U.S. Poverty Fell Last Year as Government Aid Made Up for Lost Jobs

When government benefits are taken into account, a smaller share of the population was living in poverty in 2020 even as the pandemic eliminated millions of jobs.

Opinion | America Can Find a Smarter Way to Help Workers Who Have Lost Their Jobs

The structure of unemployment insurance is broken and does little to help those who pay into it.

800,000 New Yorkers Just Lost Federal Unemployment Benefits

Many pandemic-era federal programs expired on Sunday, leaving jobless New Yorkers with more modest state unemployment benefits, or no aid at all.

Unemployment Benefits Expire for Millions Without Pushback From Biden

The president has encouraged some states to continue helping the long-term unemployed, but administration officials said it was time for enhanced federal aid to end.

Opinion | Good News: There’s a Labor Shortage.

Workers have decided they're not content to settle for demeaning, low-paid work. Can employers take the hint?

Opinion | What Happens When Jobless Benefits Shrink

Job seekers are more likely to accept an offer when their extra federal jobless benefits expire.

Federal Jobless Aid, a Lifeline to Millions, Reaches an End

The abrupt loss of pandemic unemployment benefits on a broad scale could have long-term effects not only for the recipients but also for the economy.

Opinion | Workers Don’t Want Their Old Jobs on the Old Terms

A pandemic lesson: You can say no to bad pay and conditions.

Cutoff of Jobless Benefits Is Found to Get Few Back to Work

Prematurely ending federal programs had little effect on employment but sharply cut spending, potentially hurting state economies, researchers say.

Big Economic Challenges Await Biden and the Fed This Fall

Expiring unemployment benefits and the Delta variant add uncertainty to a recovery that has brought strong growth but an unusual labor market.

U.S. Added 850,000 Jobs in June, and Wages Rose

The resurgent economy delivered the strongest one-month employment gain since last summer, the latest promising signal about the recovery.

Where Jobless Benefits Were Cut, Jobs Are Still Hard to Fill

Missouri scrapped federal pay to the unemployed, saying it kept people out of the labor market. But so far, workers still seem to be choosy.

Opinion | What the Rich Don’t Want to Admit About the Poor

Why do we leave millions of people in poverty? The answer should make us uncomfortable.

Opinion | Republicans, Don’t Ignore the Evidence on ‘Labor Shortages’

The latest jobs report shows just how misguided their plans to cut unemployment benefits are.

Federal Unemployment Aid Is Now a Political Lightning Rod

Republican-led states are cutting off relief months ahead of schedule, citing openings aplenty. Some jobless workers face hardships and tough choices.

White House Embraces Job Growth but Distances Itself From Expanded Benefits

As Republicans blame enhanced unemployment insurance for slower-than-expected job gains, the White House stresses that the benefit will expire in September as planned.

U.S. Added 559,000 Jobs in May, but Road to Recovery Is Bumpy

Many employers report having trouble finding applicants. Economists say the labor market may simply need time to get sorted out.

Opinion | The Jobs Report Takeaway: A Huge Reallocation of People and Work Is Underway

The unemployed and potential employers are like single people at a giant mixer — there are opportunities, but most won't find the perfect match right away.

Opinion | Americans Don’t Want to Return to Low Wage Jobs

There’s no true “labor shortage.” Just bad jobs.

Opinion | To Motivate Workers, Republican Governors Experiment With Pain

Why does the federal government tolerate stingy state unemployment programs?