Page 3 - Eric Morath News Today

It’s still not at all clear when Congress will pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill or the vastly larger Build Back Better budget reconciliation bill.

U.S.

Lower-Wage Workers See Gains From Easing of Pandemic A fading pandemic and heating U.S. economy appear to be paying off for lower-wage workers. New jobs at restaurants, hotels, stores, salons and similar in-person roles accounted for about half of all payroll gains in June, according to the Labor Department. And workers in those industries are seeing larger raises than other employees. “Americans are becoming more mobile and dining out more,” said Jim Baird, chief investment officer at Plan...

Americans Leave Unemployment Rolls Faster in States Cutting Benefits © Neeta Satam for The Wall Street Journal The number of unemployment-benefit recipients is falling at a faster rate in Missouri and 21 others states canceling enhanced and extended payments this month, suggesting that ending the aid could push more people to take jobs. Federal pandemic aid bills boosted unemployment payments by $300 a person each week and extended those payments for as long as 18 months, well longer than the...

By Amara Omeokwe U.S. employers added 559,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate fell to 5.8%, in a pickup of the labor markets recovery from the pandemic amid signs that businesses... | June 4, 2021

Provided by Dow Jones By Amara Omeokwe U.S. employers added 559,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate fell to 5.8%, in a pickup of the labor markets recovery from the pandemic amid signs that businesses struggled to fill job openings. Last months gain represented an improvement from April, when the unemployment rate was 6.1% and the economy added a revised 278,000 jobs, a gain much smaller than economists had forecast. Economists had expected 671,000 jobs added...

Provided by Dow Jones By Sarah Chaney Cambon Initial unemployment claims through regular state programs dropped to 444,000 last week, marking a new low level since the pandemic hit in mid-March 2020. The number of people receiving benefits through state and pandemic-related pandemic programs also declined at the beginning of May to 16 million people from 16.9 million in late April, the Labor Department said Thursday. That includes benefits through one of several p...

The ransomware attack that forced the closure of the largest U.S. fuel pipeline at the weekend showed how cybercriminals pose a far-reaching threat to the aging, vulnerable infrastructure that keeps the nation's energy moving.

Following a disappointing new report showing the U.S. economy added only 266,000 jobs in April, many in the mainstream media were quick to suggest that a key factor to the slow job growth is overly generous pandemic-related unemployment benefits -- echoing a common right-wing media talking point that serves to demonize workers. Despite a lack of evidence pointing to a conclusive finding for these low numbers, many analyses prioritized questioning unemployment benefits while downplaying the low...

Provided by Dow Jones By Sarah Chaney Cambon and Gwynn Guilford Hiring unexpectedly slowed in April, a sign the recovery faces temporary setbacks as many businesses struggle to find workers or remain cautious about the economic outlook. U.S. employers added a modest 266,000 jobs in April, far short of the one million economists had forecast and the weakest monthly gain since January, Fridays Labor Department report showed. The deceleration came after payrolls rose...