“Workers in some of these low-wage industries are demanding and getting better pay,” said Lawrence Mishel, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank.
Mr. Mishel said the premium that manufacturers pay has fallen since the 1980s and 1990s. Mr. Mishel attributed the decline to global competition, outsourcing, lower unionization rates and wider use of contractors. Mr. Mishel said jobs in manufacturing in many cases still offer better healthcare and retirement benefits than some other industries.
The Wall Street Journal
June 25, 2021
Manufacturing executives told The Journal that as well as struggling to find workers, they’re also being hit by higher prices of raw materials including fuel, lumber, and packaging amid the current shipping crisis, making it harder for them to afford new staff perks.
Some restaurants have been hiking up prices to offset the higher wages. But Paul Isely, a business professor at Michigan’s Grand Valley State University, told The Journal that it’s harder for manufacturers to raise prices because they have to compete with factories around the world, not just nearby restaurants.
Lawrence Mishel, an economist at left-leaning think tank the Economic Policy Institute, told the publication that global competition, outsourcing and contractors, and lower unionization rates were also causing manufacturing jobs to lose their wage premium.
As a result of all these changes, the proportion of US workers employed in the manufacturing industries was shrinking. Less than 9% of US workers are currently employed by manufacturers, The Journal reported. In the early 1980s this was more than 20%.
Business Insider
June 25, 2021
The missing Black father trope is largely due to deliberate and racist policy decisions. According to a 2016 Economic Policy Institute study, up to 1 in 10 Black children has an incarcerated parent. The ugly reality of mass incarceration in the US is that a huge proportion of those behind bars are convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. and while Black and white people use drugs roughly at the same rates, Black folks are almost six times as likely to be imprisoned for it.
MSNBC
June 25, 2021
Companies typically contend they use arbitration because it saves everyone involved time and money. But whether consumers actually fare better is disputed. The Economic Policy Institute found that consumers only won monetary relief in 9% of the arbitration cases it studied.
…
More than half, or about 60 million American workers, were required to use arbitration to settle disputes as of 2017, including when fighting against serious claims such as discrimination, civil rights violations and sexual harassment, EPI found. If nothing changes, the nonprofit predicts about 80% of workers will be covered by arbitration agreements by 2024.
CNBC
June 25, 2021
In March, the pro-union Economic Policy Institute reported that, since Trump ordered the tariffs in 2018, American steelmakers had vowed to invest nearly $16 billion in upgraded facilities that promise to reduce carbon emissions. EPI estimates those projects will create 3,200 new jobs in steel production.
90.5 WESA
June 25, 2021
According to the Economic Policy Institute, 60% of minimum-wage earners in the United States are older than 25, nearly 60% are women, 51% are people of color, and 25% support children.
Delaware Business Times
June 25, 2021
In its 2019 series, “The Teacher Shortage Is Real, Large and Growing, and Worse Than We Thought,” the Economic Policy Institute noted the United States is seeing falling enrollments in teacher prep programs. From the 2008-2009 to 2015-2016 school years, there was a 15.4% drop in the number of education degrees awarded and a 27.4% drop in the number of people who completed a teacher preparation program.
Atlanta Journal Constitution
June 25, 2021
With official unemployment at 5.8%, some have raised questions about claims of labor shortages, suggesting open positions should be filled by the ranks of unemployed Americans before raising the visa cap.
“In a moment where we have millions of workers laid off, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense,” said Daniel Costa, the director of immigration law and policy research at the Economic Policy Institute.
The H-2B statute specifies that temporary worker visas should be authorized “if unemployed persons capable of performing such service or labor cannot be found in this country.” Costa noted that most of the major H-2B occupations and industries still have rates of unemployment that are higher than pre-pandemic levels. Many have renewed demand for workers, including landscaping, food service, housekeeping, construction and amusement and recreation attendants remain below pre-pandemic levels.
“I do think the priority is getting U.S. workers back to work before we use a program for labor shortages. But I think you can see why employers would turn to this program,” Costa said. “If you don’t want to raise your wages to $15 an hour to attract workers, then the H-2B program is one option.”
Sinclair Broadcast Group
June 25, 2021
However, for newly empowered workers, the honeymoon days are likely numbered. Economist Heidi Shierholz cautions against reading too much into the data from April, “which is a very, very long time ago in COVID terms,” she said. In May, wage growth slowed considerably and employers added nearly 600,000 jobs — hardly a sign of a long-standing shortage, Shierholz pointed out.
The economy is still 7.6 million jobs below its pre-pandemic level, and despite all of April’s quits, the month ended with half a million more unemployed job seekers than open positions. How long it will take for the other 7 million to return is an open question. In the meantime, those who can work are in the drivers’ seat, enjoying the ride while they can.
CBS Moneywatch
June 25, 2021
These prospective departures threaten a relatively new feature of government: diversity. In Virginia, the public payroll — state and local — is nearly 58% female, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. One in five employees is Black; one in 10, Hispanic or Asian.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
June 25, 2021