On Labor Day, jobs crisis persists
September 3, 2010
Millions of Americans struggle to find work, decent pay. Read More
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Investing in the futurePresident Obama’s proposal to invest in the nation’s long-neglected infrastructure would create good jobs and lay the foundation for future economic growth. Multiple EPI reports have outlined the value of this sort of investment. |
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14.9 million unemployed on Labor DayThe private sector added 67,000 jobs in August but unemployment remains persistently high. |
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Making immigration work for all workersEPI's recently expanded its immigration program. Staff experts outline how immigration research relates to EPI’s broader mission. |
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Test failureA new paper finds broad consensus that standardized tests – even with the addition of value-added modeling -- fail to accurately measure both student and teacher performance. |
Latest Research
Labor Day fact sheet
September 3, 2010
Key data on the state of the labor market in 2010 Read More
More Research
- September 3, 2010
Employment growth continues subpar performance - September 2, 2010
Recession hits workers’ paychecks - August 31, 2010
Chamber of Commerce distorts findings and ignores important research - August 27, 2010
Problems with the use of student test scores to evaluate teachers - August 24, 2010
Ten reasons not to raise the retirement age - August 13, 2010
Abuses in the L-visa program - August 12, 2010
Best Practices for the Design of Project Labor Agreements
Commentary
On Labor Day, jobs crisis persists
More Commentary
- August 31, 2010
A nation of immigrants - August 27, 2010
Test Failure - August 20, 2010
Weekly jobless claims reach highest level since last November - August 17, 2010
Let the tax cuts for the rich expire - August 13, 2010
Washington Post gets it wrong on Social Security - August 2, 2010
“Make it in America” bills will advance U.S. manufacturing - July 30, 2010
Slowing growth shows need for renewed policies to boost jobs and incomes
RSS
EPI In The News
- Many Americans working harder for less NPR — Sep. 7, 2010
- Four trends we won’t be celebrating this Labor Day Huffington Post — Sep. 7, 2010
- Obama’s jobs crisis The New York Review of Books — Sep. 7, 2010
- Millions are disappearing from unemployment rolls as they stop job search Pittsburgh Post Gazette — Sep. 7, 2010
- Unemployment rate rises but private firms are hiring Miami Herald — Sep. 3, 2010
Jobs ... but low pay
The fastest-growing occupations in the U.S. pay close to minimum wage. Read More
Unemployment rate creeps up
September 3, 9:09am
The August employment report showed subpar employment growth. The unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage point to 9.6% in August, while the private sector added just 67,000 jobs. This was the eighth straight month of gains in the private sector, but it was lower than the average 99,000 monthly job gains of the first seven months, and it is not robust enough to bring the unemployment rate down.
Private sector employment growth, while positive, is underperforming, and not strong enough to provide jobs for new workers and the 14.9 million unemployed workers anytime soon.
It is time for the government to do substantially more to create jobs. With a 9.6% unemployment rate and slowing wage growth, the private sector as yet unable to provide a robust jobs recovery, and the Recovery Act fading out, it is time for bold action to create jobs and put America back to work. -Heidi Shierholz
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