Biography
Janelle Jones was an economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute through 2018. She is an economic analyst working on a variety of labor market topics within EPI’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE) and the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN). She was previously a research associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), where she worked on topics including racial inequality, unemployment, job quality, and unions. Her research has been cited in The New Yorker, The Economist, Harper’s, The Washington Post, The Review of Black Political Economy, and other publications. She also worked as an economist at the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Jones served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer in Sacramento, California, where she worked for a grassroots nonprofit focused on community health issues. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru in the Small Business Development Program focusing on local economic development.
Education
M.A., Applied Economics, Illinois State University
B.S., Mathematics, Spelman College
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Black unemployment is at least twice as high as white unemployment at the national level and in 12 states and D.C.: The highest African American unemployment rate is in the District of Columbia at 12.4 percent, while the highest white unemployment rate is in West Virginia at 5.0 percent
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Black workers have made no progress in closing earnings gaps with white men since 2000
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Despite overall unemployment under 4 percent, black unemployment exceeds 6 percent in 14 states and D.C.: The highest African American unemployment rate is in the District of Columbia at 12.4 percent, while the highest white unemployment rate is in West Virginia at 5.1 percent
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News from EPI › The march toward full employment continues in a majority of states
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‘Fair workweek’ laws help more than 1.8 million workers: Laws promote workplace flexibility and protect against unfair scheduling practices
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Right-to-work is wrong for Missouri: A breadth of national evidence shows why Missouri voters should reject RTW law
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In 14 states and DC, the African American unemployment rate is at least twice the white unemployment rate: The highest African American unemployment rate is in the District of Columbia at 12.9 percent, while the highest white unemployment rate is in West Virginia at 5.2 percent
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50 years after the Kerner Commission: African Americans are better off in many ways but are still disadvantaged by racial inequality
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Working harder or finding it harder to work: Demographic trends in annual work hours show an increasingly fractured workforce
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African American and Hispanic unemployment rates are higher than white unemployment rates in every state at the end of 2017
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Black women will be most affected by Janus
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Unfulfilled promises: Amazon fulfillment centers do not generate broad-based employment growth
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Our analysis of January 1 state minimum wage changes understated the total increase in wages for workers throughout the country
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Unemployment of black and Hispanic workers remains high relative to white workers: In 16 states and the District of Columbia, the African American unemployment rate is at least twice the rate of white unemployment
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18 states will increase their minimum wages on January 1, benefiting 4.5 million workers
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Latinas face a double pay penalty—because of their ethnicity and gender
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One-third of Native American and African American children are (still) in poverty
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Poverty declines in most states in 2016
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African American and Hispanic unemployment continue to fall but remain higher than white unemployment in nearly every state: The highest African American state unemployment rate (9.7 percent in Louisiana) is almost twice as high as the highest white state unemployment rate (5.0 percent in New Mexico)
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Black women have to work 7 months into 2017 to be paid the same as white men in 2016
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Working people deserve schedules that work
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Most states continue to add jobs and lower unemployment rate in April
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State unemployment rates by race and ethnicity show recovery expanding but still leaving stubborn pockets of high unemployment
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A majority of states see modest employment gains in March
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Low-wage African American workers have increased annual work hours most since 1979
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Majority of states continue to experience job growth and falling unemployment
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African Americans have plenty to lose under Trump’s budget plan
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Most states start the year with modest job growth and decreases in unemployment rates
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Receiving an inheritance helps white families more than black families
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The racial wealth gap: How African-Americans have been shortchanged out of the materials to build wealth