Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

More clarity in jobless claims: both post-pandemic seasonality and regime change at work

 – by New Deal democrat As we move further into the calendar year, we are getting more clarity on what has been happening with jobless claims. As a reminder, I look at these because historically they have been a good short leading indicator for the unemployment rate and more broadly for the economy as a whole. […]

Estimates of All People Experiencing Homelessness in the United States

A not-so-short report made shorter by me on homelessness during the pandemic. It is not a terrible read. Plenty of charts and graphs to help explain the words. Dive into it, it is pretty good. The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR to Congress) Part 1: Point-In-Time Estimates of Homelessness, December 2024 National Estimates of […]

FTC to Launch Inquiry Into Higher Grocery Prices and Surveillance Pricing

FTC to Launch Inquiry into Higher Grocery Prices by Lucille Barilla @ Retail Wire FTC Chair Lina M. Khan highlighted the FTC’s recent work to stop corporate lawbreaking that raises prices for Americans, including uncovering evidence of corporate conduct that may raise the price of gas, grocery prices, working to lower the cost of many asthma […]

Fastest wage growth over the last four years

Report on the impact from the expanded unemployment insurance, economic impact payments, aid to states and localities, child tax credits, and temporary protection from eviction amongst other measures as reported by the authors. These actions provided relief to workers and their families to help them weather the recession. These measures also fed the surge in […]

Profit Motive Isn’t Working in Healthcare

Or with contract doctors . . . ER Dr. Ming Lin is calling attention to the increasing influence of large corporations in the practice of medicine and its detrimental effects on physicians and healthcare workers. What we have is one employee facing down a healthcare corporation. The chances of an employee winning are minimal unless […]

America’s Missing Workers, Who Are They?

Before you start chattering at me about this and that detail, let’s get an understanding. I am supply chain and manufacturing or manufacturing and supply chain. If there was a job opening in either and with appropriate pay, I was more than likely in. Companies hiring me usually did so because they had a problem. […]

Pandemic still in control

February JOLTS report showed a pandemic still in control Yesterday morning’s JOLTS report for February showed that the pandemic was still in control of the numbers.This report has only a 20 year history, and so includes only two prior recoveries. In those recoveries:  first, layoffs declined second, hiring rose third, job openings rose and voluntary quits increased, […]