Three Rules to Make Sure Economic Data Aren’t Bunk
Mainstream economics coverage is full of numbers: unemployment, inflation, the trade deficit, etc. But stories only rarely stop to explain what those numbers measure, how they are collected or how...
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Missing: Up To 4 Million Workers
We know that Americans are leaving the labor force at an unprecedented rate. The question is why they’re leaving — and how many of them will come back. Economists are still trying to figure out how...
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Labor Force Participation Doesn’t Mean What It Used to
As I wrote Wednesday, the U.S. labor force is shrinking. To see why it’s important, let’s talk about how economists have historically looked at the labor market and how that’s changing. Unemployment is...
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What Baby Boomers’ Retirement Means For the U.S. Economy
For decades, the retirement of the baby boom generation has been a looming economic threat. Now, it’s no longer looming — it’s here. Every month, more than a quarter-million Americans turn 65. That’s a...
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What Do McDonald’s Workers Really Make Per Hour?
At the McDonald’s annual shareholder meeting in Oak Brook, Illinois, on Thursday morning, hundreds of the company’s employees were protesting, demanding a minimum wage of $15 per hour and the right to...
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No, the Long-Term Jobless Aren’t ‘Catching a Break’
In April, Labor Secretary Tom Perez told me that “long-term unemployment is what really keeps me up the most at night.” Based on May’s data, it doesn’t look like he’ll be getting a good night’s sleep...
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Dear Mona, I’ve Been in My Job For 3 Years. Am I Normal?
Dear Mona, I have been in the same job for three years. Am I normal? Melissa, 27, Washington, D.C. Dear Melissa, My answer depends on your career aspirations. Three years is the median amount of time...
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The Labor Force Won’t Fix Itself
The recent decline in the U.S. labor force won’t reverse on its own, but government policies could make a difference. That’s the major takeaway from a new report from the president’s Council of...
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If A Computer Can Diagnose Cancer, Will Doctors Become Obsolete?
The “computational pathologist,” a computer software program known as the C-Path, can examine thousands of tissue scans at lightning speed to diagnose patients with breast cancer and even predict their...
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Dear Mona, How Many Flight Attendants Are Men?
Dear Mona, Are there more male flight attendants than there used to be? Jack, 26, Lincolnwood, Illinois Dear Jack, It depends how far back we go in the history of aviation personnel. See, the latest...
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2015 Will Be The True Test Of The Economic Recovery
Every January since the recession ended in 2009, economists have predicted that this was the year the recovery would take off. In 2014, they were finally right. The year didn’t get off to a good start....
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