What is the purpose of the economy? “To promote capacities in righteous ways” Darrick Hamilton 🔥🔥🔥 #careconference IWPR

This morning I got to sit-in with Elise Gould to learn how she thinks through the #jobsday release. It's giving 'Take your Daughter to Work Day' energy and I am not mad about it

On average, workers are now seeing real wage growth and have been since May 2023. Low-wage workers have experienced tremendous wage growth over the last four years, not only surpassing inflation but faster than any other wage group.

For more, see: epi.org/publication/sw…

Good news: There was a big jump in the labor force (+469,000) in March. That means more people are looking for work again. This is a great sign of confidence in the economy.

Labor force participation = 62.7%
The slowdown in participation in Dec/Jan/Feb really reversed in…

Cannot love these charts enough

Black unemployment is a key indicator—sometimes referred to as the canary in the coal mine—as historically marginalized groups often feel the effects of a softening labor market first. Since it's a notably volatile series, we don't need to be alarmed, but it's a measure to watch.

While both surveys are telling a similar story of a strong labor market, the household survey is notably more volatile especially for smaller populations. That said, the Black unemployment rate has increased four months in a row. Hopefully that will improve in coming months.

Strong #jobsreport out this morning with great news from both #BLS surveys. Payroll survey shows 303,000 jobs added in March along with normalizing nominal wage growth. The household survey finds mild improvements in the unemployment rate as participation and employment rise.

If your analysis doesn't disaggregate by eclipse totality path, then I don't want it 😮‍💨

.Dr. Jamila Taylor & Kate Bahn are a dream team of researchers to move policies for women. Very exciting news for IWPR!

My latest Economic Policy Institute research with Katherine deCourcy finds:
· Low-wage workers’ wages surged between 2019 and 2023 after decades of slow growth
· The fastest wage growth over the last four years has been among historically disadvantaged groups

Full report:
epi.org/publication/sw…

ICYMI: Majorities of adults see decline of union membership as bad for the U.S. and working people pewrsr.ch/4acS7Pp

I said it here and i'll say it again: Middle-out economics is good for workers, good for their families, good for their communities, good for the broader economy, and good for the nation. democracyjournal.org/magazine/72/ke…

'Women are more than half the population, almost half the workforce, and drive consumer spending–but how they feel about the economy hasn’t been a central part of the conversation. That has to change.' Dr. Kate Gallagher Robbins and Anwesha Majumder for Fortune fortune.com/2024/03/13/we-…

We love a data dashboard! We do not love gender and racial pay disparities.

ICYMI: The Maven Collaborative CLASP bring a needed historical context to the current fight on Work Requirements. The case study of the NWRO is one of my favorite organizing groups to read about

This, too, is my takeaway from today's employment numbers. Strong employment growth, moderate wage-growth (and strong wage growth at the bottom end)>> This is economic policy that's working for the working class.

After ticking up in January, nominal wage growth is back on the moderating road in February. Last month's pace of wage growth was clearly a blip and we're now back to totally sustainable rates of wage growth consistent with normalizing. Fed take note!