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A firm announces a plan to build a new facility, but where? Local and state development officials compete to attract the firm with ever-more-generous tax breaks and subsidies.
Blog
Cynthia Rogers
Immigration reform is likely to mean higher wages for workers at the bottom of the economic ladder—both foreign and native born. The reason is that the large number of undocumented workers in the U.S. exerts a downward drag on wages because employers routinely exploit such workers by paying them
Blog
David Callahan
Philadelphia requires city-subsidized organizations to give employees health benefits, a living wage of $10.88 an hour and paid sick leave. But the ordinance only applies only to “businesses with direct city contracts,” according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, and excludes subcontracted employees at
Blog
Jack Grauer
For some job seekers, repeated rejection by potential employers may be traceable to an unlikely source: their credit report. Regulators are cracking down on some of the methods companies are using to screen candidates (two major companies this week were accused of using background checks to
In the media
Jonnelle Marte
Credit reports weren’t designed to be job-screening tools. But about half of employers now use them when making hiring decisions, according to a 2012 study by the Society for Human Resource Management. The practice cuts across all sectors of the economy, from high-level management to office
In the media
Elizabeth Dwoskin
Evelyn Coke was a Jamaican-born, single mother of five who worked for decades providing care for sick and frail people in their homes. She came to the United States in her thirties and ultimately brought her children to live with her in New York City.
Blog
Sandra Butler
The retail sector has been a star of recent jobs reports. May's numbers from the Department of Labor say it was responsible for adding 28,000 positions to the overall economy. It's on an upward trend – the monthly retail employment number has averaged 20,000 for the past year. Considering one in
In the media
Helaine Olen
Last month Nevada joined a growing number of states and cities that are forbidding companies from using credit checks to make employment decisions. But the practice is still legal under federal law. [...]
In the media
Michele Bowman
Costco pays its workers wages well-above the industry standard, offering a reported average of $20.89 per hour plus affordable health coverage, vacation time, and a matched 401(k). This investment pays off in terms of a shockingly low rate of employee turnover.
Blog
Catherine Ruetschlin
As members of the class of 2013 stepped on stage to receive their diplomas, the unemployment rate in America stood at 7.6 percent — a bit better than the past four years, but that ain't saying much. Before the financial crisis, students graduating in 2007 faced a much rosier jobless rate of only 4.7
In the media
Lynn Stuart Parramore