By Frank Stricker April 12, 2024 In the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Employment Situation–March 2024, the unemployment rate was 3.8%. It has been under 4% for two years and that is a positive. But if we add to the unemployment numbers involuntary part-timers (people who want full-time work) and job hunters who are not… Read More No Recession, But Wages Are Kinda Stuck
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
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
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
by Frank Stricker October 11, 2023 In the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics’ jobs report, The Employment Situation—September 2023, the official unemployment rate stayed at 3.8%. The National Jobs for All Network’s comprehensive rate, including more job-needers and part-timers who want full-time work, was also stable but at a very high level of 9.2%. An… Read More More Bad Good News? The Job Situation in September 2023
