Tag Archives: unemployment

Climbing a Wall of Worry — John DeTore

MIT Sloan Sr. Lecturer John DeTore

The U.S. stock market is now at new highs. So why are average Americans continuing to struggle and not feeling this prosperity? What causes this apparent disconnect between market highs and citizen well-being?

As the expression goes, stocks are climbing a wall of worry. And by our estimates, despite economic malaise, the stock market hasn’t peaked, and we’re still on the way up. Here are some reasons why:

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Thomas Kochan: U.S. Companies Versus the U.S. Economy

MIT Sloan Prof. Thomas Kochan

From Harvard Business Review

It’s obvious to anyone paying attention that the United States needs well-educated, technically skilled workers if it’s to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Just as obvious: We need a robust middle class with adequate disposable income and a sense that our economic system is working in a reasonably fair way. Yet business leaders and policy makers behave as if they don’t believe either of those things: Read More »

After the Debt Ceiling Debate and S & P's Credit Downgrade, Picking an Investment Adviser in an Unruly Market: S.P. Kothari

 

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From Dow Jones Marketwatch
S.P. Kothari, deputy dean at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a former Barclays fund manager, talks about what investors should look for in choosing an investment adviser to steer them through these turbulent markets.
What do you think?

The Verdict is in on June’s Employment Report…and what to do about it

Thomas Kochan, Co-director, MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research

According to the World Commission on Environment and Development, a “sustainable” economy must meet the needs of the present while not compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.  By this standard, the American economy  is definitely unsustainable:  It is not creating enough jobs to meet the current or future population’s needs and the long term trend in job quality is destined to produce a declining standard of living for today and tomorrow’s workers.

 June’s dismal unemployment numbers are just the latest indicators.  The economy created only 18,000 new jobs (about 130,000 less than needed just to keep up with the growth in the labor force) and unemployment rose to 9.2%.  Moreover, hourly wages over the past year lagged increases in prices by  1.5%. 

These numbers, coming on the back of an equally bad report last month make it painfully obvious that the nation needs a new, aggressive, and comprehensive employment strategy, one that creates jobs directly and successfully engages business and labor in efforts to build a sustainable recovery and economic future. Read More »