American Jobs Plan | Economic Policy Institute

Corporate profits have recovered, but job market still depressed
Corporate profits are 5.7% higher than at the start of the recession; job base is 5.9% smaller. Read more

Running out of steam
Weekly jobless claims have held steady in the mid-400,000 range for the last four-and-a-half months, suggesting an excruciatingly slow recovery. Read more

Older men face longer job searches
39.9% of unemployed men have been looking for work for more than six months. Read more

Unemployment spells in Michigan and South Carolina are the longest in the nation
An interactive map showing median length of unemployment by state. Read more

Many jobless cannot collect unemployment benefits
Millions of the nation’s unemployed are not collecting unemployment benefits and are not eligible to do so under the laws in their state. Read more

Trading test anxiety for job market jitters
The class of 2010 will enter a labor market that has not only the highest rate of unemployment in a generation, but also an unusually high rate of joblessness for recent college graduates. Read more

Women now hold close to half of all jobs
Massive job loss of the recession has affected men disproportionately. Read more

Counting the jobs lost to China
An estimated 2.4 million American jobs were lost between 2001 and 2008 as a result of increased trade with China. Read more

American factories operating near record low utilization
U.S. manufacturing sector has suffered a steady decline over the past decade. Read more

Unemployed wait longer and longer for jobs
Typical job search takes close to five months. Read more

Leaving in droves
Large number of discouraged young unemployed workers drop out of the labor force. Read more

The Recovery Act worked
One year later, the benefits are undeniable Read more

Worst economic crisis since the Great Depression? By a long shot.
A comparison of the current downturn to nine previous recessions. Read more

Layoffs moderating but hiring not yet picking up
Fewer people are losing their jobs, but the unemployed still struggle to find work. Read more

Jobs creation effort needs to focus on good jobs
Male workers face shortage of good jobs with health and retirement benefits. Read more

Minorities, less-educated workers see staggering rates of underemployment
One in six workers cannot find the amount of work they want. Read more

Lost investment during a recession can prolong pain
Lower investment spending during a recession can lead to slower economic growth long after a recession is over. Read more

Economic downturn largest contributor to deficit woes
Recovery Act spending amounts to a small slice of the budget deficit pie. Read more

Costly COBRA: For the jobless, health care costs may exceed unemployment benefits
Workers must pay dearly to keep health insurance after losing a job. Read more

Mass layoffs at highest level since at least 1995
While some businesses might let go of a couple of workers, many others are laying off entire divisions, or are simply going belly up. Read more

Germany protects jobs
Germany’s unemployment has remained stable, thanks, in part, to their labor market policies. Read more

Commencing unemployment
The latest unemployment data for young college graduates show that 2009 is the second worst year on record. Read more

College-educated, African Americans hardest hit by unemployment
The March 2009 unemployment rate for college-educated African Americans was 7.2%–almost twice as high as the white rate. Read more

Recovery package eases but does not eliminate job woes
Even with the recently passed stimulus package, most states will still have fewer jobs at the end of 2010 than they did before the recession began. Read more

COBRA expansion won’t benefit most low-income workers
Proposed changes to COBRA health insurance coverage won’t help poor families. Read more

Federal grants key to recovery for states in recession
Because of the current recession, revenue from taxes is very low and most states now face troubling budget shortfalls. Read more

Downtime: Workers forced to settle for fewer hours
The past year has been a tough one for workers wanting full-time jobs. Read more

How long would a job-market recovery take?
Evidence from the last two recessions suggests that employment levels may not fully recover until mid-2010 or beyond. Read more

More job seekers, fewer jobs
Read more

Download entire plan (PDF)

American Jobs Plan main page