March 2024 Jobs Report: Three Things to Know
The BLS estimated that the US economy added 275,000 jobs in February, with the unemployment rate ticking up from 3.7% to 3.9%. Three things stood beneath the headlines of this report. Revisions Take Some Heat of the Economy While the top-line number today beat the consensus market forecasts, the BLS also revised down their ...
The Small Role of Ivy League Schools in US Higher Education
The conversation about higher education admissions in the US is often dominated by developments at the eight Ivy League institutions. While there are good reasons to debate admissions at these elite schools (because, for instance, economists have found that their graduates hold a disproportionately large share of leadership positions in business and politics), this post ...
April 2024 Jobs Report: A Best-Case Scenario for the Fed?
The BLS estimated that the US economy added 303,000 jobs in February, with the unemployment rate ticking down from 3.9% to 3.8%. Below are three key takeaways from this report – and what it means for interest rates. 1. Job Growth Continues to Defy Expectations Overall nonfarm employment grew by 303,000 in March, blowing past ...
In Brief: The Recent Rise in US Labor Productivity
BRIEFLY US labor productivity has enjoyed a period of renewed growth over the past year, interrupting a nearly twenty-year decline: the 2.7 percent productivity growth in 2023 outpaces the 1.5 percent annual average since 2004, and it nearly matches the 2.9 percent pace seen during the country’s last productivity surge in the 1990s. While the ...
April 2024 Jobs Report: Steady-As-She-Goes Labor Market
The BLS estimated that the US economy added 175,000 jobs in February, with the unemployment rate ticking up from 3.7% to 3.9%. Three things stood out from this report. 1. Job Growth Ticks Down After Recent Strength After a string of stronger-than-expected employment gains, job growth cooled down this month. The 175,000 jobs added fell ...
April 2024 CPI Report: A Step in the Right Direction
The Consumer Price Index rose at a 3.4% annual pace in April 2024, and 3.6% for all items excluding food and energy. Three things stood out from this report. 1. Inflation softens, after stickiness to start off the year Annual inflation, as measured in the CPI, started the year near a post-COVID low of 3.1% ...
Chronicle of Higher Education Op-Ed: Yes, College is ‘Worth It’
It’s time to retire skepticism around the value of a degree. Questions regarding the value of a college education have spiked recently, highlighted by high-profile media coverage. Beyond the hype, three substantive attacks have been levied: (1) the college wage premium is illusory, (2) the lifetime wealth premium that college graduates receive is disappearing, and (3) the risk ...
In Brief: Building Security in the Semiconductor Supply Chain
BRIEFLY Semiconductors are the building blocks of almost every modern technology, from dishwashers to smartphones to javelin missiles. Shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with rising geopolitical tensions in the region where most chips are produced, have highlighted the fragile supply chains of this critical technology. In response, US policymakers have invested billions in the ...
May 2024 Jobs Report: Mixed Messages in the Job Market
The BLS estimated that the US economy added 272,000 jobs in February, with the unemployment rate ticking up from 3.9% to 4.0%. Three things stood out beneath the headlines of this report. 1. Job Growth Accelerates Today’s estimate of 272,000 jobs added substantially beat the consensus market forecasts of 180,000, and by all measures is ...