Economic Policy Institute

2024 Election

State unemployment by race and ethnicity

Education

Jobs

The policies that will determine whether Trump’s labor secretary pick supports workers

President-elect Donald Trump recently announced his nomination of Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer to serve as Secretary of Labor. She is one of only three House Republicans to co-sponsor the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and one of only eight Republicans to co-sponsor the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act. Read more

Labor market remains strong, racial gaps persist

The U.S. economy and labor market remained in a strong — though softening — position through the third quarter of 2024. The national unemployment rate across all workers rose slightly to 4.2%.

D.C. and Nevada had the highest overall unemployment rates at 5.6% and 5.5% respectively, and no state saw overall unemployment rate changes greater than 1 percentage point between the second and third quarters of 2024.

Read the full Q3 2024 State unemployment by race and ethnicity report

The school bus driver shortage remains severe, and bus driver pay is getting worse

Despite improving slightly in the past year, the bus driver shortage remains severe. As of September 2024, there were 12.2% fewer school bus drivers on the road than in September 2019.

The key issue fueling bus driver shortages today is low pay. This is a result of more than a decade of disinvestment in these workers, reflecting a broader trend of underfunding public schools. Read more

Today’s teacher shortage is just the tip of the iceberg: Part I and Part 2
Summer unemployment benefits could increase K–12 support staff incomes by $1.2 billion nationwide
Improving teacher diversity is key to reducing racial disparities in academic outcomes and addressing the teacher shortage
Vouchers undermine efforts to provide an excellent public education for all

Hurricanes’ impact will distort Friday’s jobs report, but there’s no reason to be spooked about the labor market

The broader sweep of economic evidence—including yesterday’s extremely strong reading on gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the third quarter of 2024—tells a clear story: The U.S. economy and labor market is extraordinarily strong relative to any historical benchmark. Read more

Latest Research

Busting the union busters: The need to improve transparency around union-busting activity

November 13, 2024 Report
The U.S. benefits from immigration but policy reforms needed to maximize gains: Recommendations and a review of key issues to ensure fair wages and labor standards for all workers

October 4, 2024 By Daniel Costa, Josh Bivens, Ben Zipperer, and Monique Morrissey Report
Voter suppression makes the racist and anti-worker Southern model possible: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Spotlight

October 1, 2024 By Daniel Perez Report
Federal AI legislation: An evaluation of existing proposals and a road map forward

September 25, 2024 By Patrick Oakford, Josh Bivens, and Celine McNicholas Report
CEO pay declined in 2023: But it has soared 1,085% since 1978 compared with a 24% rise in typical workers’ pay

September 19, 2024 By Josh Bivens, Elise Gould, and Jori Kandra Report

View all publications

Blog

The policies that will determine whether Trump’s labor secretary pick supports workers

November 25, 2024 By Celine McNicholas Blog
Measuring diversity in construction apprenticeship programs: Data show higher rates of participation of women, Hispanic workers, and workers of color in union-based apprenticeships than nonunion programs

November 21, 2024 By Russell Ormiston and Cihan Bilginsoy Blog
NLRB rules anti-union captive audience meetings an illegal abuse of employer power: States must also continue to broaden protection of workers’ freedom from employer coercion on political, religious matters

November 18, 2024 By Daniel Perez and Jennifer Sherer Blog
The school bus driver shortage remains severe, and bus driver pay is getting worse

November 14, 2024 By Sebastian Martinez Hickey, David Cooper, and Emma Cohn Blog
A review of key 2024 ballot measures: Voters backed progressive policy measures

November 7, 2024 By Emma Cohn and Jennifer Sherer Blog
Top-line job growth number distorted by hurricanes and strikes: All other data point to a historically strong labor market

November 1, 2024 By EPI Staff Blog
Five things to consider on Election Day if you care about economic and racial justice

October 31, 2024 By Nicole Lewis Blog

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EPI in the news

When Students Miss School, Teachers Enjoy Their Jobs Less

For public sector education jobs, the recovery in employment from the COVID-19 crisis was slow. It only occurred by October of 2023 using federal relief dollars, according to economic analysis from the Economic Policy Institute.

EdSurge | November 26, 2024
Outgoing Mayorkas Gives US Workers Middle Finger

The Economic Policy Institute, with supporting government data, wrote that no shortage exists among the top 15 H-2B employers that includes landscapers, forest and conservation workers, housekeepers and other positions that Americans would, assuming a fair wage, eagerly fill.

Substack | November 26, 2024
Horseheads Central School District continues to face bus driver shortage

According to the Economic Policy Institute, school bus driver employment is still struggling to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Richard Micelotta, the Director of Transportation for the district, says many of the bus drivers were older and decided not to return to work after the pandemic.

WENY | November 26, 2024
Gen Z Activists Can Still Mobilize While Trump Is in Office — Here’s How

More than two dozen states have established minimum wages that are higher than the federal minimum wage since 2014, some reaching over $15, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25/hour since 2009.

Teen Vogue | November 26, 2024
Advocates Cautious Of Teamsters-Backed Trump DOL Pick

Paywall.

Law360 | November 26, 2024
Is Trump’s surprising labor secretary pick good news for America?

As the Economic Policy Institute’s Celine McNicholas points out, labor observers will want to see what positions she takes on policies such as overtime protections for workers or workplace safety inspections. During Trump’s first term, his administration robbed workers of automatic overtime protection and rolled back workplace safety inspections. He also pursued countless other policies that benefited the wealthy while eviscerating regulations and policies that improve the lives of ordinary workers.

MSNBC.com | November 26, 2024
When Students Miss School, Teachers Enjoy Their Jobs Less

For public sector education jobs, the recovery in employment from the COVID-19 crisis was slow. It only occurred by October of 2023 using federal relief dollars, according to economic analysis from the Economic Policy Institute.

EdSurge | November 26, 2024

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Latest Research

Busting the union busters: The need to improve transparency around union-busting activity

The U.S. benefits from immigration but policy reforms needed to maximize gains: Recommendations and a review of key issues to ensure fair wages and labor standards for all workers

Voter suppression makes the racist and anti-worker Southern model possible: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Spotlight

Federal AI legislation: An evaluation of existing proposals and a road map forward

CEO pay declined in 2023: But it has soared 1,085% since 1978 compared with a 24% rise in typical workers’ pay

Blog

The policies that will determine whether Trump’s labor secretary pick supports workers

Measuring diversity in construction apprenticeship programs: Data show higher rates of participation of women, Hispanic workers, and workers of color in union-based apprenticeships than nonunion programs

NLRB rules anti-union captive audience meetings an illegal abuse of employer power: States must also continue to broaden protection of workers’ freedom from employer coercion on political, religious matters

The school bus driver shortage remains severe, and bus driver pay is getting worse

A review of key 2024 ballot measures: Voters backed progressive policy measures

Top-line job growth number distorted by hurricanes and strikes: All other data point to a historically strong labor market

Five things to consider on Election Day if you care about economic and racial justice

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