Student loan defaults in the United States have been a growing problem. After reaching a historic low of 4.5% in 2003, student loan default rates have been trending upward, rising to 10.0% for the 2011 cohort.
Recently, we wrote about employment growth in manufacturing. Here, we look at manufacturing growth in terms of workers per establishment. Prior to the recession, the average number of workers per manufacturing establishment had been declining. During the recession, the decline accelerated before recovering somewhat and then plateauing at an average of about 36 workers per establishment in 2012. Most manufacturing sub-sectors (three-digit NAICS codes) followed the same general trend.
For jobs that typically don’t need a college degree, which are the most secure? Here we take a look at five popular ones (see chart below). Each of these are “secure” in the sense that they are jobs with very low unemployment rates. In addition, each of these jobs typically do not require a college award, plus they usually don’t require extensive training.
Performing gigs at different nightclubs and to various audiences is common for musicians. The proliferation of smartphones and online platforms have lowered the barrier for suppliers to provide on-demand services, making it easier for more individuals to complete some small jobs and participate in the new gig economy.
Last year, we posted a blog examining the effects of Hurricane Harvey on job postings and, by extension, employment. Below, we take the same approach to look at the impacts of a different natural disaster prevalent in late 2017 and early this year: the wildfires in California. Specifically, we are focusing on the Tubbs Fire, which affected parts of Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties in Northern California during October 2017; and the Thomas Fire, which affected Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in Southern California in December 2017.