Jul 8, 2022

The economy is sending mixed signals

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.

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

by Mitchell Hartman

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.

Employers can gain an advantage in the competition for talent by offering full-time positions, experts say.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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

by Stephanie Hughes

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

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Manufacturing employment returns to pre-pandemic level

by Justin Ho

Jul 8, 2022

Demand for manufactured goods has grown during the pandemic, but new orders have been falling in recent months.

Data on worker productivity in the second quarter is due to come out Tuesday, which could show continued declines as a result of the pandemic.

George Frey/Getty Images

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Customs brokers are caught in the middle of China tariffs debate

by Sean McHenry

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

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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

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Music from the episode

20 Grand Palace RJD2

Lost In Florence Kendall Miles, I Eat Plants for a Living

Calling (Never Stop) Anchorsong

Never Catch Me Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar

Stay a While The Cactus Channel

Colors (Audien Remix) Halsey, Audien

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Daisy Palacios Senior Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer

Sean McHenry Associate Producer

Andie Corban Associate Producer

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer

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