Labor & Economic News - Institute for Research on Labor & Employment Library

Joblessness Across the US: Unemployment Rates, by State

2009-11-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

Joblessness Across the US: Unemployment Rates, by State

The labor market pain continued to be spread throughout the nation in October, as 29 US states recorded increases in their unemployment rates,

California Jobless rate hits 12.5 percent

2009-11-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

State jobless rate hits 12.5 percent
The number for October sets another modern record.

Veteran substitute teachers win back seniority rights in L.A. Unified

2009-11-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

Veteran substitute teachers win back seniority rights in L.A. Unified
Veteran substitute teachers in Los Angeles will get more work and a shot at keeping their health benefits after the teachers union approved an agreement restoring their seniority rights.

Trying to get ahead in the slow lane

2009-11-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

Trying to get ahead in the slow lane
In the organized chaos of the San Ysidro border crossing, Deciderio Mauricio Cantera is a specialist. He is el churrero, the churro seller. But in changing times, even the best hawkers are struggling.

AOL Plans to Cut Its Work Force by One-Third

2009-11-19T10:38:00.001-08:00

AOL Plans to Cut Its Work Force by One-Third
AOL said on Thursday that about 2,500 jobs will be lost after it is spun off from Time Warner next month.

O.E.C.D. Sees Bumpy Path to Recovery

2009-11-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

O.E.C.D. Sees Bumpy Path to Recovery
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Thursday delivered a cautious assessment of the global economy.

The Case for a Job-Creation Tax Credit

2009-11-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

The Case for a Job-Creation Tax Credit
An economist argues that the government should embark on a job-creation program by making it cheaper for companies to hire new workers.

The Scouting Report: Metro Areas and the Uneven Economic Recovery

2009-11-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

The Scouting Report: Metro Areas and the Uneven Economic Recovery
What stands in the way of recovery? On November 18, Alan Berube and Politico Senior Editor David Mark answered questions about how the nation’s large metropolitan areas—including Washington, DC—have fared in the downturn.

Some Organizers Protest Their Union’s Tactics

2009-11-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

Some Organizers Protest Their Union’s Tactics
After six years working in the laundry of a Miami hotel, Julia Rivera was thrilled when her union tapped her to become a full-time union organizer.

Jobless Benefits Will Expire Unless Congress Acts

2009-11-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

Jobless Benefits Will Expire Unless Congress Acts
About one million laid-off workers will see their unemployment benefits end in January unless Congress acts quickly to renew existing

Local Governments to Face Large-Scale Cuts

2009-11-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

Local Governments to Face Large-Scale Cuts
Despite reports that the economy is recovering from the recession, there will likely be large-scale city government layoffs, deep cuts to local government services and halted or delayed capital projects in the next year or two. Mark Muro, policy director of the Metropolitan Policy program, explains economic cycles and their impact on city and local governments.

Increasing Medicare Tax on High-Wage Earners Could Help Pay for Health Reform and Strengthen Medicare's Finances

2009-11-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

Increasing Medicare Tax on High-Wage Earners Could Help Pay for Health Reform and Strengthen Medicare's Finances
Increasing the Medicare payroll tax on high-wage earners would represent a sound and well-targeted way of paying for health reform. It would also improve the solvency of Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund and thereby strengthen this critical program, which provides health coverage for 46 million seniors and persons with disabilities. Hospital Insurance benefits in Medicare are funded primarily by payroll taxes on wages and self-employment income. Workers and …

How We're Doing: What's Blocking the Recovery

2009-11-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

How We're Doing: What's Blocking the Recovery
Despite the economy’s expansion in the last quarter, many American workers still lack jobs, the confidence to spend or a home to call their own. A team of Brookings experts began tracking data early this year to assess various dimensions of national and international well-being. The second quarterly "How We’re Doing" index looks at forces that stand in the way of a strong rebound and asks, "where are we going?"

California Higher Education Master Plan getting ignored

2009-11-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

Higher education master plan getting ignored
California's Master Plan for Higher Education - which set academics ablaze with the promise of a nearly free college education for all who qualified - is limping toward the half-century mark largely ignored by lawmakers who don't even pretend they can live up to its expensive commitment.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's $22 Billion Deficit

2009-11-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's $22 Billion Deficit
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which protects the pensions of 44 million workers, announced a $22 billion deficit for fiscal year ending September 2009. Douglas Elliott analyzes the three main reasons for the PBGC’s financial troubles, and cautions that there are serious structural problems within PBGC that cannot be blamed on the financial crisis.

West Contra Costa teachers' vote backs strike

2009-11-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

West Contra Costa teachers' vote backs strike
The threat of a strike hung over West Contra Costa Unified schools Wednesday, a day after an election recount confirmed district teachers narrowly rejected a contract that would have drastically cut benefits and pay.

Survey Finds Deep Shift in the Makeup of Unions

2009-11-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

Survey Finds Deep Shift in the Makeup of Unions
A study has found that just one in 10 union members is in manufacturing, while women account for more than 45 percent of the unionized work force.

Counting the Jobs Produced by the Stimulus

2009-11-09T10:05:00.000-08:00

Counting the Jobs Produced by the Stimulus
When the stimulus package was enacted last winter, the Obama administration said its goal was to create or save 3.5 million jobs by the end of 2010. Gary Burtless analyzes how closely the administration is coming to achieving that goal so far. He finds that, on the whole, recent reports have understated the net effect of the stimulus program on overall employment by not taking into account the indirect effects of the stimulus on consumer spending and employment.

Jobless Rate Highest Since 1983

2009-11-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Jobless Rate Highest Since 1983
NPR audio:
The government says the nation's unemployment rate hit 10.2 percent last month, the highest since 1983. Economists had expected the figure to rise to 9.9 percent.

The Financial Crisis and Personal Saving

2009-10-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

The Financial Crisis and Personal Saving
The current financial crisis has had a great impact on how Americans are saving. In a presentation for the “National Forum to Encourage Lower-Income Household Savings,” Karen Dynan explained that while aggregate personal saving should be markedly higher than before the crisis, it is difficult to predict the level of saving for lower-income households.

S.F. hotel workers authorize strike

2009-10-23T12:04:00.001-07:00

S.F. hotel workers authorize strike
The union representing 9,000 hospitality workers voted to authorize a strike Thursday as negotiations to renew a contract governing more than 60 San Francisco hotels remain stalled over how to pay for health care coverage.

4-day workweek brings unexpected bonus

2009-10-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

4-day workweek brings unexpected bonus
Utah's experiment with a shorter week has paid off in ways the state didn't even anticipate.

Public Pensions and Saving Souls

2009-10-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Public Pensions and Saving Souls
Many public pension funds are now taking the lead on exploring this new avenue for investment. In August a consultant called Pension Consulting Alliance (PCA) issued a Request for Information (RFI) for infrastructure investment management services on behalf of its public pension fund clients.

Case For a Social Security Cost-Of-Living Adjustment in 2010 Is Weak

2009-10-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Case For a Social Security Cost-Of-Living Adjustment in 2010 Is Weak
Under current law, there will be no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in Social Security in 2010 — the first time that has happened since automatic cost-of-living adjustments began in 1975. Several bills before Congress would grant a special increase in Social Security payments for 2010. The inflation data, however, do not support an increase: overall consumer prices have fallen significantly in the past year and are not expected to return to their earlier peak until …

Teachers benefit from job-saving stimulus spending

2009-10-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

Teachers benefit from job-saving stimulus spending
Teachers appear to have benefited most from the effort to save jobs with the $787 billion recovery package, which sent billions of dollars to states that were on the verge of ordering heavy layoffs in education. The national data on the impact of President...