Posts tagged Labor Market
Unions ‘Wait and See’ on Elections as Trump Upends Labor Arena
August 20, 2025 // That political uncertainty, coupled with a volatile economy and labor market, could have workers second-guessing whether they’re ready to stick their necks out for collective action, the data show. College athlete employment, protections for political protests, and higher penalties for labor law violations are just some of the issues that worker advocates may want to steer away from a Republican board. The average number of newly certified unions per month dropped 22.3% between January and July this year, compared to the last six months of the Biden administration, according to data from the NLRB’s monthly election reports.
Op-Ed: Rep. Kevin Kiley and Isabel Soto: The future of work is flexible
May 5, 2025 // At its core, the issue of independent work centers on the freedom for individuals to work as they choose, to support their families on their own terms, and to participate in the economy without being held back by outdated, stifling regulations. The Modern Worker Empowerment Act and The Modern Worker Security Act offer a commonsense alternative that safeguards this freedom. Congress must embrace policies that remove barriers to the modern labor market, not stifle the individual who wants to work. As the economy evolves, labor laws should support worker choice, economic participation, and innovation. These bills are a critical step forward and deserve broad bipartisan support.
Worker bargaining power has fallen since Q4 2024, ZipRecruiter says
April 14, 2025 // The survey findings support Indeed data that indicate signing bonuses became less prevalent in 2024. This pattern and other labor market trends, such as declining wage growth and fewer job openings, suggest a tightening labor market, an Indeed economist said. For now, the labor market appears “frozen in place” amid uncertainty around Trump administration policies, especially for federal workers, leading economists told HR Dive in March. As a result, the “soft economic landing” anticipated in 2024 continues to “hang in the balance,” they said.
Millions of men missing from US labor force
February 17, 2025 // Roughly 7 million American men are missing from the U.S. labor force. Vice President of General Economics and Trade at the Cato Institute Scott Lincicome says the trend started in the 1960s, but the vast majority of the men who aren’t working are unemployed for reasons other than labor market issues. However, the economy still needs workers.
Minimum wage increasing in nearly half of states, including Nebraska
January 14, 2025 // The minimum wage will increase in nearly half the states this year even as the federal wage floor remains stuck at $7.25 per hour. In many states, the minimum wage is automatically adjusted upward as inflation rises. But voters in several states, including deeply red ones such as Nebraska, Alaska and Missouri, chose in November to significantly increase their minimum wages this year.
New Study: From Gig to Gone? ABC Tests and the Case of the Missing Workers
January 10, 2025 // The introduction of an ABC test caused significant declines in traditional (W-2) employment, self-employment, and overall employment. The ABC test reduced traditional (W-2) employment by 4.73% Self-employment fell by 6.43% Overall employment fell by 4.79% Occupations with high shares of independent contractors experienced the largest reductions in employment. These results suggest that contrary to the intended goal, ABC tests are not altering the composition of workers and leading to more workers becoming traditional W-2 employees, but they are reducing employment for both W-2 employees and self-employed workers.
500 Duluth city workers reach union contract, averting strike
January 8, 2025 // A statement from the city says the agreement reflects the city’s focus on “core city services, market adjustments that reflect realities of the post-pandemic labor market, and also better positions the city for hiring and retaining the very best skills and talent.” Terms of the agreement weren’t yet available Tuesday morning, but union officials said it includes “meaningful” market adjustments, improvements to scheduling and workload expectations and commitments to address staffing shortages.
Commentary: More Jobs, Fewer Workers: Is the Labor Market Strong or Weak?
November 5, 2024 // Even after factoring in the BLS’s acknowledgment that its reports overstated job gains by 818,000 from March 2023 to March 2024, there still appears to be about five times as many new jobs created over the past year as there are additional people working. While media reports and markets tend to focus on jobs reports, what matters most to the economy and to human flourishing is how many people are working. Currently only 60.2% of people ages 16 and over in the U.S. are working. This is a gap of about 2.6 million workers compared to pre-pandemic employment rates.
FTC Withdraws From Labor Pact in Antitrust Merger Enforcement
September 30, 2024 // The Federal Trade Commission is backing out of a deal between a group of federal agencies to coordinate on labor issues in the review of mergers and acquisitions. The agency said in a late Friday statement that it would withdraw from a memorandum of understanding it joined in August with the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor, and Department of Justice’s antitrust division. The pact called for the agencies to collaborate to obtain information from various stakeholders, and open up access to the DOL and NLRB during antitrust merger evaluations.
Opinion: The Dangers of Union Expansion in Missouri
September 25, 2024 // Consider the fact also that the UAW has spent lavishly on travel, hotels, and executive salaries over the past several years. For example, from 2013 to 2018, the UAW spent $43 million on hotels and resorts and $4 million on restaurants and bars. Two past UAW Presidents have been convicted of felonies involving financial mismanagement. Meanwhile, current President Shawn Fain is under investigation by a federal court-appointed watchdog. Fain has been accused by two union officials of retaliating against them when they refused to take actions that would have benefited Fain’s fiancé and her sister.