Proposed federal rule would protect workers from extreme heat
In the midst of record-breaking heat waves this summer, workers are facing the risk of heat-related injury, illness, and even death. In fact, heat has become the most prevalent lethal factor among all weather-related fatalities, according to the National Weather Service. To address the threat to worker safety and lives posed by rising global climate trends, the Biden-Harris administration recently announced a proposed rule to substantially reduce heat injuries, illnesses, and deaths in the workplace. The proposed rule would be “the first-ever federal regulation on heat stress in the workplace.”
The proposed rule would require employers to conduct heat hazardous identification and assessment, develop a heat injury and illness prevention plan, provide indoor work area control, and allocate time and area for rest breaks. The rule also would require employers to provide training and education in their workplace.
The new standard has two heat index triggers that apply nationwide. When temperatures reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the proposal would require employers to provide workers with drinking water, as well as a place and time to take breaks and help employees acclimatize to working in extreme heat. When temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, employers would be required to provide employees with 15-minute rest breaks every two hours and monitor for symptoms of heat-related illnesses.
By establishing a federal standard, the proposed rule would benefit a vast number of U.S. workers and enhance equity. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 33% of workers in 2023 were exposed to the outdoors as a regular part of their job. Furthermore, Black, African American, Hispanic, or Latino workers—who make up roughly 32% of the U.S. population—comprise 45% of all workers in outdoor conditions.
2024 could be the hottest year on record. Worsening climatic conditions mean that workers who work outdoors and indoors in high temperatures are more at risk. The proposed rule is therefore a necessary policy effort to protect workers amid the ongoing global climate crisis.
Prices have fallen in key sectors since inflation peaked in 2022
With the latest indicators showing consumer price inflation continues moderating from its June 2022 peak, prices for some goods have actually fallen over the past few years, according to underlying commodity data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Consumers are seeing the biggest improvements in energy prices, as shown in Figure A below. Families filling up their oil tank for the winter ahead will be paying 36% less for heating fuel compared with prices in mid-2022. Gasoline is down 29% and heating and cooking gas is down 15%.
Families shopping for a new washer and dryer will see prices 10% lower than two years ago. At the market, they’ll be paying 8% less for apples, 3% less for milk and bacon, and 1% less for tomatoes. Prices for boys’ and girls’ shoes are 2% lower than two years ago.
What goes up can come down: Percent change in prices since June 2022 for average consumers
| June 2022 – present | |
|---|---|
| Fuel oil | -36.0% |
| Gasoline | -29.1% |
| Utility (piped) gas service | -15.4% |
| Laundry equipment | -10.0% |
| Apples | -8.1% |
| Toys | -5.0% |
| Milk | -3.0% |
| Bacon and related products | -2.5% |
| Boys’ and girls’ footwear | -2.4% |
| Tomatoes | -1.2% |
| Chicken | 0.5% |
| Tires | 1.2% |
| Bananas | 1.2% |
| Eggs | 1.6% |
Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' price data.
Chicago Public Schools should try to maintain spending levels even as federal pandemic relief funds come to an end
The nation’s third-largest public school system—Chicago Public Schools (CPS)—has begun developing its budget for the next fiscal year. Like the rest of the country’s schools, this budget marks the end of the district’s financial support from the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief III Funds (ESSER III) provided during the COVID crisis. CPS invested its ESSER dollars in school staff, and it was the right choice: Chicago students had exceptional academic outcomes compared with similar districts during the pandemic recovery.
Public schools, especially schools that serve students of color, are facing severe staffing shortages that threaten students’ ability to learn. Even with the staffing improvements made possible by COVID-related fiscal relief, CPS per-pupil spending levels are not sufficient to meet recognized educational adequacy benchmarks. CPS’s 2025 budget should target maintaining recent spending levels to support the recruitment and retention of qualified staff, particularly in low-income neighborhoods and schools that serve students of color.
U.S. economy shows steady job growth in June
Below, EPI senior economist Elise Gould offers her insights on the jobs report released this morning, which showed 206,000 jobs added in June. Read the full thread here.
Payroll employment increased by 206,000 in June, with notable downward revisions in the prior two months. Employment growth is expected to slow as the labor market approaches full employment. The Federal Reserve should get a clear message that we are not in a hot labor market. pic.twitter.com/aQwRkGrh3A
— Elise Gould (@eliselgould) July 5, 2024
June’s gain of 206,000 jobs is on par with the average gain over the prior 12 months. There were notable increases in health care and social assistance as well as in public sector employment, primarily at the state and local level. pic.twitter.com/Reed6bxxfK
— Elise Gould (@eliselgould) July 5, 2024
While there’s more volatility in monthly and quarterly changes in wages, the deceleration in nominal wage growth is clear across all measures. There is no evidence of inflationary pressures coming from the labor market. pic.twitter.com/i7nKjjVY5I
— Elise Gould (@eliselgould) July 5, 2024
Much of the employment gains appear to be driven by men as their prime-age employment-to-population ratio rose, getting closer to their pre-pandemic levels. Prime-age women experienced some declines in June, but remain above their pre-pandemic high. pic.twitter.com/7l5ZrgGNSh
— Elise Gould (@eliselgould) July 5, 2024
What to watch on jobs day: The labor market is better by some measures than before the pandemic
Over the last few months, some have expressed concern over mild softening in certain labor market measures. For instance, after hitting a low of 3.4% in 2023, the unemployment rate slowly crept back up to 4.0% in May 2024. Ideally, unemployment would remain as low as possible, but unemployment has now been at or below 4.0% for 30 months running—the longest such stretch since the late 1960s. To put some of this in perspective, I’ve made a few comparisons with pre-pandemic unemployment and employment rates to show just how well today’s labor market stacks up. Spoiler: Even while some measures have softened a bit from peaks in 2022 and 2023, the overall picture remains stronger than what we saw in 2019.
