Media clips
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Millions of Americans who lost their jobs over the past couple of weeks have been unable to collect needed benefits, according to a new survey by the Economic Policy Institute.
Between March 22 and April 18, 21.5 million unemployment claims were filed, according to the Department of Labor.
But according to the left-leaning EPI, the official number understates the demand for jobless benefits. EPI estimates that an additional 8 million to 13 million laid-off workers would have filed claims during those five weeks had the unemployment filing system not been overwhelmed. (EPI surveyed 24,607 adults.)
Yahoo Finance April 29, 2020 -
The online survey was conducted by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Based on its gathered data, the group determined that 3-4 out of 10 workers left unemployed by coronavirus have been unable to register for benefits. It also found that two of out 10 have not tried to apply.
“This study validates the anecdotes and news reports we’re seeing about people having trouble filing for benefits they need and deserve,” said Ben Zipperer, a co-author of the survey with Elise Gould.
EPI used Google surveys to collect results from 24,607 Americans from April 13-24
Government statistics show that around 26.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March, the approximate time when most businesses began to shut down. Zipperer and Gould explained in their report how the data showed that between 8.9-13.9 million people have been effectively shut out from benefits. Statistics released by the Labor Department also found that only 71% of people who successfully filed for benefits are actually receiving their payments.
EPI also guessed that due to the alarming number of workers unable to file, the official unemployment numbers by much lower than reality.
“These findings imply the official count of unemployment insurance claims likely drastically understates the extent of employment reductions and the need for economic relief during the coronavirus crisis,”
International Business Times April 29, 2020 -
Tens of millions of Americans were pushed out of the workforce during the coronavirus lockdown, with U.S. Department of Labor statistics showing that more than 26.5 million people have applied for unemployment benefits since mid-March. A new online survey conducted by the Economic Policy Institute found that between 8.9 million and 13.9 million people were shut out of the unemployment system entirely, citing problems ranging from clogged phone lines to long-outdated state-run computer systems.
Newsweek April 29, 2020 -
In February, women accounted for 50 percent of the payroll and in March they accounted for 58.8 percent of lost jobs, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that provides economic statistics and analysis.
The Miami Herald April 29, 2020 -
According to the Economic Policy Institute, productivity has increased 77 percent since 1973, but wages have decreased significantly, and Small Business Trends says 69 percent of small businesses start at home. We often need fulfillment outside of our primary employment, which suggests we should be doing something else on the side (53 percent of women have side gigs). Pair that with the expectation to monetize a hobby and the pressure compounds. There is an enormous burden to do.
Essence April 29, 2020 -
THE UNCOUNTED UNEMPLOYED — “Millions of Americans locked out of unemployment system, survey finds,” by Reuters’ Andy Sullivan: “The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute found in an online poll that for every 10 people who have successfully filed unemployment claims, three or four people have been unable to register and another two people have not tried to apply at a time of acute economic crisis.
“Official U.S. statistics show that 26.5 million people have applied for unemployment benefits since mid-March, wiping out all of the jobs gained during the longest employment boom in U.S. history. EPI’s survey indicates that an additional 8.9 million to 13.9 million people have been shut out of the system, said Ben Zipperer, the study’s lead author.” Reuters
Politico April 29, 2020 -
Emma Garcia, a researcher in education policy a the Economic Policy Institute, agrees that this is an opportunity for the a decade-long movement to modify standardized testing in a way that considers so-called “whole-person” assessment,” which includes social and emotional skills, as well as socio-economic contexts.
Rather than assessing student’s outcomes, Garcia says, the focus should be on their effort and learning, regardless of their output. This way, grading becomes primarily a way to collect information on the needs students will have once they are able to go back to school.
Quartz April 29, 2020 -
The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D. C.-based think tank, recently published an article headlined “Access to the online learning amid coronavirus is far from universal, and children who are poor suffer from a digital divide. ”
EPI reported the digital divide is based on family income.
Nearly 16% of eighth graders overall, and almost 25% of eighth graders who are poor, do not have a desktop or laptop computer at home on which they can follow their classes, EPI reported.
The Economic Policy Institute also noted that 7 percent of eighth graders who are poor do not have access at home to the Internet or hotspots, which can be expensive and essential to online learning. The National Center for Education Statistics reported that American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students have lower rates of home internet access than their peers who are White and Asian.
Only a fifth of teachers considered themselves proficient in integrating computers into classroom instruction.
“The shares of students with teachers who don’t consider themselves proficient but have received some training in applications and computer use is higher,” EPI reported. “Yet that still leaves nearly 24.1 percent of eighth -graders with teachers who are neither proficient in nor trained in software applications.”
The Charleston Chronicle April 29, 2020 -
Data on per capita income and poverty rate are also from the 2018 ACS. Data on the percentage of workers employed in high-risk industries is a 24/7 Wall St. calculation using 2018 annual employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages and identification of high-risk industries from the March 2020 paper “COVID-19: A Fiscal Stimulus Plan” published by Moody’s Analytics, an economics research firm. Data on projected unemployment rate by state for July 2020 came from an April 2020 report published by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank.
The USA Today April 29, 2020 -
America’s billionaires have been greasing the system in their favor well before the pandemic started, with a decades-long campaign to lower their taxes while giving less of the profits back to their employees. In 1990, according to IPS, the total combined wealth of U.S. billionaires was $240 billion. As of April 15, that number had swollen to $3.2 trillion—more than the GDP of the UK—with $300 billion of just in the first three months of 2020. Meanwhile, according to the Economic Policy Institute, between 1979 and 2018 worker productivity—how much value a worker produces in their job—increased by 70 percent, but hourly wages have only inched up by 11 percent. That difference has just been pocketed by employers, shareholders, and CEOs like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. And as the IPS explains, billionaires “do not rely on income from the work they do to generate additional wealth,” meaning their excess wealth, on its own, yields more returns on investment.
GQ April 29, 2020