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Federal jobs survey will replace COVID questions with new queries about telework

Sep 5, 2022
It's the end of an era — the pandemic era — for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Since May 2020, the  Bureau of Labor Statistics has been asking people whether COVID affected the hours they've worked or prevented them from looking for work.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Employment's back to pre-pandemic levels with more than 500,000 new jobs added in July

Aug 5, 2022
There were even job gains in construction and finance, which were expected to slow down. Wages grew again too.
Employers added double the number of jobs economists were expecting in July, with big hiring increases in leisure and hospitality, health care and retail.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

What does "broad-based" inflation look like down the road?

Jul 13, 2022
Energy, food and rent were big drivers of the 9.1% inflation reading. Where are those numbers headed?
Food prices were up 10% year over year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

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

For people on benefits, inflation adjustments lag behind

Dec 10, 2021
Social security and SNAP benefits are adjusted every year for inflation. While that tends to be enough in normal years, it's not enough right now.
For those on fixed incomes, inflated prices on everyday items like rent and food can hit particularly hard.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. job openings high for second consecutive month

Jul 7, 2021
Which sectors are the most eager for workers? And are workers ready to commit?
There were some 9.2 million new job postings in the May, Bureau of Labor Statistics — nearly the same number that were posted in April.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Why long-term unemployment starts at 27 weeks

May 20, 2021
More than 4 million Americans have been unemployed for more than six months. Previous recessions have redefined long-term unemployment.
Kentucky residents wait in long lines for help with their unemployment claims last year.
John Sommers II/Getty Images

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Jobs have bounced back in some parts of the economy. Others face a long slog.

Nov 6, 2020
More Americans are returning to the labor market. But more are also joing the ranks of the long-term unemployed.
A shuttered business district in Brooklyn in May. Jobs in some face-to-face services, like bars and restaurants, are still down 15% to 30%.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Miscalculation of unemployment data not easy to fix

Jul 1, 2020
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said it might have been undercounting the number of workers classified as "unemployed on temporary layoff."
Hundreds of unemployed Kentucky residents wait in long lines for help with unemployment claims in June.
John Sommers II/Getty Images

Fewer jobs created than first reported

Dec 6, 2019
The government's benchmark revisions showed 500,000 fewer jobs were created in 2018 and early 2019 than initially thought.
The annual benchmark revision shows that fewer jobs were created than previously thought.
David McNew/Getty Images