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Three years after the pandemic recession, signing up for unemployment still isn't easy

Jun 26, 2023
States are upgrading IT and accessibility to unemployment insurance, but it's a long hard road.
Despite an uptick in federal funding, most states are not prepared for a significant spike in unemployment, said labor economist Steve Wandner.
bymuratdeniz/Getty Images

States are being sued for trying to "claw back" pandemic unemployment benefits

Oct 14, 2022
Texas, for instance, sent out more than 1 million overpayment notices since the pandemic began.
Texas, Rhode Island, Michigan and Maryland have been hit with lawsuits based on their claims of overpaying recipients.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Is the virus still in control of the economy?

Feb 17, 2022
Recent numbers suggest this economy is increasingly shrugging its shoulders at the pandemic.
Consumers are reverting back to pre-pandemic habits, in terms of savings and spending. This could be a sign that the economy is learning to deal with COVID.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Despite near-record high job openings, workers of color or those without higher education are still at a disadvantage in the job market.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Omicron’s peak coincided with key week for jobs data

Feb 2, 2022
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' "reference week," used to calculate employment, included Jan. 12 — when omicron was at its worst.
Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

First-time jobless claims rise — and worse may be yet to come

Jan 20, 2022
Analysts say businesses are under pressure and economic confidence has suffered.
The 311,000 number is higher than most predictions, while unemployment rose from 3.4% to 3.6%.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Job market looks strong as 2021 ends. 2022 looks uncertain.

Dec 30, 2021
Weekly unemployment claims are still hovering at the lowest level we've seen since 1969.
Though first-time unemployment claims are at their lowest point in about 50 years, omicron could disrupt the job market.
Patrick T. Fallon via Getty Images

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Unemployment is unavailable to many who lose jobs over vaccination rules

Nov 8, 2021
States are taking different paths on paying benefits to people who lose their jobs for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Employers from hospitals to meatpacking plants are pushing vaccination for their employees' and customers' safety. In some cases, the unjabbed have lost their jobs.
Blake Farmer/WPLN News

A new recruitment-focused twist on an old festival in Stratford-upon-Avon

Nov 1, 2021
The English town, struggling with a labor shortage like many other parts of the world, revived an old local tradition to help solve the problem.
The mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon opens the Mop Fair.
BBC

While still a long way from pre-pandemic days, the job market's making progress

Oct 14, 2021
The number of new jobless claims filed last week was the lowest since March of 2020.
A "Now Hiring" sign is posted in the window of a San Francisco FedEx store on Sep. 16. Last week was the first week with fewer than 300,000 initial unemployment claims since March 14, 2020.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images