All #Macroeconomy Stories

In August, job openings fell dramatically. The tight labor market of the last two years may finally be cooling off without layoffs increasing.

It’s been a turbulent week for the United Kingdom. Puzzling financial policy and political drama latched onto an ongoing energy crisis and a tight labour market, triggering volatility not seen in at least 20 years. 

The Fed's updated economic projections for 2023 and beyond featured slower growth and higher unemployment, but is this outlook a guarantee?

New projections from the Federal Reserve show increased unemployment and decreased growth will be necessary to bring down inflation. 

Canada is facing economic challenges similar to its southern neighbour’s: tight labour market conditions and decades-high inflation.

In August, prices were up 8.3% from the year before, and less volatile core measures remained stubbornly high.

The sector’s employment gains have plateaued after two years of impressive, pandemic-driven growth. Why has the boom petered out?

Moderating wage gains, an increased labor force participation rate, and steady employment gains make for an encouraging August jobs report.

Harry Styles may not be a typical worker but he has one important thing in common with workers across the United States: they’re both in high demand and likely to give up the commute.

Despite high inflation, American consumers are spending steadily. A store of excess savings is helping to finance this continued consumption.

Two recent revisions imply that the U.S. economy is stronger than it seems. The labor market added more jobs than expected, and GDP growth was revised up.

July’s inflation numbers have sparked a debate within the economics world. Should inflation be discussed as a year over year change? Or month over month?

Retailers experienced steady sales in July, balanced by decreased spending at gasoline stations and increased spending at building supply stores.

Countries across the world are facing high inflation, economic fallout from a pandemic, and an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

Evidence of cracks in the jobs market are hard to find but recently many have been pointing to initial unemployment claims.

After months of rising prices, the inflation rate has eased slightly – up 8.5% in July from the year before, compared to June’s 9.1%

The July jobs report obliterated expectations, with 528,000 net new jobs. This marks a full employment recovery from the COVID-19 recession.

Over 2.7 million people were hired in the first half of 2022 – a shockingly good number. Yet there seems to be a chorus of negative economic news recently.

The Federal Reserve is set to hike interest rates again on Wednesday. Industries such as construction could see large employment impacts.

Recessions are a painful part of economic reality. Though hard to predict, following key indicators grants insights into possible downturns.

Initial unemployment claims have been rising steadily from historic lows. Are recession fears beginning to sink into a strong labor market?

The consumer price index increased in June, up 9.1% from the year before and 1.3% from May. Broad-based increases contributed to this hike, and high energy prices persisted in driving the report. 

The Fed is happy to see strong payroll gains and moderating wage growth in the June jobs report. Payroll gains of 372,000 and the unemployment rate remaining at 3.6% is simply a great jobs report.

In the face of recession fears, the labor market is still historically tight, but signs of depressurization are beginning to show. The number of job openings in May was 11.3 million, down slightly from April’s number of 11.4 million.

Consumers continued to spend in May, with an increase of 2.1% from one year ago. The shift from goods spending to services spending, a trend we’ve been following, continued as well.

Bombarded by soaring energy prices and constant media commentary, consumers experienced record-low economic confidence in June. Their worries will not go unnoticed, for better or for worse.

The Federal Reserve has just announced the highest interest rate hike since 1994.

Summer is upon us. School’s out, vacations are beginning, and people are ready to hit their favorite seasonal locales. However, facing a labor shortage, businesses might have a hard time keeping up this summer.

No, not yet. Higher worker pay isn’t the main culprit behind inflation, but some warning signs suggest that could be the case later this year.

The U.S. economy added a solid 390,000 net new jobs in May 2022. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.6%, nearly a 50-year low.

Employers are still desperate for workers. Layoffs are rare, despite anecdotes to the contrary. Quitting remained elevated, but the “Great Resignation” isn’t getting worse (for now).

Determining how the economy is performing is surprisingly difficult. COVID-19 made economists' jobs even harder, requiring them to develop entirely new methods to measure trends in the labor market.

Despite ongoing conflict in Europe and the highest inflationary period since the early 1980’s, the US labor market continues to grow briskly.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, but some educators aren’t feeling so appreciated.

Prices are rising – fast. After nearly three decades of stable prices, the US economy is experiencing a surge of inflation.

It’s an emergency not just for the housing market but for the job market too.

Since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it has been estimated that 50% of paid hours were done remotely, compared to just 5% pre-pandemic.

After the initial COVID shock to the US economy, the bounceback in job growth has been remarkable. There remains an unsatiated appetite to hire by US employers.

Quits rates are at an all time high, reaching 3.0% in November of 2021. Interpreting this trend has two camps: a cultural shift where people have a lower willingness to work, or a cyclic pattern exhibited during times of quick economic recovery.

In the period after a peak Omicron surge and before war broke out in Eastern Europe, the US labor market recovery accelerated, as hiring ramped up and more people returned to the labor force.

Workers who want a job are getting them, but employer demand is slowing a bit from the frenetic pace of job gains earlier in 2021.

The U.S. created 531,000 net new jobs, and previous months’ numbers were revised upward.