labor force

Betsey Stevenson, States News Service: "I think that the important takeaway is that women can be an important source of labor for the construction industry. While child care is important for women, it is equally important to note that construction...

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...

Two and a half years later, women are returning to work at pre-pandemic levels. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, commented on what that means for the economy. "Women had a very tough road to haul with kids working from...

In the midst of tax filing season, many Americans, especially younger and retired workers, are realizing that new tax rules will result in larger refunds. Luke Shaefer, Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy, discussed...

In a recent interview with WXYZ, Lydia Wileden, PhD candidate and research associate on the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study, answered questions about Detroit's unemployment rate, which has stayed at 20% over the last year.  "We do see that a...

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...

The recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic hit employment in the service sector hardest, and the workforce is still feeling the effects,  Betsey Stevenson, professor of economics and public policy, told Mother Jones , "The pandemic created a...

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...

With his opinion article in The Atlantic, Josh Hausman, associate professor of public policy and economics, suggests high inflation rates may last for years. He describes the reasons behind inflation—including a consumer shift from services to...

Following the release of the November jobs report, Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics, broke down what it means in an op-ed in The New York Times.  "This chill in employment might lead one to conclude the economy’s too cold,...

In the debate over the expanded Child Tax Credit, economists disagree on how many parents will leave the labor force. Katherine Michelmore speaks to the Washington Post about her research and why previous estimates are too high. "We’ve since done...

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...

This week, Betsey Stevenson spoke to NPR and PBS about the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, from supply chains around the world, to a changing workforce, and U.S. government debt. "COVID's affecting the entire world. There are entire...

Millions have lost a source of income with the federal pandemic unemployment benefits ending. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, says that while some people will return to work, not all will.  "I do not think that......

Detroit’s unemployment rate—the proportion of working-age adults in the labor force but not currently employed—has held steady around 25% since fall 2020, according to data just released from a University of Michigan survey.  While the current...

The economy has "been traumatically impacted" from the pandemic, says Betsey Stevenson. "I don't think it would have been possible to imagine something like this, a situation in which people simply had to stop going to work for their own health...

The U.S. labor force continues to evolve as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, explained how and why it has transformed in a recent Bloomberg interview. "We saw labor force...

Since the pandemic forced many workers to take an employment break, Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, says that employers may have more understanding when it comes to gaps in resumes and the benefits of workplace...

Ford School economist Betsey Stevenson, a leading voice on the COVID-19 “she-cession,” discusses her work and her academic passion. State & Hill: What inspired you to study and spend so much of your career focusing on women in the labor...

Businesses and companies need more workers right now, but they can't find them. Patrick Cooney, assistant director of economic mobility at U-M Poverty Solutions, attributed most of the gap between supply and demand of labor to public health. "Our...

“If we don’t get all the workers back, we can never have a V-shaped recovery,” said Stevenson. “Everybody should be worried about making sure that we don’t leave workers...

Stevenson said once parents pull back from work, they can fall behind forever. “You’re just not put on the same kind of track, and you’re not given the same kind of access to promotions and raises.”  According to NPR, Stevenson hopes the pandemic...

"I think there’s actually a lot of room for us to do things better, faster, cheaper. That’s where our growth comes from and I’m always an optimist that we can do it," said Stevenson. "I also think that we have a lot of untapped potential in people....