Labor Department

The proposed rule also puts more weight on how much control workers have and whether they face a profit or a loss — a standard that tends to favor employers.

There are far fewer new job seekers in the U.S. due to Trump’s restrictive immigration policies. As a result, the goal posts for what healthy job growth looks like have also changed.

There are other reports, but they lack the breadth and depth of the one the Bureau of Labor Statistics produces.

Unit labor costs are a way to measure productivity relative to workers’ compensation.

Last week, 217,000 people filed new claims for unemployment insurance. Back in the summer and early fall, that number spiked as high as 260,000.

Welders are needed to build and upgrade roads and bridges, energy infrastructure and chip foundries. But the profession has an image problem.

Federal regulations permit companies to apply for special certificates that allow them to hire disabled workers and pay them an average of less than $4 an hour.

The Labor Department says worker output is up while average hours worked is down. That could help bring down inflation going forward.

What matters here is how the Labor Department defines productivity.

Labor force participation for 20- to 24-year-olds is lagging. Zoomers whose educations were interrupted by the pandemic are still catching up.