Employment

In the Media

Women's workforce participation encouraging - Stevenson

Sep 4, 2023 Marketplace

Betsey Stevenson, Marketplace: “Men’s labor force participation has been growing, but women’s has been growing by just a tiny bit more,” noted Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the University of Michigan. That’s been a happy surprise, she said,...

In the Media

Wolfers: "This ain't a recession"

Jul 10, 2023 Marketplace

Justin Wolfers, Marketplace: Downbeat indicators don’t tell the whole story. Take consumers, said Justin Wolfers, an economics professor at the University of Michigan. They might say they’re pessimistic about the economy. “But if you look at what...

News

The debt limit and avoiding a recession – Wolfers comments across the media

May 31, 2023

Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers has been saying that a recession does not seem likely, given continuing strong employment numbers. The threat of a default, on the other hand, could have been disastrous. Here are some excerpts of his...

News

Betsey Stevenson’s wide-ranging economic commentary widely sought

May 29, 2023

In the run-up to conclusion of the debt ceiling negotiations, Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson was widely sought out for her expertise on the implications of the crisis, as well as the various signals from the U.S. economy on...

News

March Jobs Report: Strong, if slowing, labor market continues as Black unemployment falls to a record low

Apr 9, 2023

In March, employers added 236,000 jobs as the economy continued to expand. Job growth is slowing, with most job growth in the past month occurring in the sectors that have been the slowest to recover from the pandemic. The unemployment rate ticked...

In the Media

Wolfers remains optimistic about economy

Mar 10, 2023 BBC

Justin Wolfers, BBC: "The best forecast for the future state of the economy is the current state and the current state is good. There's a recessionary vibe, but there's no recessionary...

News

February Jobs Report: Job Growth Shows No Signs of Slowing

Mar 10, 2023

The U.S. labor market grew by 311,000 jobs in February. Unemployment ticked up to 3.6%, while the number of employed expanded and the labor force participation rate also ticked up. Since October 2022, labor force participation has expanded slowly...

In the Media

Stevenson discusses latest jobs report

Feb 3, 2023 Bloomberg

Betsey Stevenson, Bloomberg: "The truth is, this is a great number, 517,000 jobs, but there's a lot of room for error in this report. And if I was a betting woman, I would tell you that we'll probably see this corrected down a little bit. So I think...

News

January jobs report shows exceptionally strong labor market, U-M economists say

Feb 3, 2023

Employers added 517,000 jobs in January 2023, capping a year marked by record-low unemployment and high job growth. The unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, a low last seen in 1969, according to new data released today by the Bureau of Labor...

Photo of a computer screen displaying an online listing of job ads

In the Media

Stevenson explains tech layoffs

Jan 27, 2023 Yahoo! News

Betsey Stevenson, Yahoo! News: "They hired for magical thinking. So what they're having to do right now is readjust for reality. As you've already shown, the layoffs we're seeing here are small compared to not just the hiring they did during 2020...

News

December jobs report: Healthy job market increasingly matches pre-pandemic employment patterns

Jan 6, 2023

Employers added 223,000 jobs in December 2022, capping a year marked by record low unemployment and high job growth. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5% with a slight increase in the labor force participation rate and employment rate, according...

Publication

75% of unemployed Detroiters expect to return to work soon as unemployment rate drops

Dec 11, 2022

As more Detroiters return to work amid the pandemic recovery, the greatest declines in unemployment have been for residents of color and people with low incomes—although those groups continue to experience higher-than-average unemployment...

News

Stevenson breaks down latest jobs report data

Dec 5, 2022

In addition to providing BLS Monthly Jobs Report Rapid Insights, Betsey Stevenson, professor of economics and public policy, has lent her expertise to numerous media outlets to break down the latest jobs report. Here's what she had to say about the...

Publication

November jobs report: Strong job growth continues, but there are hints of weakness

Dec 2, 2022

The U.S. labor market had yet another month of strong job growth, with employers adding 263,000 additional jobs in November. The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday also showed that the unemployment rate remained at 3.7%....

