Analysis & Opinion

Stimulus is working, but will not be enough

As unemployment mounts, stimulating the economy becomes a moving target. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} July 2, 2009

Black Americans face an especially tough job market

Differences in education, or even in criminal records, can’t explain why the unemployment rate is so much higher for blacks than whites. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 29, 2009

Why a public health insurance option is key to saving costs

A strong public health insurance option is the key to large cost savings and universal coverage. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 25, 2009

For America’s workers, recession is not the only problem

EPI’s new edition of The State of Working America outlines how, for most working families, job shortages and weak wages predated the current recession, and will probably outlast it. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 23, 2009

The toughest job markets in the country

May unemployment hits 14.1% in Michigan and a 33-year high of 12.4% in Oregon. Ohio’s eroding manufacturing base helped push unemployment up to 10.8% READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 19, 2009

Not “unemployed” but not working

The official unemployment rate is close to 10%, but that figure does not count the millions of other people without jobs who are too discouraged to look for work. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 18, 2009

Raising cap on social security tax best way to fix shortfall

In a June 17 testimony before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, EPI Reseach and Policy director John Irons argued that raising the cap on social security taxes would be preferable to cutting benefits or raising revenue through other means. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 17, 2009

A nation of immigrants

A diverse group representing everyone from land grant universities to high tech firms and farm employers recently gathered to discuss ways to maintain the tradition of immigration in the United States while also protecting the jobs of American-born workers. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 16, 2009

Bailouts helping big banks get bigger

Small community banks say they played by the rules, but are now the ones suffering from the risky business activities, and the bailouts on Wall Street. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 11, 2009

Too complex to regulate?

There’s not much talk about credit default swaps on the unemployment line, but critics say a pattern of gambling that many Wall Street firms disguised as legitimate investing was a major cause of lost jobs, home foreclosures, and general economic instability. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 8, 2009

Setting the record straight on GM

The U.S. government's role in the General Motors bankruptcy has been the subject of widespread attack ... and misinterpretation. Why much of the criticism is inaccurate. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} June 3, 2009

The perils of performance-based pay for teachers

Contrary to common belief, performance-based pay for teachers may have more in common with Soviet Central Planning than the U.S. private sector. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} May 29, 2009

Eight states face double-digit unemployment

Today’s release of state unemployment and jobs numbers shows that the recession is affecting all states, but some much more than others. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} May 22, 2009

A fine line between the hospital and the unemployment line

Rite-Aid union organizer says management intimidation put workers in harm's way. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} May 20, 2009

Rising unemployment could leave half of African American children in poverty

EPI President Lawrence Mishel projects that even small increases to the already high unemployment rate will be devastating to children and minorities. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} May 18, 2009

Tax policy as stimulus

EPI's John Irons addresses some attacks on Obama's tax policy. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} May 18, 2009

Pain on Main Street is getting worse

Nearly one in six American workers is now unemployed or underemployed. Further increases in unemployment could push that to one in three by next year. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} May 15, 2009

Health care by numbers

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{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} May 14, 2009

A public plan option as backup insurance for all Americans

Employer-sponsored health insurance is the backbone of the U.S. health insurance system, but it is not enough, especially in this time of high unemployment. A public plan is essential to guarantee health insurance for all Americans. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} May 13, 2009

Enforcement needed in H-1B Visa laws

U.S. employers are supposed to exhaust the American labor pool before they can hire guest workers. But research into the H-1B visa program shows rampant abuse. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]yPw6EDqGREL} {REL[anop_author_2]BbnIhqETREL} May 12, 2009