Early signs of hiring to come this spring?

Segments From This Episode

• Weekly jobless claims are still above the worst point during the Great Recession. But at least they're not getting worse.

  At least, looking at last week’s claims for state unemployment benefits, that is. Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton, said “there is some good news out there,” as first-time claims dropped to 712,000. The improvements came in states like Texas, Minnesota and New York. “I think we’re going to see a spurt in hiring this spring,” Swonk said. She warned, however, that we’re a long way from recouping the jobs we’ve lost to COVID, given the slow pace of employment gains we saw in February. “And so, that’s why it’s so important that we have stimulus to sustain, and also provide a cushion, even if we lose momentum with the variance in the virus that we’re already seeing out there.”

  Share

• COVID relief package would provide $126 billion for K-12 schools

  Marketplace’s Marielle Segarra reports.

  Share

• Films led by Black off-screen talent are consistently underfunded, study finds

  by Samantha Fields

  

  A McKinsey & Company report finds that addressing racial inequities in entertainment could bring in another $10 billion a year.

  ShareDownload

• What basketball can teach us about economic mobility

  by David Brancaccio and Rose Conlon

  

  Ambitions to go pro are often “a metaphor for the elusiveness of the American dream,” says “Hoop Dreams” director Steve James.

  ShareDownload