Economic Policy Institute

@epi.org

The working people's think tank for 40 years. Nonprofit + nonpartisan, we use the tools of economics to defend & promote workers' interests in economic policy discussions.

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Federal Policy Watch: epi.org/policywatch

@benzipperer.orgReposted by @epi.org

Even if you've never been a union member, the attacks on unions have cost you money. The typical worker would be earning $5,000 more a year if unions were as strong today as they were five decades ago

@itsafronomics.blacksky.appReposted by @epi.org

A new IWPR report confirms that college-educated Black women are more likely to lead in government than in companies.

Which is why the DOGE cuts that slashed federal jobs have been particularly devastating for college-educated Black women. #blacksky

Figure 3. College-Educated Black Women Are More Likely to Be Hired for Management Positions in the Public Sector than the Private Sector All women and Black women (bachelor's degree or higher) as a share of total managers in the public and private sectors, 2024 PublicPrivate 5.0% 15.0% 25.0% 35.0% Women's share of all managers 41.3% 24.3% Black women as a share of all college-educated women 15.9% 10.8% Black women as a share of women managers 19.8% 9.2% Black women as a share of all managers 8.2% 2.2% Get the dataDownload image Source: Author's analysis of Current Population Survey microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 2026.7.8, https://microdata.epi.org Note: Race and ethnicity are mutually exclusive; Black women are all non-Hispanic.
@epi.org

From 1979-2007, Black women with bachelor’s degrees were the only group of women to maintain labor force participation rates above 80 percent. Yet, despite their high labor force participation, highly educated Black women have been—and continue to be—systematically held back from upward mobility.

@epi.org

Calculate the taxpayer cost, and what it could have been spent on instead, with the Cost of Deportations Calculator

@publicassets.bsky.socialReposted by @epi.org

Julie’s on her way back from @epi.org EARN CON with lots of new research questions: looks like we may be digging into the privatization of Medicare dollars, changes to data collection in decennial census, fiscal impacts of migration enforcement, and the need for minimum wage increases. Stay tuned.

@elisegould.bsky.socialReposted by @epi.org

The prime-age employment-to-population ratio, the share of the population ages 25-54 with a job, ticked up in September to 80.7%, back to where it was in the spring. Overall, the prime-age EPOP remains resilient to labor market weakness in other measures.
#EconSky

@elisegould.bsky.socialReposted by @epi.org

The household survey is painting a rosier picture of the labor market for September. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly, but for the right reasons as both labor force participation and employment increased. There is notably more volatility in the household survey but the trend is positive.

@elisegould.bsky.socialReposted by @epi.org

Slower wage growth means that with higher prices, workers and their families continue to find it difficult to make ends meet. Year-over-year real wages fell for five months in a row. When the latest price data is out on October 14, we'll learn if real wages have fallen for six months straight.

@elisegould.bsky.socialReposted by @epi.org

Nominal wage growth continued to decelerate in Sept, rising just 3.0% over the year. Slowing nominal wage growth suggests workers don't have the leverage to bid up their wages. Even with low unemployment, the depressed hires rate means workers aren't finding new jobs to raise their wages.
#EconSky

@elisegould.bsky.socialReposted by @epi.org

Federal employment lost 1,000 jobs in September, but the deficit in the federal workforce remains stark: there are 328,000 fewer federal jobs since January 2025. The vital services federal employees provide cannot be done without these essential workers.
#EconSky

@elisegould.bsky.socialReposted by @epi.org

Manufacturing employment grew modestly in September, a gain of 9,000 jobs. But the fact remains that manufacturing employment is still down 21,000 jobs since January 2025. It's hardly a manufacturing boon.

@elisegould.bsky.socialReposted by @epi.org

Health care employment continues to chug along, adding 17,000 in September. Modest job growth in construction, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing. After a bounce back in August, state and local government recorded losses for September.

@elisegould.bsky.socialReposted by @epi.org

Payroll employment growth has averaged 50,000 over the last three months, but it continues to be relatively volatile. Four months of jobs losses over the last year, while some notable gains recorded as well. Economic uncertainty may be at play in the latest spell of weakness and downward revisions.

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