Category: Articles on Employment / Unemployment

(Mostly) Useful Government Numbers About Poverty, Jobs, and Unemployment, including the Latest Employment Report for February 2024    

By Frank Stricker A Failed Number             Does the Federal Government regularly publish estimates of what a reasonably comfortable living standard would be for an average household? There must be something somewhere. A government agency does publish poverty lines–aka, poverty thresholds–and its experts tell us how many people fall below… Read More (Mostly) Useful Government Numbers About Poverty, Jobs, and Unemployment, including the Latest Employment Report for February 2024    

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Getting Better All the Time? The Labor Report for January of ’24

by Frank Stricker The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report on jobs and unemployment for January was mostly positive.  It continues a string of generally upbeat reports over the last two years. Official unemployment stayed under 4% for the 23rd month in a row. It was 3.7%. The Hispanic rate was still high at 5% and… Read More Getting Better All the Time? The Labor Report for January of ’24

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Unemployment is Down, and Attitudes Are Too: The Situation in November, 2023

   by Frank Stricker      The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) report for the month of November was generally positive, especially after previous months when official unemployment (UE) crept up to 3.9% and seemed poised to go over 4%. Official UE fell to 3.7%. A more comprehensive unemployment number calculated by the National Jobs for All… Read More Unemployment is Down, and Attitudes Are Too: The Situation in November, 2023

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The Jobs Report for October 2023: What a Mix of Goods and Bads

by Frank Stricker November 15, 2023 In the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Employment Situation for October, the official unemployment rate rose by a tenth of a percentage point to 3.9%. Many subcategories also increased by a tenth. One exception was that the unemployment rate for black teens fell from 24% to18.8%, a significant drop.… Read More The Jobs Report for October 2023: What a Mix of Goods and Bads

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