Help power Marketplace this winter when you support the show today. Donate Now!

Wage growth still exceeds inflation

Nov 28, 2024
Wage growth for the last several months continued to exceed inflation, though there are some signs of cooling.
Wages have been outpacing inflation, but there are signs that may not last.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Is long-haul trucking really facing a driver shortage?

A new government-directed study casts doubt on the long-held idea that trucking is facing a labor shortage.
Based on average wages from 2006 to 2024, experts found long-distance truckers have been making less than their peers working in residential construction.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Wage growth continues to outpace inflation

Nov 13, 2024
Price growth has moderated. Wage growth hasn't, for the most part.
In October, average hourly earnings rose 4% from the year before. Which means Americans had over 1% more disposable income to spend.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

What is the employment cost index and what does it tell us about the economy?

Oct 31, 2024
The Labor Department's quarterly employment cost index basically tells us how much employers are paying their employees.
The employment cost index basically tells us how much employers are paying their employees.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Fed's about to get its preferred measure of inflation. Here's what it could mean.

Oct 30, 2024
The PCE index could come in at the central bank's much-vaunted target of 2% inflation.
The PCE may have dipped to or close to the Federal Reserve's 2% inflation goal, thanks in part to falling gas prices.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Inflation is falling, but consumers aren't celebrating yet

Oct 10, 2024
The September CPI showed inflation slowing to 2.4% annually, but consumer sentiment hasn't yet rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
People are still feeling down about the persistence of high prices.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The economics behind a new program protecting undocumented family members of U.S. citizens

Aug 21, 2024
Work permits can increase wages, workforce participation and job potential for undocumented immigrants.
Having immigration status tends to increase the wages of undocumented workers, according to the Dallas Fed's Pia Orrenius.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Why the so-called “left behind” bloc might be doing better than you think

The Economist digs into data regarding those who lost their jobs in manufacturing.
Above, the Gautier Steel Mill in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in September 2016. "The traditional Rust Belt states ... actually have had lower unemployment rates than the national average," said The Economist's Zanny Minton-Beddoes.
Dominik Reuter/AFP via Getty Images

How the consumers of Kent County, Michigan feel about the economy

Aug 6, 2024
The regional economy isn't in bad shape, but many folks say it's hard to get by.
Adreanah Neely says it's hard to find a job right now in Kent County.
Nancy Marshall-Genzer/Marketplace

McDonald's sales slipped. That may mean lower-income consumers feel pinched.

Jul 29, 2024
Reporting quarterly results, the fast-food company said customers "continue to be more intentional with the dollars they spend."
McDonald's weak results are prompting varied interpretations. Maybe consumers are tightening their budgets, or maybe they're moving higher up the food chain.
Mario Tama/Getty Images