Economic Trends: We May Be Closer to Full Employment Than It Seemed. That’s Bad News.

Economic Trends By NEIL IRWIN June 2, 2017 The May job numbers raise a depressing possibility: that this is as good as it will get for the United States labor market. At first glance, the new numbers seem like a bit of a mystery. The unemployment rate fell...

U.S. Added 138,000 Jobs in May; Unemployment at 4.3%

By PATRICIA COHEN June 2, 2017 Employment grew by 138,000 jobs in May, according to data released Friday by the government, the latest official snapshot of the economy. The Numbers • 138,000 jobs were added last month. Economists had expected a gain of...

Maine’s Governor Wants Inmates to Fill Jobs, Not Prison Beds

By JESS BIDGOOD June 1, 2017 Paul R. LePage, the brash and deeply conservative governor of Maine, has never been seen as an advocate of loosening punishments for criminals. He once joked that drug dealers should be publicly executed. He has seemed, at times,...

Walmart Is Accused of Punishing Workers for Sick Days

By RACHEL ABRAMS June 1, 2017 A report released Thursday by a workers’ advocacy group says Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, routinely refuses to accept doctors’ notes, penalizes workers who need to take care of a sick family...