Renter households with annual incomes below $30,000 had a record-low median residual income of $310 a month in 2022, the Harvard study found. For perspective, a single-person household in even the most affordable counties need about $2,000 a month for non-housing needs, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
CNBC
February 9, 2024
As another sign of dominating employer power, a 2023 study by the Economic Policy Institute found that the amount of company profits flowing to employees has been declining for decades.
Forbes
February 9, 2024
Though the uptick in the unemployment rate for Black men is something to monitor, it can be more indicative of an anomaly in December’s low data, said Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. January’s 5.3% rate comes basically in line with the average 2023 month, while December’s 4.6% was the lowest level seen in the year.
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“A better economy absolutely can help historically disadvantaged groups more because they’re the ones that are often left out and are slow to recover in weaker times,” Gould said. “Full employment is definitely sort of a requirement for many historically marginalized groups to be able to see positive impact in the labor market, but it’s not the only thing.”
CNBC
February 9, 2024
“There is no other relationship in the labor market that is nearly this consistent and stable,” Valerie Wilson, the director of a program on race, ethnicity and the economy at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, told ABC News.
“Employment equity is essential to racial and economic justice because work is essential,” Wilson added. “It’s people’s ability to provide for themselves and their families.”
ABC News
February 9, 2024
In a 2022 report, the Washington, D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute said change is needed to the H-2B visa program to protect workers from abuses. “Department of Labor data show that nearly $1.8 billion was stolen from workers employed in the main H-2B industries (which includes both U.S. and migrant workers) between 2000 and 2021,” it reads.
KSL.com
February 5, 2024
Data from the Economic Policy Institute shows average weekly wages for teachers fell nearly 9 percent, adjusted for inflation, from 2021 to 2022, while wages for other college graduates kept pace. That means the pay gap widened: Teachers in Massachusetts now earn more than 20 percent less than workers with similar education levels.
Boston Globe
February 5, 2024
Research from the Economic Policy Institute highlights the extent of the issues:
- If classified as an independent contractor, a typical construction worker loses over $16,729 each year in salary and benefits. That’s compared to their potential earnings and employment rights if they were classified as an employee.
JD Supra
February 5, 2024
The average teacher salary in Virginia was just over $61,000 last year, ranking at No. 22 nationally. The average weekly wage rate for Virginia teachers is the third least competitive rate in the country when compared to other similarly educated professions, according to an Economic Policy Institute report from last year.
Daily Press
February 5, 2024
Few states or municipal areas have raised the minimum wage for workers to the degree that California is poised to do for fast-food employees. Localities typically increase minimum wages by 12% to 15% a year, according to the Economic Policy Institute, which studies wage increases.
The Wall Street Journal
February 5, 2024