Economy

Inflation Has Surged From The Pandemic Recession — But That Isn't Stopping Buyers

6:49pm June 09, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The price of cars is climbing fast. So is the price of gasoline. The Labor Department may also offer its own version of sticker shock when it reports on the rise in consumer prices Thursday.

Queue Listen Now

Economy

Pandemic Assistance Application Fair To Be Held Saturday

4:05pm June 09, 2021

by David Ford

This weekend, low-income Forsyth County residents who have fallen behind can apply in-person for financial help at the

Queue Listen Now

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 05: A homeless man sleeps on the sidewalk near the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge on December 05, 2019 in San Francisco, California.

How California Homelessness Became A Crisis

12:30pm June 08, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

Homelessness has gotten out of control in the Golden State. Will California be able to solve it?

Renuka Iyer, chief human resources officer for the World Resources Institute, sits in an empty office. The environmental nonprofit's staff has been working remotely since March 2020.

Economy

Working In Sweatpants May Be Over As Companies Contemplate The Great Office Return

12:13pm June 07, 2021

by Andrea Hsu

Many offices that have been closed since March 2020 are beginning to bring workers back, but not all companies think they need a return to the old ways.

Chef Lindsay Kucera prepares for dinner service at Jack Sprat, a small restaurant in the Alaska ski resort town of Girdwood. About one-third of the staff left during the pandemic.

A Remote Resort Town Struggles To Find Restaurant Workers For The Summer Season

8:41am June 07, 2021

by Emily Schwing

As pandemic restrictions loosen, tourists flock to Jack Sprat, a restaurant in Girdwood, Alaska. But like many businesses in resort towns, it's having trouble hiring servers as the economy rebounds.

Queue Listen Now

A "Help Wanted" sign is posted beside coronavirus health safety guidelines at a restaurant in Los Angeles on May 28. Businesses are desperate for workers even as millions remain unemployed. Republican governors blame a major unemployment benefit passed du

A Lifeline For The Unemployed Is About To End In Half Of U.S. Here's What's At Stake

7:52am June 07, 2021

by Scott Horsley

Republican governors are moving to end $300-a-week pandemic payments for the unemployed in a controversial effort to push people back to work. Four states are set to end them this week.

Queue Listen Now

Economy

G-7 Member Nations Agree To Global Minimum Tax Rate Of 15%

6:26am June 07, 2021

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center at the Brookings Institution, about G-7 nations agreeing to back a global minimum tax rate on multinational corporations.

Economy

Jobs And The Hospitality Industry

6:18pm June 05, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Jim Essey, CEO of the TemPositions Group of Companies, about why employers are having difficulty finding workers despite millions of Americans who remain unemployed.

Queue Listen Now

Dozens of people in Micronesia are suing the Bank of Guam for seizing stimulus checks they deposited. The bank did so to help the IRS recover tax payments issued in error.

Overseas Bank Helped Recover IRS Stimulus Checks To Non-Americans. It Didn't Go Well

3:31pm June 05, 2021

by Sacha Pfeiffer

After accidentally sending stimulus checks to ineligible foreign citizens living overseas, the Internal Revenue Service is now asking some banks to help recover money, creating a legal mess.

Queue Listen Now

U.S. Employers Added 599,000 Jobs In May

4:17pm June 04, 2021

by Scott Horsley

In May, U.S. employers added two times the jobs they did in April. A long way from replacing the jobs lost in 2020, employers say they'd like to hire more people to keep up with booming demand.

Queue Listen Now