The economy is sending mixed signals
Jul 8, 2022

The economy is sending mixed signals

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Manufacturing and involuntary part-time job numbers have reached pre-pandemic levels. But child care costs are still sidelining women.

Segments From this episode

The Weekly Wrap

Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal talks the June jobs report, the efficacy of state inflation responses and more with Politico’s Sudeep Reddy and the Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell.

Decline in involuntary part-time work shows the labor market is still robust

Jul 8, 2022
At the start of the pandemic, the number of part timers who would rather work full time spiked. Now, it’s lower than any time since 2001.
Even in today's relatively hot job market, people who have served prison time may find it difficult to secure employment.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A lack of affordable child care is keeping women out of the workforce

Jul 8, 2022
Child care is a poorly paid profession that continues to be one of the biggest expenses for parents.
The child care sector is down nearly 100,000 workers since the start of 2020, according to one estimate.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Manufacturing employment returns to pre-pandemic level

Jul 8, 2022
Demand for manufactured goods has grown during the pandemic, but new orders have been falling in recent months.
A worker assembles the interior of a safe. Many small business are looking to boost revenues in anticipation of a potential recession.
George Frey/Getty Images

Customs brokers are caught in the middle of China tariffs debate

Jul 8, 2022
As the White House decides the fate of the Trump-era taxes, customs broker Gretchen Blough is dealing with more uncertainty.
A truck drives by stacks of shipping containers at the Port of Oakland on May 20.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Sour grapes? An English county's wine wins a special status, but a neighboring county complains.

Jul 8, 2022
Sussex wineries receive a prestigious distinction, but a Kent winemaker dismisses the award as arbitrary, citing similar growing conditions.
Rows of vines cover the hills at a Sussex County vineyard in 2015. The government honored the county's white wines with a Protected Designation of Origin.
Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images

Music from the episode

Lost In Florence Kendall Miles, I Eat Plants for a Living
Never Catch Me Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar
Stay a While The Cactus Channel
Colors (Audien Remix) Halsey, Audien

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer
Maria Hollenhorst Producer II
Andie Corban Producer I
Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II
Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I
Dylan Miettinen Associate Digital Producer