Hiring and job openings grew slightly in May: Analysis of JOLTS data
Below, EPI senior economist Elise Gould offers her insights on today’s release of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for May. Read the full thread here.
Small uptick in job openings and hires for May 2024. Otherwise, not a lot changed in the JOLTS report out this morning from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://t.co/dXEZgZoGFw). “Changed little” or “little changed” appears 13 times in the release. pic.twitter.com/xzal5QM1xT
— Elise Gould (@eliselgould) July 2, 2024
Labor market churn continues to trend down along with the general downward trend in job openings. The quits rate is below its pre-pandemic average, a sign that workers are sitting tight. Layoffs remain low while hires are up slightly. pic.twitter.com/KUrAUVcICW
— Elise Gould (@eliselgould) July 2, 2024
Half of U.S. states have passed the CROWN Act to ban hair discrimination
Black and brown people face racial discrimination based on their hair texture at work, school, and beyond, but a growing number of states are passing legislation to protect against hair discrimination. July 3 marks five years since the signing of the inaugural state CROWN (“Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair”) Act. Now, 25 states in total have passed the CROWN Act, with Vermont becoming the latest state to enact the legislation in April. Meanwhile Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) signed an executive order to protect against hair-based discrimination for state government workers and job applicants, which helps build momentum for legislation that would protect everyone. The map below illustrates which states have passed the CROWN Act (D.C. has protections against hair discrimination but not through the CROWN Act).
Examining the economic impact of language proficiency on AAPI populations
As our economy and nation become increasingly more diverse and multilingual, limited language access to public services and institutions poses a growing threat to limited English proficient (LEP) workers. Although federal law mandates that federal agencies—as well as state and local programs receiving federal funds—establish language access plans for their resources, many non-federally funded state and local programs lack this level of accountability. For LEP workers, this can create significant barriers to understanding and exercising their rights across a complicated web of social, political, and economic institutions.
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have particularly high rates of limited English proficiency, with Asian Americans—the only racial group that is predominantly foreign-born—having the greatest need for language assistance. Approximately 32% of Asian Americans are LEP or are categorized as speaking English “less than very well.” By comparison, 29% of the Latinx community and 12.2% of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders are LEP, respectively.
The 24 million AAPI individuals residing in the United States reflect a multitude of complex and challenging histories that shape their diverse experiences in this country, including English language proficiency. Factors such as the promise of economic opportunities, the economic and political instability in their home countries, and the domestic devastation from imperial, colonial, and military expansion all contributed to reasons for AAPI groups to migrate to the United States. Between the 19th and first half of the 20th century, Asian immigrants were subjected to a plethora of immigration restrictions and racial exclusion policies, revealing deep-seated prejudices and economic anxieties. Additionally, the various Pacific Island nations that were colonized, overthrown, and annexed by the United States and other colonial powers each developed mixed relationships with U.S. political and economic systems because of their different colonial and territorial statuses.
More recent Asian immigrants have entered the United States through various immigration channels, including Diversity Visas, H-1B employment visas, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), while many others have arrived as refugees. Despite these pathways, still more than 1.7 million Asian Americans are undocumented immigrants, further compounding the marginalization experienced by those whose primary language is not English.
More states have strengthened child labor laws than weakened them in 2024: This year, state advocates were better equipped to organize in opposition to harmful bills
Click here for the latest version of our 50-state maps showing the status of legislation to roll back or strengthen child labor protections.
Early this year, we detailed the continued state legislative attacks on child labor protections as well as bills to strengthen child labor standards. Despite the recent rise of child labor violations and several high-profile child labor cases, the industry-backed effort to roll back child labor protections state by state continued, with state bills targeting youth work permits, work hours, and protections from hazardous work. At the same time, many state legislators have recognized the urgent need to strengthen standards and have instead proposed legislation to improve state child labor laws and their enforcement.
Now that most state legislative sessions have ended for the year, here is a look back at how these child labor proposals fared.
Jobs report indicates a strong labor market: Unemployment has been at or below 4% for 30 months running
Below, EPI economists offer their insights on the jobs report released this morning, which showed 272,000 jobs added in May.
From EPI senior economist, Elise Gould (@eliselgould):
Jobs report comes in strong this morning with payroll employment increasing by 272,000 in May. Some notable weakness in the household survey, but most measures tell a consistent story of a strong but not hot labor market. Here, we see consistently strong job growth continuing. pic.twitter.com/g9ilEKcxGK
— Elise Gould (@eliselgould) June 7, 2024
The topline household survey numbers suggest some mild weakness though it's important to remember that the payroll survey is the gold standard.
I'm not concerned by the mild uptick in the unemployment rate to 4.0%, which has remained at or below 4.0% for 30 months in a row. pic.twitter.com/Z7erPObbYm
— Elise Gould (@eliselgould) June 7, 2024
Again, a more volatile series, the Black unemployment rate ticked up to 6.1% in May.
Getting to full employment is particularly important for historically disadvantaged groups (e.g. young, noncollege, Black and Hispanic workers) who always experience a tougher labor market. pic.twitter.com/bs2jSJ6skh
— Elise Gould (@eliselgould) June 7, 2024
From EPI president, Heidi Shierholz (@hshierholz):
This labor market just keeps cranking out huge numbers of jobs. We’ve added almost a million jobs in the last 4 months alone, and the unemployment rate has been at 4% or less for TWO AND A HALF YEARS. It really is incredible.
— Heidi Shierholz (@hshierholz) June 7, 2024