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☆ Healthcare, college education, and childcare started getting worse decades ago. Now we're all finally feeling it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Americans are accruing billions in debt to pay for things like education and healthcare. But that would require shifting the idea of childcare, education, and healthcare and thinking of them as public goods — not businesses. That ultimately meant millions in funding for public childcare. "If the US health system was a country, it would be about the fourth-largest country in the world," Cooper said. There's much less government involvement in the US healthcare system than in other countries, Cooper said.

☆ Remote job options are dwindling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The following chart shows select industries and which ones among them have the highest share of establishments where people teleworked all the time. BLS data shows the information sector had a relatively high share of establishments where workers worked remotely all the time, at 42.2%. While remote options may seem to be dwindling, some experts Insider talked to say that remote work is going to continue to be prevalent. "Remote work has been a huge and permanent change to how people work and live," Adam Ozimek, chief economist at the Economic Innovation Group, told Insider. Have you had to choose between returning to the office or losing your job?

☆ Russia says its economy did better than expected, one year into the Ukraine war. But experts say there's a red flag behind the announcement.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

According to Russia's federal statistics service, the country's GDP contracted by 2.1% in 2022. However, Russia stopped publishing some key economic data last year, throwing up a red flag. While this contraction reversed a 5.6% GDP growth in 2021, it did far better than an 8.8% to 12.4% contraction that Russia's economy ministry projected in April 2022. The war in Ukraine triggered heightened concerns over issues related to energy security, particularly about natural gas exports — which Europe was reliant on. The EU's ban on Russian oil imports from December sent countries rushing to load up before the embargo kicked in, which helped prop up Russia's energy coffers.

That surge in demand and limited supply contributed to higher prices. But diners will likely still pay higher menu prices than they were last year. Dutch Bros. Coffee CEO Joth Ricci told CNBC that most coffee businesses hedge their prices six to 12 months in advance. However, Zandi said, if the job market remains strong, inflation eases and wages grow, Americans can better manage higher prices for airfare and other items. Several hot pandemic items, including TVs, computers, sporting goods and major appliances have dropped in price, according to Labor Department data from December.

Labor shortagesAs the pandemic swooped in, air travel was among the industries most affected, as more than 90% of flights were grounded. Today, labor shortages exist throughout the economy, but the problem drags on in the air travel sector, where more extensive employee training is usually required. Steven Senne / APOutdated technology and infrastructureThere is near-universal agreement that the infrastructure underpinning segments of America's air travel system is outdated and vulnerable. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Montana, said the incident highlighted "a huge vulnerability in our air transportation system." Air travel should be predictable and consistent, and you shouldn’t have to wonder if air traffic control is going to be working today as you head to the airport.

But mainstream economic data doesn't always reflect the struggle, according to William Spriggs, Howard University economics professor and chief economist for the AFL-CIO. Throughout the last year, employers claimed they were struggling to staff properly, citing a lack of workers. But as the workforce picked up, employers weren't actually hiring, Spriggs said. Specifically, he said, they weren't hiring Black workers. Watch the video to learn more about how implicit bias corrupts economic data and therefore our understanding of the current labor landscape.

☆ Why is everyone crying on LinkedIn?: 'The numbers were very clear'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Dominic hit Kai in the face with a broom," begins Kwame Christian's LinkedIn post. 'I was very annoyed people liked the family stuff'Christian started sharing more about his life outside work on LinkedIn about a year ago. "I actually posted it on Facebook first, and someone suggested I post on LinkedIn and I reluctantly did," she says. The most obvious cause for the proliferation of personal LinkedIn posts is the pandemic. Like most trends that cropped up in the last three years, Covid-19 didn't invent the sappy LinkedIn post, it just catalyzed its adoptions.

☆ While DeSantis was flying legal asylum seekers to Martha's Vineyard, business owners in his state are struggling for workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Which is why some business owners in Florida were perplexed when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent legal asylum seekers from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard on two flights earlier this month. Asylum seekers are legally able to work in the United States while they await their asylum cases. Whether the asylum seekers intended to go to Florida or not, business owners there are signaling they would welcome them. Florida granted 7,101 asylum seekers permanent political asylum status between 2018-2020, just behind California and New Jersey. Gautam believes if more asylum seekers are granted permanent status, it will be “a game changer” for the longevity of his business and workforce.

☆ While DeSantis was flying legal asylum seekers to Martha's Vineyard, business owners in his state were struggling for workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Which is why some business owners in Florida were perplexed when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent legal asylum seekers from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha's Vineyard on two flights earlier this month. Asylum seekers are legally able to work in the United States while they await their asylum cases. Whether the asylum seekers intended to go to Florida or not, business owners there are signaling they would welcome them. Florida granted 7,101 asylum seekers permanent political asylum status between 2018-2020, just behind California and New Jersey. Gautam believes if more asylum seekers are granted permanent status, it will be "a game changer" for the longevity of his business and workforce.

☆ A Hawaii restaurant group illegally shared $59,000 tips accumulated by 70 servers among managers, DOL says
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Hawaii restaurant group illegally shared $58,855 of servers' tips among managers, the DOL said. The 70 servers' tips were used to top up managers' salaries after the company cut them, per the DOL. The restaurant paid $117,710 in taken tips plus damages to the servers following the investigation. The DOL said DK Restaurant Group, which operates seafood, sushi, and steak restaurants in Hawaii, reduced managers' salaries by "at least" 25% when it reopened its locations after COVID-19 lockdown — then topped up managers' salaries using tips accumulated by 70 servers. Previous investigations by the DOL have found that other restaurants have committed similar FLSA violations by withholding servers' tips, including making them participate in illegal tip pools.

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