|
|
|
|
|
A note from EPI’s Kirstyn Flood: What seemed like an economic upswing in May and mid-June hasn’t even begun to fill the mammoth losses in jobs during March and April. And as coronavirus cases around the country rise, more trouble is on the horizon. EPI experts weigh in on what to expect, and also how many jobs could be lost due to the expiration of unemployment benefits and what policymakers must do to aid working families.
|
|
Check out EPI’s new interactive map to see the projected job loss in your state if the $600 weekly unemployment insurance (UI) increase expires. The map accompanies our recent analysis on the negative economic impact of cutting off this unemployment benefit. Explore the map »
|
|
Share the interactive map:
Interactive map shows job loss in each state over the next year if the $600 weekly unemployment benefit expires
|
|
|
Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that, as of the middle of June, the economy was still 14.7 million jobs below where it was in February. Yesterday’s BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports that the labor market was down 13.1 million jobs at the end of May. Even with the measurable gains in May and the increases to payroll employment and declines in unemployment in the jobs data through mid-June, the recovery thus far has just begun to fill in the mammoth losses of March and April. Unfortunately, more trouble is on the horizon as coronavirus cases continue to rise, states begin to re-shutter, and unemployed workers face further economic devastation when the unemployment insurance enhancements expire on July 25. Without further aid to workers and their families, as well as to state and local governments, the economic pain will be with us for a very long time. Read the blog post »
|
|
Last week’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows two months in a row of payroll employment gains, an increase in jobs of 4.8 million in June on top of 2.7 million in May. But, because so many jobs were lost in March and April, we are still 14.7 million jobs below where we were in February, before the pandemic spread. Additionally, unemployment insurance claims data released July 2 showed that during the week ending June 27, 2.3 million workers applied for unemployment benefits. It was the 15th week in a row that unemployment claims were more than twice the worst week of the Great Recession. The data all point to more trouble to come. We are not unambiguously on an upward trajectory. Policymakers must provide safeguards so that workers and their families can heed the advice of health experts without sacrificing their economic well-being. Read the economic indicator »
|
|
Join the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) as we examine why policy must be changed in order to reverse the nation’s culture of anti-Blackness and the economic inequality surrounding it. EPI Distinguished Fellow Richard Rothstein will discuss his book, The Color of Law, followed by a panel discussion on reshaping the country into one that values Black lives and bolsters economic opportunities for all. Register for the webinar »
As a preview to the webinar, check out this short animated film, “Segregated by Design,” based on Rothstein’s book, which examines the forgotten history of how our federal, state, and local governments unconstitutionally segregated every major metropolitan area in America through law and policy. Watch the film »
|
|
EPI hosted a bipartisan panel on June 1 of the nation’s top economists to discuss the urgent need for federal aid for state and local public services—including public safety, health, and education—to mitigate the economic harm caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The group of panelists, moderated by EPI President Thea Lee, took media questions about the state of our economy and discussed the importance of adequate aid to individuals, businesses, and state and local public services to speed and sustain a robust recovery. Watch the video »
|
|
COVID-19 is acting as a magnifying glass to the deep-seated systemic inequities ever-present in the United States. EPI hosted a webinar on June 1 with the Insight Center; the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race; the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights; and Economic Education. The webinar included findings from EPI’s new report on Black workers, followed by a discussion on strategies to build an inclusive economy that centers on the needs of Black and Brown women and their communities. Watch the video »
|
|
EPI President Thea Lee joined a panel of experts on May 27 for a discussion of life after the economic crisis and what we must do to ensure a just transition. Lee; Robert Pollin, co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute; and Noam Chomsky, renowned linguist, historian, and philosopher, discussed their projections of how the crisis will unfold in the months and years to come. This webinar is a part of the Just Transition Listening Project, launched by the Labor Network for Sustainability and partners. Watch the webinar »
|
|
EPI hosted authors William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen on May 27 for a discussion of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century. Through their assessment of the intergenerational effects of white supremacy on Black economic well-being, Darity and Mullen confront the injustices of slavery, Jim Crow, and modern-day discrimination to make the most comprehensive case to date for economic reparations for U.S. descendants of slavery. EPI economist Valerie Wilson moderated the discussion. Watch the video »
|
|
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA’S CITY hall was packed on July 17th, 1995 with people who had come from as far away as Florida for a hearing on a proposed monument to the late Arthur Ashe, an African American tennis champion and humanitarian who was born in the city. Read more »
|
|
|
Share this newsletter:
Interactive map tracks job loss by state if unemployment benefits expire
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
