Job Openings In February
From the Economic Policy Institute’s analysis of the February version of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) …
The total number of job openings in February was 3.1 million, and the total number of unemployed workers was 13.7 million (unemployment is from the Current Population Survey). The ratio of unemployed workers to job openings was 4.4-to-1 in February, a substantial improvement from the revised January ratio of 5.1-to-1. However, February marks 26 months that the “job-seeker’s ratio” has been substantially above the 4-to-1 ratio. A job seeker’s ratio of 4-to-1 means that for 3 out of 4 unemployed workers, there simply are no jobs.
Around The Dial – 4/13/11
Economic policy reports, blog postings, and media stories of interest:
- Free Exchange doesn’t find the recovery is ship-shape.
- Naked Capitalism highlights the broken Congress.
- Mark Thoma describes dueling economic models.
- Economix weighs “the value of urban clustering.”
- Paul Krugman points out the GOP’s five-point budget plan.
More Government At Work
Speak NC recently released the second installment in its video series exploring the stories behind the state budget. This video looks at school nursing services.
The Price Of Regulation
The Economic Policy Institute notes how arguments claiming that regulation causes job losses are overblown.
Given today’s extraordinarily weak labor market, it is imperative that assessments of government policies consider effects on the economy and employment levels. At the same time, however, this concern should not lead to unwarranted efforts to weaken government regulators and regulations.
…
The lessons of the Great Recession and of decades of government regulation point in the opposite direction. An emphasis on deregulation can contribute to enormous economic dislocation, and this review of the studies of regulations in place finds little evidence of significant negative effects on employment. Overall, the picture that emerges from this review is a positive one. For decades, regulations have generally and consistently struck a reasonable balance, with their benefits to health, safety, and well-being far exceeding their costs.
Around The Dial – 4/12/11
Economic policy reports, blog postings, and media stories of interest:
- Economix puts “taxing the rich” in context.
- The Baseline Scenario explains why Medicare matters.
- The LA Times reports on unhappy Ikea workers in Virginia.
- Jonathan Chait doesn’t see the dream of “an egalitarian GOP.”
- TaxVox mulls the Supreme Court ruling on tax expenditures.
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