labor market

In the Media

Stevenson's insights on labor market trends following mass government layoffs

Feb 20, 2025 CNBC

After the Trump administration's recent push for mass firings of civil servant employees, networks are questioning how this may impact the labor market. The Ford School's Betsey Stevenson sat down with CNBC to discuss why these layoffs of federal...

In the Media

Behind the scenes of the unemployment rate - Stevenson

Feb 18, 2025 Marketplace

The Ford School's Betsey Stevenson spoke with Marketplace on the historically low unemployment rate. Stevenson argued it’s not only a hot labor market that can lead to super-low unemployment: “A low unemployment rate could be associated with a very...

Stevensom SRM Subcommittee Hearing Teaser Display

In the Media

Stevenson comments on January job growth

Feb 7, 2025 CNBC

Professor Betsey Stevenson talks with CNBC about January job growth. She said "what we see is a labor market that’s basically operating at full employment. And so I think the real question going forward is: Can we sustain full...

News

Stevenson's outlook on the economy: tariffs, wages, Fed cuts, the labor market, and more

Jan 31, 2025

The Ford School's economics professor Betsey Stevenson has been discussing her views about the state of the economy to a wide variety of news outlets. Stevenson has looked at tariff increases, the Fed's response to government actions, worker wages,...

News

Watch What Consumers Do, Not How They Feel - Stevenson

Jan 15, 2025

Ford School professor of public policy and economics Betsey Stevenson writes in Bloomberg about the relationship or lack of relationship between consumer sentiment and economic performance. Instead, she says, we should focus "on consumers' ability...

Publication

Disparities in career, technical education access found in Washtenaw County

Jul 29, 2024

Significant inequalities in career and technical education access have been found across Washtenaw County school districts, according to a report by the Youth Policy Lab at the University of Michigan.The analysis, titled "Inequities in CTE Access in...

People operating machines in a training environment

Publication

Higher education responds to changing labor markets

Jul 8, 2024

Do universities respond to the changing needs of industry by offering curriculums that provide students skills they need on the job? That’s the central question of a multi-year research project headed up by Kevin Stange, co-director of the...

News

EPI conference looks at the dynamics of higher education and labor markets

Jan 31, 2024

“Achieving the alignment of what’s needed and what students are learning has profound implications for our shared economic prosperity. The United States is undergoing a massive workforce restructuring. While college affordability is really...

News

Raimondo addresses labor market changes

Oct 24, 2023

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo addressed labor market challenges in a conversation with Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson. She noted the vast number of people and agencies within the Department of Commerce – nearly 47,000...

In the Media

Wolfers on the significance of Claudia Goldin's Nobel Prize

Oct 10, 2023 Axios

Justin Wolfers, Axios: Women were "barely thought of, if at all," in economists' past labor market empirical analysis says Justin Wolfers, an economist at the University of Michigan. Plus, where it was standard for men to study men in the labor...

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

Alvin Christian awarded the 2023 Peter Eckstein Prize

May 17, 2023

Ford School PhD candidate Alvin Christian is the 2023 winner of the Peter Eckstein Prize for Interdisciplinary Research, an award that celebrates the value of interdisciplinary research in public policy. His research paper, “Restraining Orders,...

Alvin Christian smiling in an office space with tables and orange chairs in the background

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 strong labor market

Feb 9, 2023 NPR Marketplace

Betsey Stevenson, NPR Marketplace: "Are employers trying to hire a bunch of phantoms — people who don’t exist? Are they just finding it too hard to find...

In the Media

Stevenson breaks down what's actually happening in the job market

Feb 9, 2023 The Wall Street Journal

Betsey Stevenson, The Wall Street Journal: "Since restaurants and hotels haven’t staffed up too much, they could avoid the fate of many tech companies that are laying off workers after overhiring earlier in the pandemic," said Betsey Stevenson, an...

In the Media

Stevenson describes struggles of restaurant industry to find workers

Feb 3, 2023 Washington Post

Betsey Stevenson, Washington Post: "There's this reshuffling going on that is explaining why lots of industries can't find workers. Their workers have left to go somewhere...

In the Media

Stevenson on decreasing job churn and what it means for the economy

Feb 1, 2023 NPR Marketplace

Betsey Stevenson, NPR Marketplace: "I think it’s a reflection of an ongoing need to move back towards an economy that looks a little bit more like 2019. In terms of the mix of the types of goods and services that people buy." In other words, too...

Publication

Jacob and Guardiola call for investment to address CTE access inequity across Michigan

Jan 3, 2023

As college tuition and resulting student debt continue to rise, and college completion rates for underserved students have declined, Career Technical Education (CTE) is increasingly seen as offering alternative paths to economic security. While CTE...

In the Media

Stevenson contextualizes women returning to labor force

Sep 29, 2022 NPR

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...

News

Stevenson analyzes uncertain markets

Aug 30, 2022

Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson has been commenting on the many confusions hitting the economy, given worries about inflation and recession, Fed interest rate hikes, and a shifting labor market. When the Job Openings and Labor...

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 discusses gender dynamics in the labor market

Mar 29, 2022

Men and women experience the labor market very differently. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, who studies those differences notes that women's roles as caregivers, and a lack of affordable childcare or paid leave, are major...

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

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...

News

Why slowing labor market exits and expanding child care may be key to economic recovery—Stevenson

Dec 16, 2021

This week, Betsey Stevenson spoke with Yahoo! Finance on the state of the labor market and Marketplace about rising inflation. In a lengthy interview with Yahoo! Finance, Stevenson noted that “If we filled every single job opening that's out...

News

Stevenson fields questions regarding supply chain, labor market

Dec 5, 2021

With holiday shopping upon us, the supply chain has been experiencing even more difficulties. But, Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, say that the issues should be worked out soon. "It's definitely getting a lot better....

News

Stevenson discusses labor market recovery

Nov 17, 2021

Betsy Stevenson offered insights on the labor market and the road to post-pandemic recovery. Talking about cash assistance programs during the pandemic with Slate, Stevenson said, “We made people better off by giving them money, and I know...

News

Stevenson talks American jobs, federal bills, and the tampon tax

Nov 11, 2021

Betsy Stevenson weighed in on labor market recovery, the job market, the tampon tax, and more. On labor market recovery While most of the United States seems to be recovering from the worst parts of the pandemic, the job crisis it caused is...

News

Stevenson evaluates labor market and encourages social spending for long-term recovery

Oct 29, 2021

This week, Betsey Stevenson helped make sense of the data coming from national jobs reports and unemployment numbers. "The percentage of Americans employed fell off a cliff in the early pandemic. We’re now 75 percent of the way back up that...