Unemployment

People seated in a circle listening to presentations.

Experts: Training, transportation and child care shortages straining Alabama workforce

BY: - October 31, 2023

If Alabama’s workforce participation rates are low, it’s due to a lack of training, transportation and child care, experts told an Alabama House committee on Monday. “The bulk of it, I think, is what we are here for today, and that is, ‘well, I don’t have a consistent transportation to get to work,’” said Ed […]

A man passes an open door with the UPS symbol and an ad for work.

Job growth exceeds economists’ expectations as unemployment inches up

BY: - September 1, 2023

The labor market is stable and healthy, economists and policy experts say, although the unemployment rate ticked up in the month of August. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report released Friday showed that unemployment rose to 3.8% in August from 3.5% in July. Meanwhile the economy added 187,000 jobs, above expectations of 170,000 jobs from […]

A "Now Hiring sign," with white lettering on a red background, stands in front of a business called "Sparkline Image Car Wash."

‘Who’s going to work there?’: Lawmakers grapple with labor shortages

BY: - August 22, 2023

INDIANAPOLIS — For years, Indiana’s GOP-controlled legislature has focused on creating a business-friendly climate by pushing favorable tax rates and regulations, aiming to foster the creation of good-paying jobs across the state. The way Republican state Sen. Michael Crider sees it, those moves have worked: Companies such as Amazon and Walmart have built new warehouses and […]

Cars and trucks traveling down a highway.

Car insurance premiums based on job, education can ding low-wage workers

BY: - July 3, 2023

New Jersey resident Anna “Cuqui” Rivera, a high school graduate who works as a labor and civil rights activist and moonlights as a DJ, was paying almost $3,000 annually for auto insurance with one of the big companies. Now, she pays almost $2,000 less for coverage on her 2016 Jeep. The difference? Her new, smaller insurance company doesn’t take […]

Shelves of eggs in a supermarket

Wage growth remains high, jobs are steady and inflation is falling so why are people worried?

BY: - June 22, 2023

Economists have been predicting a recession for months, but the labor market has remained resilient, wage growth is higher than before the pandemic, and inflation continues to drop, now at 4% compared to 9.1% in June of last year. Despite this good news, consumers don’t feel confident about the future, according to the consumer confidence […]

A nurse dons protective gear, including a mask, a hair cap and a plastic smock in a hospital hallway.

States see record low unemployment across the US

BY: - May 27, 2023

Across much of the country, the jobs market is as strong as it’s ever been, and Black women, young people and people with disabilities are among the workers benefiting, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Twenty states reported an unemployment rate under 3% in April, while 15 states saw record lows, led by […]