More openings and hires give Americans reason for greater job optimism
As openings and new hires hit levels not seen in years, more Americans say they’re hearing mostly good news about the jobs situation.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
As openings and new hires hit levels not seen in years, more Americans say they’re hearing mostly good news about the jobs situation.
The unemployment rate may get most of the attention, but why people are unemployed, and how long they’ve been out of work, can be just as telling about the state of the economy.
The healthcare industry, food and drink establishments and temp services have driven most of the jobs growth since Barack Obama took office nearly six years ago.
Almost one-in-five members of the House and Senate are a racial or ethnic minority, making the 114th Congress the most diverse in history. However, Congress remains disproportionately white when compared with the U.S. population, which has grown increasingly diverse in recent decades.
Some political observers predict that Obama will be using his veto pen a lot more in his last two years in office than he did in the first six. Recent history indicates that presidents do veto more bills when both houses of Congress are controlled by the opposing party.
The new GOP-controlled Congress takes office at a time when the American public sees partisan rifts in the country getting worse.
An unusually active lame duck session enabled the 113th Congress to avoid its predecessor’s record for legislative unproductivity.
Sales at many retailers spike during the year-end holiday season, but holiday sales overall are a bit less significant than they were two decades ago.
Lame duck congressional sessions have become more common in recent years, but their actual legislative productivity has varied considerably.
President Obama’s executive action to protect millions of unauthorized immigrants from deportation is an act that both follows and departs from precedents set by his predecessors.