U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen praises @epi.org proposals to tax the rich www.epi.org/press/u-s-se...

THIS is the way to welcome federal workers back after a shutdown — with appreciation, clarity, and respect for the essential work they do. Read the full message from the Friends of BLS to BLS staff here: www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

Wondering when you'll get your #BLS data?? The Friends of BLS have posted an FAQ about the impact of the shutdown on #BLSdata: www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025... #econsky @aaronsojourner.org @betseystevenson.bsky.social @justinwolfers.bsky.social @jasonfurman.bsky.social @jedkolko.bsky.social

November 14, 1152 BCE: the first recorded workers' strike occurred in ancient Egypt under Pharaoh Ramses III. Artisans and laborers working on the royal tombs at Deir el-Medina stopped working in protest of delayed and insufficient rations, a form of wages. collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/materi...

“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.” aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...

When federal data is suppressed EPI's @elisegould.bsky.social turns to state-level information for the latest read on jobs. See the latest →

There's private sector + state-reported data to give us a general idea of the labor market's trajectory ... But the unemployment rate for Black workers, young people, women, immigrants? There is no replacement for government data.

SNAP has existed for 60 years. Benefits have gone out every single month over those six decades, including during government shutdowns. Until now. Make no mistake: The money is available to fund SNAP during this shutdown. Trump is making a choice to withhold it. Don’t forget this.

Disturbing @merylkornfield.bsky.social @washingtonpostt.bsky.social story about U.S. DOL's all-White social media campaigns. My quote: "By purveying this image of an all-White workforce, they are choosing racism over economic growth. . . ." Read: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... (paywall).

It's a sad #JobsDay At 8:30 am ET, BLS was scheduled to deliver one of the most-important signals abt how economy is changing. Prior government shutdowns never prevented a month's household data collection. This one has. #EconSky #NumbersDay #JobsDay

Tomorrow marks the first time the federal government has failed to release a jobs report two months in a row. Without these data, unemployment insurance claims provide the most up-to-date read on the labor market. As the shutdown drags on, continued UI claims by federal workers hits 30k. #EconSky

A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women 🧵

Every month for the last 77 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated Americans' unemployment rate This streak dies tomorrow Govt staff could not survey Americans about whether they're working or looking for work in Oct, the 1st time in 934 months This blind spot will remain forever

previous increases in immigration enforcement caused child care centers to simply shut down

Republicans are currently starving millions of people in order to force Democrats to cooperate in cutting health care for millions of people. We've gotten so inured to this shit. It's just monstrous, horrific behavior.

How does employer access to prisoners’ labor through work release impact the well-being of those workers & of free workers? New working paper by Sue Helper, Suresh Naidu, Akseli Palomaki, Adam Reich, + me provides evidence, focus on auto manufacturing in AL #EconSky papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Thanks to the shutdown, we didn't get the first estimate of Q3 GDP today. And private-sector data offer no good substitute for official GDP. The shutdown offers lots of lessons about what private sector data can and can't do. New at @piie.com : www.piie.com/blogs/realti...

A very nice rundown of what private data sources can and cannot tell you about the state of the economy right now.

Blaming baby boomers for the problems of younger generations is popular in elite media, but it is not serious analysis. The problem is the rich and the generational stuff is a distraction deanbaker22.substack.com/p/my-generat...

This is what democracy looks like. #NoKings

Nothing replaces the comprehensive, trustworthy, and timely labor market data found in monthly jobs and JOLTS reports, but unemployment insurance claims—collected at the state level—offer a useful read on one key angle of the labor market. #EconSky #NumbersDay www.epi.org/blog/amid-th...

This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system. I am not fearful — I am fearless. We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights..

The Trump administration is creating even more pain and chaos during this government shutdown by moving to illegally fire federal workers. We’ll see you in court. aflcio.org/press/releas...

The real value of the Bureau of Labor Statistics's budget has fallen for over a decade. The president is proposing deep cuts alongside other attacks on the agency. Progress requires Congress to re-establish BLS independence & support innovation & funding. www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...

Thank you to the career federal employees, who show up to work every day and improve people's lives across the country.

New WP: We study how minimum wage increases affect poverty and food hardship in the U.S from 1981-2019. Different from recent work, we study the Supplemental Poverty Measure + two measures of food hardship, factor in cost-of-living differences, and more. www.iza.org/publications...

Critical part of the President's new $100,000 charge for H1-B visas: The Administration can also offer a $100,000 discount to any person, company, or industry that it wants. Replacing rules with arbitrary discretion. Want visas? You know who to call and who to flatter.

