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Unemployment claims dip to 900,000

Jan 21, 2021
The data underscores that President Joe Biden has inherited an economy that faltered this winter as virus cases spiked.
A person walks by a store displaying a sale sign on Jan. 8, 2021 in New York City.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Unemployment insurance is broken. What would it take to fix it?

Jan 20, 2021
Making the unemployment system a federal program could help reduce some of the huge racial disparities that currently exist.
Some economists are saying it is time for the federal government to take over the unemployment insurance system.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

Unemployment claims slip to still-high 787,000

Jan 7, 2021
On Friday, the government will issue a December jobs report that economists expect will show hiring slowed for a sixth straight month.
A closed souvenir shop in Times Square on Dec. 28, 2020 in New York City.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Wages spike in the pandemic — but it's just a fluke

Jan 4, 2021
In the recovery this year, wages are likely to stagnate for returning service workers, economists predict.
Fast-rising wages during the pandemic are an anomaly. While most higher-paid professionals were able to work from home, millions of lower-paid service workers lost jobs and income.
Filmstudio via Getty Images

Layoffs still up as 803,000 seek unemployment benefits

Dec 23, 2020
Before the virus struck, applications typically numbered around 225,000 a week before shooting up to 6.9 million in early spring.
The job market remains under stress nine months after the coronavirus outbreak sent the U.S. economy into recession and caused millions of layoffs.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What we know about the latest plan for more COVID relief

Direct payments in the range of $600 and extra unemployment benefits around $300 per week are on the table.
"What we really need in this package is a bridge to when the weather is warmer and the vaccines are disseminated," says Marc Goldwein, senior vice president and senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

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Why hasn't Congress fixed unemployment insurance?

Dec 17, 2020
Congress was able to pass the CARES Act quickly, but its benefits expire Dec. 26. Will they be extended?
Congress has known what's wrong with unemployment insurance for decades.
Olivier Douliery/Contributor Getty Images

Unemployment claims up again, hitting nearly 900,000 last week

Dec 17, 2020
Nine months after the viral pandemic first paralyzed the economy, many employers are still slashing jobs.
A diner sits closed in Brooklyn on Dec. 9 in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

How extending unemployment benefits leads to a stronger recovery

Dec 10, 2020
When workers can use unemployment benefits to cover their basic needs, policy expert Alix Gould-Werth says they’re able to find better paying jobs.
People lined up for unemployment applications in Hialeah, Florida, in April.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images