Reagan era is over: Are Democrats ready?
Read the latest EPI's op-ed about election results in Viewpoints.
A tough recovery by any measure
Recent data show that income gaps between the highest-earning Americans and the rest of workers have grown. The top fifth of households earned just over half of the nation's income in 2005, equal to the highest share on record, while low- and middle-income households saw real incomes decline. Read about it in this week's Snapshot.
Private-sector payrolls up only 58,000, despite falling unemployment
For analysis of the most recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, read EPI's Jobs Picture.
Postcards from an ailing economy
Why do most Americans think the economy isn't working for them, and why are they worried about the future? A look at some trends discussed in EPI's latest Policy Memo shows that they have good reason to worry.
GDP Picture: Weakness in housing slows the economy
For an analysis of the latest Bureau of Economic Analysis report on gross domestic product, read EPI's latestGDP Picture.
Minimum wage trends
Recent research has shown that the job loss reported in earlier analyses does not, in fact, occur when the minimum wage is increased. Get the facts in this new EPI Briefing Paper, Minimum wage trends: Understanding past and contemporary research. (News release [PDF])
The U.S. economy is on the table
Read EPI's op-ed about the state of the economy and the mid-term elections in Viewpoints.
Securing the wage floor
The federal minimum wage has not seen an increase since 1997 and its value has dropped by 20% since then. In inflation-adjusted dollars, it is at its lowest value in 50 years. Automatic annual adjustments to the wage, or indexing, has gained increasing support and is becoming more common among the U.S. states that have their own minimum wage laws. This Briefing Paper, Securing the Wage Floor, reviews how indexing would maintain the value of the federal minimum wage. (News release [PDF])
Hundreds of Economists Say: Raise the Minimum Wage
Five Nobel Prize winners and other leading economists, joined by hundreds of others, urge a raise in the minimum wage. Read their statement.
Does China trade hurt Michigan?
Read EPI's op-ed on whether the investment by the Chinese state in its industries has negative effect on jobs in the U.S.
Revisiting NAFTA: Still not working for North America's workers
When it was passed in 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement was sold to the people of each nation on the promise that it would bring large net benefits in better jobs and faster growth. Twelve years later, it is clear that the costs to workers outweighed the benefits in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In a new, three-country report, Revisiting NAFTA examines the impact the trade agreement has had so far on the distribution of income, wealth, and political power in each of these nations. (News release [PDF])
Health insurance eroding for working families
For the fifth year in a row, the number of Americans without health insurance grew significantly. Nearly 46.6 million Americans were uninsured in 2005—up almost 7 million since 2000. From 2000 to 2005, the uninsured share of the total population grew from 14.2% to 15.9%, while the share of those with employer-provided coverage dropped. Health Insurance Eroding for Working Families discusses the latest data and trends in health care coverage.
The State of Working America 2006/2007
On Labor Day, the Economic Policy Institute released its advance edition of The State of Working America 2006/2007. Prepared biennially since 1988, EPI's flagship publication sums up the problems and challenges facing American workers, presenting analyses of the latest data on family incomes, wages, income mobility, international comparisons, wealth, and poverty. Now in its 10th edition, the book's authors continue the tradition of closely examining the economy's effect on the living standards of the American people. With over 300 tables and charts, The State of Working America 2006/2007 is the comprehensive reference work consulted by those wanting a portrait of the economic well-being of the nation's workforce. Visit the StateOfWorkingAmerica.org Web site for a host of online resources, including the book's executive summary, introduction, and excerpted chapters as well as fact sheets, Economic Snapshots, press releases, and a full archive of every table and figure that appears in the printed book.
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