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#BLS has delayed the 2024 Consumer Expenditures Survey annual release. This is likely due to the severe understaffing in the agency. Staff losses and hiring freeze are taking their toll. www.bls.gov/cex/notices/... #econsky

Big thanks to Senator Warner and all the original cosponsors who introduced this bill to reverse the single biggest act of unionbusting in American history. Each day, we’re building momentum to rescind Trump’s bogus, illegal, unconstitutional EO.

Economist Valerie Wilson @epi.org on "What’s behind rising unemployment for Black workers?" www.epi.org/blog/whats-b...

Just so I'm clear: TV host says we should kill every homeless person? No big deal TV host says the right must "go to war" with the left? Pfft. TV host says the government is cracking down on critics? Well, the government cracks down on him for the criticism. Free speech, everyone.

America's lowest wage workers were experiencing the fastest wage growth from 2015-2022. Now they are experiencing the slowest wage growth and the most abrupt deceleration.

When Trump said "I am your voice," this is who he was talking to.

Lisa Cook will remain on the Fed while she fights Trump’s illegal attempt to oust her. This is a crucial victory for Fed Independence. Why it matters: www.epi.org/press/trumps...

Union rights on the line in House of Reps today and tomorrow! Rep Norcross got language into the NDAA that restores collective bargaining rights to DOD employees. Now an amendment by Rep Onder (#19) would strip that language. Pls call your rep & tell them: VOTE NO on Onder Amendment #19 to HR 3838.

Disparities in income continue to leave families of color with children disproportionately vulnerable to poverty. Black & Hispanic children remain 3 times as likely as their white peers to suffer poverty. #EconSky #NumbersDay

Some big #NumbersDay releases today—Just a reminder that the Census data are incredibly valuable. We get transparent and non-politicized data to make informed decisions about what policies are delivering economic security for working people.

About 8% of people lacked any form of health insurance in 2024. Unfortunately that rate will dramatically increase in the coming years, from 27 million to more than 40 million thanks to Republicans who cut Medicaid and ACA marketplace subsidies

The latest data out from #Census today show median earnings and median household incomes kept pace with inflation in 2024. Men's earnings rose 3.7% increasing the gender wage gap back to 2019 levels. Income grew at the top, but not the middle or bottom, reversing recent trends. #EconSky #NumbersDay

Fantastic explainer on today's preliminary benchmark revisions from BLS. Trump will rage—but revisions aren't “rigging.” They’re the transparent, routine process of making jobs data more accurate as more comprehensive records come in. It's not manipulation—it's science. www.epi.org/blog/todays-...

Statement from the National Association of Business Economics in light of ongoing attacks on the quality and integrity of US data and BLS staff. It is a pretty transparent effort to reduce transparency and accountability, not increase it @nabe-econ.bsky.social nabe.com/common/Uploa...

Trump is using DC as a punching bag and hurting the workers and families that keep this city running, says EPI President @hshierholz.bsky.social

The labor market continues to soften, according to the latest #JobsReport out this morning from the BLS. Payroll employment grew only 22,000 in August and revisions now show employment losses for June (-13,000). Over the last three months, job growth has slowed to just 29,000 on average. #EconSky

The job market continues to slow, and it's pretty dramatic. Keeping our head above water (for now). August jobs growth was only +22k. July revised up +6k to +79k. June was revised down by -27k to -13k. Average jobs growth over the three months = +29k. Unemployment rose a tick to 4.3%

The economic effects of purging immigrants have been extensively studied. Here is a very nice estimate of the job losses that US natives can expect from the current purge, leveraging the best research economists have, by @benzipperer.org and colleagues.

Ahead of #JobsDay tomorrow, Friends of BLS published a FAQ answering pressing questions like: Can the public trust BLS products? What's up with the firing of Dr. McEntarfer & nomination of Dr. Antoni? Why and how does the BLS revise jobs estimates? #EconSky www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

Don’t be fooled—US-born workers are facing a worse labor market in 2025 Trump will probably use tomorrow's jobs report to falsely claim that he is creating jobs for US-born workers, but that's not true. EPI's @benzipperer.org explains how Trump is misreading the data: www.epi.org/blog/dont-be...

You can read the letter here: www.savehhs.org The scale of public dissent from federal employees is extraordinary, even as the threats against them are unprecedented. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/your-gover...

The Bureau of Labor Statistics delivers key data about the economy, but how does BLS work? I recently chatted w/ Steve Odland, CEO of The Conference Board to discuss why #BLS matters, its surveys, why have revisions, & how businesses & Congress can help. www.conference-board.org/podcasts/c-s...