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Immigration has returned to pre-pandemic numbers. How does that affect the economy?

Feb 2, 2024
Population growth helps stabilize the economy by providing workers we need.
As more Americans retire, the need for workers in the healthcare sector will increase. Above, a stand at a job fair for jobs in health services.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Teens have "kept the economy going," and their workforce numbers show it

"About 37% of teens worked last year," says Abha Bhattarai of The Washington Post. "These teens are really excited," employers tell her.
Teen employment reached a 14-year high in 2023, according to the Labor Department.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Will labor unions maintain their momentum in 2024?

Dec 28, 2023
Unions are more visible and vocal than they've been in decades. If the labor market remains tight, they'll have negotiating leverage.
A United Auto Workers union hall in Chicago. The UAW's coordinated work stoppages made headlines and produced results in 2023.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Content creator economy is everywhere, but labor data and protections are sparse

Nov 9, 2023
The government has virtually no data on this mostly unregulated, $250 billion global industry, says Drew Harwell of The Washington Post.
"This is a market of millions of people around the world who work as creators or influencers," said Drew Harwell at The Washington Post.
Phillippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images

How much are employers paying for labor? That's where the ECI comes in.

Oct 30, 2023
The employment cost index, a favorite Federal Reserve data point, captures the cost of employing people, including benefits.
The employment cost index doesn't just calculate wages. It also factors in how much employers spend on benefits.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

In tight labor market, businesses practice "strategic retention"

Oct 26, 2023
Economists at the Dallas Fed reported some evidence of “labor hoarding” in the latest Beige Book.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

"Overemployed" people secretly work overlapping remote jobs

Oct 23, 2023
They do it for the money. But overemployment also symbolizes a change in Americans' attitudes toward work.
There are online forums where people share tips about how to work overlapping remote jobs.
MundusImages/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

As the labor market loosens, workers may be more willing to work nights and weekends

Oct 20, 2023
They may find it attractive to earn money while others are playing.
"People are reconsidering their income needs and maybe could find ways to time their classes, time their childcare, to what the employers are offering," said Penn State Abington economics professor Lonnie Golden.
olaser/Getty Images

How below-the-line workers are surviving the Hollywood strikes

Oct 18, 2023
As actors continue to picket for a better contract, some Hollywood workers are forced to make tough decisions.
Thousands of Hollywood strikers marched from Netflix to the Paramount lot where SAG-AFTRA held a special rally.
Robert Garrova

For this Michigan business owner, wage hikes are tied to price hikes

Oct 16, 2023
Annie Lang Hartman, owner of Wild Lettie, is planning ahead. And one of her biggest concerns is payroll.
"We're kind of settling into fall, which is a little bit quieter for us," said Annie Lang Hartman of Wild Lettie. Above, the interior of one of her shops.
Courtesy Lang Hartman