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COVID & Unemployment

U.S. loses 140,000 jobs, first monthly loss since spring

by Associated Press
Jan 8, 2021
The figures suggest employers have rehired roughly all the workers they can afford to after laying off more than 22 million.
The unemployment rate stayed at 6.7%, the first time it hasn’t fallen since April.
Mark Makela/Getty Images
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New rule lets companies treat some employees as gig workers

by Samantha Fields
Jan 7, 2021
Usually there are lots of benefits and protections that come with being an employee instead of a gig worker, like being paid the minimum wage.
An Uber Eats delivery worker rides an electric scooter in Manhattan in 2020.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
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U.S. trade groups, universities file suit against H-1B visa changes

by Nancy Marshall-Genzer
Oct 20, 2020
Two new Trump administration rules would limit the types of jobs H-1B workers can fill and require U.S. companies to pay them higher salaries. Businesses aren't happy.
Scientists work on a rapid COVID-19 antibody test in a lab in New York in April. New H1-B rules could affect U.S. labs that are short on scientists.
Misha Friedman/Getty Images
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COVID & Unemployment

Job gains don't paint a clear picture of the recovery

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Oct 2, 2020
The jobs created in September obscure the fact that thousands were lost permanently and millions of people have stopped looking for work.
A restaurant displays a "Now Hiring" sign amid the coronavirus pandemic, on Aug. 4 in Arlington, Virginia.
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

June’s jobs gains weren’t just big. They were widespread across the economy.

by Maria Hollenhorst and Kai Ryssdal
Jul 2, 2020
The diffusion index, a measure of the breadth of job gains across industries, jumped for the second month in a row.
Personal and laundry services, which includes dry cleaners, laundromats and other businesses, was among the many sectors that expanded payrolls in June.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
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Here’s one (of many) numbers in the jobs report that surprised economists

by Maria Hollenhorst and Kai Ryssdal
Jun 5, 2020
More sectors of the economy gained jobs than lost jobs in May, Labor Department data shows.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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COVID-19

With latest wave of COVID-19 layoffs, 2.4 million more Americans file for unemployment

by Associated Press
May 21, 2020
Another 2.2 million sought aid under a new program for self-employed, contractor and gig workers.
Roughly 38.6 million people have now filed for jobless aid since the coronavirus forced millions of businesses to close their doors.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Pay no attention to Friday's jobs numbers

by Mitchell Hartman
Apr 2, 2020
The BLS monthly jobs report is based on surveys conducted in mid-March, before the recent wave of layoffs and furloughs.
Job listings are down in hospitality and travel during COVID-19. Above, a note of closure on the door of the Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 19.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
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Where's the wage growth?

by Mitchell Hartman
Jan 10, 2020
In December, wage gains slowed from earlier in 2019, with average hourly earnings up 2.9% year over year.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
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U.S. adds 136,000 jobs; unemployment hits 50-year low of 3.5%

by Associated Press
Oct 4, 2019
The U.S.-China trade war has slowed hiring, and average hourly wages have slipped.
Job seekers wait in line to speak with Amazon recruiters and other company volunteers about job opportunities at Amazon during a career fair held at Vertiport Chicago on September 17, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The event was one of several Amazon career fairs held across the country today as the company attempts to fill more than 30,000 full and part-time positions.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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