Articles and Opinions

 

Economic Instability

Uncertain economy may prompt Fed to delay rate hike, Janet Yellen suggests (The Guardian, June 6, 2016)

Federal Reserve chair points to ‘considerable uncertainty’ in speech following weak jobs report on Friday, amid concerns over Brexit and Chinese economy….

 

U.S. stocks end lower after ugly jobs report (Market Watch, June 3, 2016)

U.S. stocks pared earlier losses to close modestly lower Friday as investors weighed implications of a dismal jobs report on the Federal Reserve monetary policy decision in two weeks.

 

Fed expressed ‘increased uncertainty’ about U.S. economy as markets tumbled (Los Angeles Times, February 17, 2016)

As financial markets tumbled to start the year, Federal Reserve policymakers expressed “increased uncertainty” about the effects on the U.S. economy but decided it …

 

Falling oil prices cause job losses in Pine Belt (WDAM, January 27, 2016)

While drivers across the country and in Mississippi are enjoying lower gas prices at the pump, a Laurel company said the drop in oil prices is cutting jobs in the Pine Belt….

 

New Jobless Claims Aren’t As Good As They Look (BRONARS ECONOMICS-A forensic look at economic data, September 27, 2013)

The biggest problem in today’s labor market is a weak hiring rate for employers.  So while a lower level of new jobless claims is better than a higher level, I don’t expect this to signal a boom in job creation….

 

‪Hard Times: Lost on Long Island – Trailer‪ (YouTube, January 12, 2012)

The Great Recession “officially” ended in the summer of 2009, but for 25 million unemployed and underemployed Americans the fallout continues. For too many, their middle-class life has been foreclosed and their dreams have turned into nightmares. Sadly, their stories have too often been ignored….

 

 

Impacts of Disasters

Colorado River drying up would cause economic disaster (Standard Examiner, May 9, 2015)

It is a tantalizing question facing the future of the American West: What would happen if the Colorado River dried up? The scenario, though unlikely anytime soon, is …

 

An estimated $1 Billion in Lost Wages and Profits After Winter Storm Barrage in Massachusetts (The Weather Channel, March 8, 2015)

Massachusetts alone has lost an estimated $1 billion in wages and profits due to impacts from the snow, according to the economic analysis…

 

A Year and a Half After Sandy New Jersey Leads Nation in Construction Job Losses (Equipment World, April 28, 2014)

…Despite that need for new construction, the state led the nation in losses of construction jobs last year, according to a report from The [New Jersey] Record.

 

Disasters Wipe Out Jobs Along With Lives (NBCNews.com, May 21, 2011)

Sadly not all workers have been so lucky. Their homes or places of business have been destroyed in this year’s wave of storms, tornadoes and flooding. That means thousands of workers in the South and Midwest could be out of work for some time…. The hardest-hit states already are seeing claims pour in for unemployment benefits. Since a deadly wave of tornadoes swept through Tuscaloosa, Ala., and other Southeast towns in late April, more than 6,000 people have applied for disaster-related jobless benefits, said Tom Surtees, director of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations. Typically about 24,000 people file for jobless benefits each month in the state, where the jobless rate is 9.3 percent, a bit above the national average.

 

The Case for Wage Protector® Insurance

Why the U.S. Needs Wage Insurance (Harvard Business Review, January 25, 2016)

In his final State of the Union address, President Obama announced his intention to strengthen and modernize the unemployment insurance system as part of a broader strategy to address economic insecurity. In doing so, he brought to the forefront a policy idea that’s been mostly dormant for over a decade: wage insurance…

 

How Wage Insurance Could Ease Economic Inequality (New York Times, March 11, 2016)

Wage insurance may not be on your radar, but it should be. It helps people who have lost their jobs and cannot find new ones that pay as well. That assistance can reduce economic inequality while providing incentives for unemployed people to go back to work quickly.…

 

FACT SHEET: Improving Economic Security by Strengthening and Modernizing the Unemployment Insurance System (WhiteHouse.gov, January 16, 2016)

Say a hardworking American loses his job — we shouldn’t just make sure he can get unemployment insurance,…

 

New Reforms to Strengthen Support for Unemployed Workers (WhiteHouse.gov, January 16, 2016)

Today, President Obama announced new reforms that would strengthen and modernize our unemployment insurance system…..

 

Remarks of President Barack Obama – State of the Union Address As Delivered (WhiteHouse.gov, January 13, 2016)