Job Gains Were Steady in April, but Wage Growth Continued to Weaken
U.S. payrolls added 115,000 jobs in April, pushing the three‑month average to 48,000 per month. Gains were concentrated in health care, transportation and warehousing, while the federal workforce shed another 9,000 jobs, marking a cumulative loss of 345,000 since January 2025. At the same time, nominal wage growth decelerated to a 1.9% monthly increase (2.8% annualized), and unemployment rose for Black workers (7.3%) and 16‑24‑year‑olds (9.5%).
A Snapshot of Black Employment Trends Under Trump 2.0: Black Workers—Particularly Men—Are Experiencing Lower Employment Compared with a Year Ago
The Economic Policy Institute reports that Black unemployment rose to 7.6% in the first quarter of 2026, a 1.2‑percentage‑point increase from the same period under the second Trump administration. Black men’s employment‑population ratio dropped 1.7 points to 58.8%, driven primarily...
Virginia Governor’s Amended Collective Bargaining Bill Would Leave Workers’ Rights Optional and Large Public-Sector Pay Gap Unaddressed
Virginia’s General Assembly passed a landmark collective‑bargaining bill that would shift the state from a largely illegal framework to a required‑bargaining model, potentially narrowing the 26.7% public‑sector pay gap and easing shortages among teachers, first responders and health workers. Governor...
A Snapshot of College Athletes: Who Are They and How Much Do They Earn?
College athletics have evolved into a multibillion‑dollar industry, with Division I schools generating $14.6 billion in 2024—almost all NCAA revenue. Recent legal shifts, including the 2021 NIL policy and the *House v. NCAA* settlement, now allow athletes to profit from name, image,...
Unemployment Has Increased for U.S.-born Workers in the Face of Mass Deportations: Trump’s Draconian Immigration Enforcement Is Harming All Workers
During the 2024 campaign, Trump and Vance claimed mass deportations would free jobs for Americans. Recent labor data contradicts that promise: the three‑month average unemployment rate for U.S.-born workers rose to 4.3% in 2026, up from 4.0% in 2024. Economic...
Voluntary Paid Leave Insurance Is No Substitute for Comprehensive Paid Family and Medical Leave: Workers Lose when Lawmakers Pass the...
U.S. remains the only OECD nation without a national paid family and medical leave (PFML) system, prompting many states to adopt either comprehensive PFML programs or voluntary private‑insurance models. While 13 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted universal PFML laws...
How AI Spending Is Impacting the U.S. Economy
AI-driven capital expenditures are currently contributing just over one percentage point to U.S. GDP growth, buoyed by a stock‑market rally that has turned consumption into a bubble‑like surge. Much of this spending is financed through vulnerable credit structures, raising concerns...
U.S. Economy Lost an Alarming 92,000 Jobs in February: Private Sector Experienced Vast Majority of Losses, One-Third Were Due to...
The U.S. labor market contracted sharply in February, shedding 92,000 jobs, with the private sector absorbing the bulk of the loss. Temporary strikes in health care accounted for roughly one‑third of the decline, while manufacturing shed another 12,000 positions, bringing...
EPI’s Updated Family Budget Calculator Shows that Higher Minimum Wages Are Needed in States Like Oklahoma to Afford the Cost...
The Economic Policy Institute’s updated 2025 Family Budget Calculator reveals that the federal‑state minimum wage of $7.25 is far below the hourly earnings needed to cover basic expenses in every U.S. county, with Oklahoma exemplifying the shortfall. In Oklahoma’s cheapest...
A Growing Number of Workers Went on Strike in 2025
New Bureau of Labor Statistics data reveal that 306,800 workers participated in 30 major work stoppages in 2025, a 13% rise from the previous year. Public‑sector strikes dominated, accounting for 17 of the incidents, while private‑sector actions included a 46‑day...