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Mar 26, 2021
When will employers bring workers back to the office?
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
Some are still giving employees the flexibility to work from home for at least part of the time. Microsoft announced that workers can start returning to its Redmond, Washington, headquarters this Monday if they want to, for example. Plus, the latest data on how U.S. consumers are spending and saving money. And, where in the economy the latest round of direct payments for COVID relief are flowing.
Segments From this episode
Consumer spending, income fall in February. But what lies ahead this spring?
"I think, from my perspective, the most important part was that the savings rate stayed very high," said Drew Matus, chief market strategist for MetLife Investment Management. "And what that tells us is that when things do begin to open up, people will have the means to spend, and then the open question becomes will they want to spend?" The other question, Matus said, is how many places will be left for people to spend at when things open up more, noting all of the businesses that have shuttered or cut operations during the pandemic. If people are itching to spend right off the bat, prices could go up. Matus says others might take a step back and wait longer before purchasing big-ticket items.
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Some big employers are starting to bring their workers back to the office
Marketplace's Nancy Marshall-Genzer has more.
Music from the episode
Heartbreaker Crazy P
The team
David Brancaccio
Host
Victoria Craig
Host, BBC
Stephen Ryan
Senior Producer, BBC
Jonathan Frewin
Producer, BBC
Daniel Shin
Producer
Jay Siebold
Technical Director
Brian Allison
Engineer
Meredith Garretson
Senior Producer
Erika Soderstrom
Producer
Rose Conlon
Producer
Alex Schroeder
Producer