Overall, U.S. child labor violations have “skyrocketed,” said Nina Mast, MPP, an economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute. According to a March report from the institute — which Mast coauthored — the number of minors employed in violation of child labor laws in fiscal year 2022 increased 283% over fiscal year 2015. The number of minors employed in violation of hazardous work rules went up 94%.
“But the vast number of violations go unreported,” Mast told The Nation’s Health.
Mast said a variety of factors are likely contributing to increased violations, including a rise in unaccompanied migrant children; the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated poverty and economic insecurity; and more attention to the issue from DOL investigators.
The Nation’s Health
August 10, 2023
In 2019, the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute’s economists wrote that they hoped that college graduates could find themselves in a “high-pressure economy” where a prolonged period of “labor market strength translated into better opportunities for workers across the board.”
Business Insider
August 10, 2023
The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2009, and 48 municipalities have passed higher local minimum wages, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit think tank.
The Denver Post
August 10, 2023
Despite decades of pushing for equality, both women and racial minorities still fall far short in terms of representation and pay compared with their white male colleagues, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
CNBC
August 10, 2023
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the labor force participation rate among 16- to 24-year-olds has fallen from 65.8% in 2000 to 55.6% in 2022.
To boost youth employment, lawmakers in at least 10 states have pushed bills to loosen child labor laws and protections to increase youth labor participation.
CNBC
August 10, 2023
For decades, the African American unemployment rate remained above 10%. But not anymore, says economist Kyle Moore with the Economic Policy Institute.
“Having that fall down below 5% earlier this year really means a lot for families, where it really means a lot for the sorts of economic security that they can experience,” says Moore.
Scripps news
August 10, 2023
MA: That’s right. But, you know, farm employment numbers are actually historically very hard to track, partly because they fluctuate a lot from season to season, partly because a large portion of farm workers are undocumented. Bottom line, farm jobs are not included in the monthly job numbers, which means we hardly ever talk about them on Jobs Friday. So you know what? Let’s change that.
…
COSTA: That is the grand mystery of the farm labor market. You’ve put your finger on it. So when there’s a shortage, normally you would think wages would rise, right? That’s the free market. That makes sense, right?
WONG: Except the farm labor market is not really a free market in some pretty key ways. For one thing, many farm workers are either here on a visa program that’s tied to a specific employer, or they’re undocumented. That means it’s more difficult for those workers to leave a job or advocate for better pay or conditions.
NPR Planet Money
August 10, 2023
“The upshot of today’s #JobsReport? It’s yet more evidence that we can have a soft landing,” Heidi Shierholz, an economist and president of the Economic Policy Institute said in a post on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
Boston Globe
August 10, 2023
Those figures reflect continued tightness in the broader labor market. In July, the U.S. unemployment rate was little changed at 3.5%, which is just above the lowest level since late 1969.
“It shows that the labor market is strong and in a good place,” Economic Policy Institute’s Valerie Wilson said. “Even with the hikes, the interest rate hikes, that the Federal Reserve has been implementing, we continue to see unemployment remain low.”
CNBC
August 10, 2023
Nationwide, gains in pay for low-wage jobs have reached historic proportions, according to an Economic Policy Institute report in March. Compensation for the lowest-paid jobs rose 9% between 2019 and 2022, adjusted for inflation. That’s much higher than the 4.9% for high-wage jobs and 2.4% for middle-wage jobs. And it was the biggest bounce for low-wage workers since at least 1979, according to the report.
“The labor market is stronger now, particularly for workers who are historically disadvantaged because of their relative scarcity,” said Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute and lead author of the March report.
CityBeat
August 10, 2023