News

Recession fears dim amid strong job numbers, falling gas prices, passage of Inflation Reduction Act - Ford School economists

Aug 11, 2022

The flurry of major and surprising economic news in the past week has changed the outlook on inflation and the possibility of recession. Ford School professor Betsey Stevenson was one of 126 top economists who wrote a letter to congressional...

News

Farley breaks down 2020 Census

Apr 13, 2022

Last week, the city of Detroit filed a claim with the Census Bureau, arguing its residents were undercounted in 2020. Ford School lecturer Reynolds Farley discussed the undercount. “This census was deficient in Detroit,” he said. “They didn’t...

Photo of Ren Farley speaking into a megaphone as he leads a tour of U-M students in downtown Detroit

News

Stevenson and Wolfers discuss latest jobs report

Apr 4, 2022

The labor market is still booming, according to the latest jobs report. Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson, both professors of public policy and economics, broke down what the jobs report means for Americans. "I do think it more likely that the...

News

Stevenson describes Biden report, current labor market

Mar 8, 2022

A new report from the Biden administration highlights how employer practices, including collusion and constraints on competiton, are limiting workers' choices and wages. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, explained the cause...

Photo of Betsey Stevenson leading a class

In the Media

Stevenson gives update on the labor market

Mar 6, 2022 Bloomberg

Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, recently appeared on Bloomberg's "Balance of Power" to discuss the latest jobs report. "We saw a lot of jobs added and we saw employment grow. So, across the board, this is a really...

In the Media

Wolfers on job gains: Job market is "motoring"

Mar 4, 2022 MarketWatch

Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers reacted to the strong March jobs report. “Very very strong payrolls report: +678k jobs in February, with unemployment edging down to 3.8%. Add in solid positive revisions that added a total of +92k...

In the Media

Stevenson discusses popularity of paid family leave

Mar 3, 2022 Marketplace

Across the country, paid family leave policies are gaining more and more support. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, discussed why. “In a tight labor market, you see employers become quite creative in trying to think...

In the Media

Wolfers discusses state of the economy

Feb 8, 2022 WDET

Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics, recently appeared on WDET to talk about the economy, inflation, and jobs. "People are complaining about rising prices and inflation. That’s their concern right now. It’s not about jobs,"...

News

Stevenson weighs in on January jobs report

Feb 6, 2022

The January jobs report revealed strong employment gains, with 467,000 jobs added in January. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, analyzed the report for numerous media outlets. The jobgains occurred in the midst of a...

In the Media

Not all Americans included in economic recovery - Wolfers

Feb 6, 2022 Los Angeles Times

The latest jobs report reflects a strong, recovering economy. But, Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics, explained that not all Americans are feeling the effects of recovery. "A lot of people, particularly older people, have...

News

Detroit unemployment rate sits at 20%

Feb 3, 2022

Detroit’s unemployment rate—the proportion of adults who are in the labor force but not currently employed—remains at 20%, virtually unchanged over the course of 2021, according to a new University of Michigan survey. This is less than half the...

News

Stevenson discusses the Great Resignation and inflation

Feb 1, 2022

Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, recently talked to Al Jazeera about the Great Resignation – the phenomenon of millions of Americans voluntarily leaving their jobs. She explained what's going on behind the...

Publication

Working paper assesses employer perception of college majors and skills

Feb 1, 2022

What are the skills that employers expect college graduates to bring to the job? A new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper from Ford School professor Kevin Stange and doctoral candidate Shawn Martin, along with two other colleagues,...

In the Media

Stevenson discusses job report calculations

Jan 10, 2022 CNBC

Recent government job reports have consistently undercounted the number of jobs created. Revisions are made regularly pushing those numbers up. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, explained how she estimates total jobs...

News

Stevenson on Build Back Better, inflation, and unemployment

Nov 28, 2021

Betsey Stevenson countered arguments against President Biden’s Build Back Better legislation as the bill passed the House and moved into the Senate. “There is just absolute historic investment in childcare that is really going to benefit so many...

News

Stevenson on why the economy is waiting for workers

Oct 20, 2021

As the economy recovers, workers are holding out for better compensation and benefits. “It’s like the whole country is in some kind of union renegotiation,” Betsey Stevenson told the New York Times. “I don’t know who’s going to win in this...