Male unemployment reaches 10% as private sector employment craters
May 8, 2009
EPI's monthly analysis of the latest jobs data finds the labor market is still in a recession that is shedding jobs at a stunning pace.
Latest Research
Seven million jobs needed to return to pre-recession employment levels
May 7, 2009
The U.S. awaits new April employment data amid signs of unrelenting job losses: 24.4 million Americans are unemployed or underemployed.
Working the graveyard shift: Why raising the Social Security retirement age is not the answer
May 5, 2009
EPI economist Monique Morrissey, along with Emily Garr, look at whether postponing retirement is a viable "fix" for Social Security, since Americans are already working longer into old age. Raising Social Security's early and normal retirement age would be especially hard on lower-income and minority workers, given large and growing disparities in life expectancy.
Rebuilding the framework for financial regulation
May 1, 2009
The crisis in the financial system is the result of "regulatory, institutional, product, and market" failures, writes Jane D'Arista, an EPI research associate. In a briefing paper she explores how the current crisis should inform the development of a new architecture for the financial system that is linked with the real economy.
Upside surprise in consumption spending doesn’t stem sharp decline in economic growth
April 29, 2009
EPI's Josh Bivens provides analysis of the latest Commerce Department gross domestic product (GDP) report.
A public insurance plan is essential for health reform
April 23, 2009
Creation of a public insurance plan is a necessary part of comprehensive U.S. health care reform. This public insurance plan would compete directly with private insurers within a new national insurance exchange. Americans in the exchange would be able to choose between an array of private plans, or the new public plan, within a marketplace that ensured a common set of rules for all insurers.
Invest in America
April 8, 2009
EPI Economist Robert Scott notes that the Big Three automakers have increased their production in Mexico as their American manufacturing footprint recedes. Future aid to the automakers is needed to ensure their survival, and "Invest in America" provisions should be a part of any restructuring plans to mitigate the decline in this vital manufacturing base for the American middle class. READ MORE
Jobs report offers no sign of light at end of tunnel
April 3, 2009
Jobless rate in March is highest since 1983. For a thorough analysis of the latest labor market data, read EPI's Jobs Picture.
Not-so-easy money: Taxing health benefits comes with costs
March 20, 2009
Drawing on new research, EPI director of health policy research Elise Gould cautions that fundamental health reform must come before proposals to tax health insurance benefits. READ MORE
Still Open for Business: Unionization Has No Causal Effect on Firm Closures
March 20, 2009
Claims by the organized business lobby that increased unionization will drive employers out of business are not borne out by historical data or existing credible research, according to a new report. In Still Open for Business, John DiNardo compares data on business failures among unionized and similar nonunion firms and concludes that unionized businesses are no more likely than nonunion ones to fail.
Stuck in Neutral
March 9, 2009
The story of Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent--whether U.S.- or foreign-born--is often cast as a classic American success story of how, through diligence and grit, anyone can succeed. The true story, as shown in the latest report from EPI's Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, is far less rosy. READ MORE
Highest unemployment rate in over 25 years
March 6, 2009
The February employment report shows that the labor market has been deteriorating for 14 straight months, and the losses continue at a stunning pace. Read the latest Jobs Picture for a full analysis.
EPI facts, analysis on health care crisis, need for reform
March 4, 2009
Elise Gould, director of EPI's Health Care Policy Research program, is tracking the health care crisis. Her latest paper takes a critical look at the idea of paying for reform transition costs by taxing so-called Cadillac health care plans. She offers a comprehensive look at trends in coverage and costs in the latest State of Working America, EPI's signature reference book. READ MORE
Organizing Prosperity
February 24, 2009
Using twelve case studies from a variety of industries, including nursing, meatpacking and janitorial, the authors of this new EPI book show that unions can benefit workers and communities while making companies more productive.
Squandering the blue-collar advantage
February 13, 2009
The main culprit for manufacturing's troubles is an overvalued U.S. dollar. A costly health care system and high pay for executives further undercut the U.S. advantage of having a highly productive blue-collar workforce. Union wages are clearly not the problem.
Contracting out federal jobs can be bad deal for workers
February 11, 2009
Conservatives have long pushed for greater outsourcing of federal jobs to private contractors in the name of cutting costs. An EPI analysis shows the trend is bad for workers, as contracted jobs are more likely to pay poverty-level wages.
Economy sheds nearly 600,000 more jobs
February 6, 2009
The latest employment report shows the economy lost nearly 600,000 jobs last month, for a total of over 3.5 million since the recession began. Nearly all indicators -- employment rates, underemployment, length of jobless spells, job seekers per opening -- show an alarming deterioration of the labor market.
Older Americans in the recession
February 4, 2009
A growing share of workers 55 and older are apparently delaying retirement, either holding on to jobs or trying to find work. In turn, younger workers face additional competition for jobs. Meanwhile, unemployment levels are rising fast, and more older workers are being displaced.
GDP even worse than it sounds
January 30, 2009
Although gross domestic product dropped 3.8% in the fourth quarter—the largest contraction since 1982—even that bleak statistic understates the extent of the economy's weakness. READ MORE
Grim prognosis without substantial recovery plan
January 13, 2009
Without a strong recovery package, 35% of all U.S. workers could be unemployed or underemployed at some point in 2010, according to a new EPI report by Lawrence Mishel and Heidi Shierholz. The prognosis for blacks and Hispanics is especially dire.
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