolitan areas across the United States. Using a typology introduced in the State of Metropolitan America report, Berube identifies Milwaukee’s specific challenges and suggests ways local and state leaders can meet the needs of a changing population.
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Budget 2011: Industry Clusters as a Paradigm for Job Growth
The Obama administration’s FY2011 budget request unveils several proposals to support regional industry or innovation “clusters” through multiple federal departments, which could put the U.S. on par with other nations in providing support to these systems of business development.
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Bakery Holding Its Own After Cutting Workforce
Outside Boston, the Dancing Deer Baking Co. sells all kinds of cookies and brownies to restaurants and stores. Last year, during the worst of the recession, the owner had to lay off some of the employees. Would the bakery be helped by President Obama's efforts to get banks to loan more to small businesses?
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In California, Small Businesses Hit By 'Perfect Storm'
Tight credit, falling home prices and high unemployment contributed to a high bankruptcy rate among small businesses in the state. Keanyn and Estella Gray know all too well that owning a small business in California is hardly smooth sailing.
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Some U.S. Jobs Aren't Coming Back
Even when the U.S. labor market finally starts adding more workers than it loses, many of the unemployed will find that the types of jobs they once had simply don't exist anymore.