Oct 6, 2017

10/06/2017: How do we count jobs numbers?

A job seeker shakes hands with a recruiter during a job fair in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

It's jobs day. The numbers weren't great, in part because of the hurricanes that hit Florida and the Gulf Coast, but also because of the way jobs numbers are crunched each month. We'll explain. Then: Amazon is testing a new service in its quest to (very nearly) take over this country's retail economy: shipping. Later, we'll bring you the latest on President Donald Trump and the Iran deal, and, as always, we'll wrap up the week in business news.

Segments From this episode

Jobs surveys track the labor market differently

by Mitchell Hartman

Oct 6, 2017

The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts together the monthly jobs report from two separate surveys that track the job market differently. The Establishment or Payroll Survey counts jobs and wages as reported by 147,000 sample employers. The Household Survey counts people who are employed, unemployed or not in the labor force as reported in phone questionnaires […]

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Do filmmakers still go to the movies? Sometimes.

by Kai Ryssdal

Oct 6, 2017

A group of film industry heavyweights discuss the state of the movie business.

From left, Jason Blum, founder of Blumhouse; filmmaker Patty Jenkins; Donna Langley, chairwoman of Universal Pictures; and moderator Kai Ryssdal at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, on Oct. 3.

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

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Amazon encroaches on UPS and Fedex territory with deliveries for third party sellers

by Aaron Schrank

Oct 6, 2017

Amazon announced this week a new service on the West Coast which could encroach on territory currently held by the likes of UPS and Fedex. The online retail giant said it’s going to be overseeing deliveries for third party sellers. It will still use UPS and Fedex, but it might also choose to use its […]

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Could Puerto Rico’s devastated power grid be rebuilt using solar energy instead?

by Adriene Hill

Oct 6, 2017

It’s been weeks now since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, and still a vast majority of the island, nearly 90 percent, doesn’t have power. Elon Musk, on Twitter, suggested his solar power technology could be scaled up to rebuild the entire power grid, and the governor of the island, Ricardo Rossello, tweeted back “Let’s talk.” […]

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Weekly Wrap

The latest jobs report reveals hurricanes Harvey, Irma’s economic costs

by Kai Ryssdal

Oct 6, 2017

Nela Richardson of Redfin and Sudeep Reddy of Politico join us to discuss the week’s business and economic news.

A contractor removes moldy materials from a flood damaged home on September 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Residents are beginning the long process of recovering from the storm.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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It’s jobs day. The numbers weren’t great, in part because of the hurricanes that hit Florida and the Gulf Coast, but also because of the way jobs numbers are crunched each month. We’ll explain. Then: Amazon is testing a new service in its quest to (very nearly) take over this country’s retail economy: shipping. Later, we’ll bring you the latest on President Donald Trump and the Iran deal, and, as always, we’ll wrap up the week in business news.