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For California's formerly incarcerated firefighters, finding a full-time job requires time and money

Jan 31, 2025
But two of them have started nonprofits to help others navigate the process.
The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program works with incarcerated people working in California's fire camps to get trained and employed in firefighting after they're released.
Courtesy Blue Chalk Media

Dockworker negotiations resume, with automation a thorny issue

Jan 7, 2025
Longshoremen and employers have a Jan. 15 deadline to avoid another possible strike. Workers fear automation will take their jobs.
Dockworkers on the picket line at the Port of Baltimore in October. Contract negotiations paused for several months and resumed Tuesday.
Wesley Lapointe/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Skilled trade workers are still in short supply

Nov 6, 2024
The Fed's Beige Book reports shortages in industries including technology, manufacturing and construction.
Project manager Stephen Sasa works on updating the dining patio of a Portland, Oregon, restaurant. Sasa says journeyman carpenters who work with him make $40 to $50 an hour, plus benefits.
Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace

This produce clerk finds groceries and gratitude at work

Sep 25, 2024
Natalie Adams in Everett, Washington finds her job as producer clerk "absolutely gratifying."
"I enjoy handling all the different products," said Natalie Adams about her job. "The citrus fruits are starting to come in again, and man, the box of lemons I opened up today was absolutely gorgeous."
Courtesy Sno Isle Food Co-Op

CPI could be Fed's last gut check before interest rate decision

Sep 9, 2024
The monthly inflation gauge, to be released Wednesday, could influence how much the central bank cuts rates next week.
The August consumer price index may be the last major piece of information the Federal Reserve receives before it meets to adjust interest rates. Above, Chair Jerome Powell.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Is immigration good or bad for the economy? The answer is complex.

Sep 5, 2024
Immigrants become consumers, workers and contributors to the U.S. economy. But in some places, an influx can stress budgets and infrastructure.
Many of the workers who rebuilt parts of Florida after Hurricane Ian in 2022 were unauthorized immigrants. Immigrants have a large presence in the U.S. construction industry.
Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images

No political party can take union voters for granted

Aug 16, 2024
Democrats and Republicans want to win over union voters. Plus, the impact of extreme heat on Americans' utility bills. Subscribe to get the "Make Me Smart" newsletter every Friday!
Mario Tama/Getty Images

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What can the Federal Reserve do about rising unemployment?

Aug 14, 2024
Many expect that the Fed will cut interest rates to stimulate the job market — but not everyone thinks that's a good idea.
If Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, above, announces an interest rate cut in September, it could take awhile for that cut to stimulate the labor market.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

New era of semiconductor manufacturing clashes with dated immigration laws

Jun 26, 2024
Much is being done to shore up U.S. production of semiconductors through the CHIPS and Science Act, which will require tens of thousands of workers. But many of the highly educated engineers taking those jobs face immigration restrictions, thanks to an increasingly overwhelmed and burdensome visa process.
For the 2025 fiscal year, the grant rate was less than 20%, according to a CATO Institute analysis of government data.
Getty Images

What motivates companies to replace workers with machines?

May 30, 2024
A labor shortage in manufacturing seems to be tempting them.
Jim Young/AFP via Getty Images