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The economy won't recover until hiring kicks back into gear

Feb 5, 2021
Job openings are back to where they were a year ago. But the labor market needs more to recover.
A restaurant displays a "Now Hiring" sign amid the coronavirus pandemic, on August 4, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. economy adds 49K jobs as unemployment falls to 6.3%

Feb 5, 2021
The tepid increase followed a decline of 227,000 jobs in December, the first loss since April.
A waitress takes customers' orders in the outdoor seating area of a restaurant on Jan. 28, 2021 in Los Angeles.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

How people without college degrees can find higher-paying jobs

Feb 4, 2021
Half of workers could earn more for similar work, says Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker.
There's a real "need to rescale and upskill people for the new economy that's going to be coming post-pandemic," says Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker.
Courtesy of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

The California shutdown drove some salons underground

Feb 3, 2021
California salons are reopening after months of lockdown. But some never closed down completely.
A client gets a haircut at a barbershop operating outdoors last summer in Los Angeles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Unemployment benefits have not resumed for many Americans

Feb 1, 2021
Over a month after the last COVID-19 relief bill extended benefits for millions, many are still waiting for money to arrive.
Congress signed the last COVID-19 relief bill in December, so where are people's unemployment benefits?
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Unemployment claims drop but remain historically high

Jan 28, 2021
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell but remained at a historically high 847,000 last week.
Before the virus hit the United States hard last March, weekly applications for jobless aid had never topped 700,000.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

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States where it's harder to get unemployment benefits may see higher rates of poverty

Jan 28, 2021
A new study finds that in the least generous states, more families have fallen below the poverty line during the pandemic.
For most Americans getting jobless benefits, the money’s about to run out when all federal pandemic unemployment programs expire on Sept. 5.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

California restaurants can reopen, but owners are wary

Jan 26, 2021
Restaurateurs welcome the policy shift, but some are worried that it might be temporary and some are frustrated with the lack of advance notice.
Lack of staffing due to COVID-19 has become the norm for many businesses.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Extra $300 in federal jobless benefits is making a difference, but is it enough?

Jan 25, 2021
“It's not as good as the $600, obviously, but it's better than nothing."
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images