After the final jobs report for 2019 showed wage growth missed expectations, the Dow closed below 29,000 after reaching the milestone for the first time in intraday trading.
But Grover Norquist, conservative activist and president of the advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform, said the jobs report was “good on all counts”
“I particularly like the U6, which is the unemployment number that includes discouraged workers,” he told Cheddar. Discouraged workers are those individuals who stop looking for jobs and no longer count toward general unemployment numbers.
“Unemployment is at a historic 50-year low, but discouraged workers is also at an all-time low,” he said. The discouraged and underemployed workers rate fell to 6.7 percent. He noted that the number is the lowest since the government began being measured in 1994.
In today’s report, the Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls increased by only 145,000 versus the 160,000 that had been expected as the unemployment rate held steady at 3.5 percent.
Today’s report also marked a slow rise in average hourly earnings, which rose by 2.9 percent, below the 3.1 percent projection.
Of those employed, women held more U.S. jobs than men for the first time in a decade. The last time women overtook men in payrolls was between January 2009 and April 2010, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Georgie Dickins, founder of Women in Leadership Global and author of ‘Leading with Impact,’ shares thoughts on women in business and how to cultivate a supportive community.
Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY and Jordan Shapiro, senior managing director at Bachrach Group, break down February’s jobs report and what it means for workers.
Linda Moore, president and CEO of Technet, explains why the U.S. should be a leader in A.I., plus why deepfakes and misinformation could be a concern during the election season.
Steve Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International, shares how the organization’s programs have helped over 2 million people develop their tech skills.
Box office analyst Shawn Robbins breaks down how the theater business is faring as two of 2023’s biggest movies are on their way to the Academy Awards.
Burns McKinney, portfolio manager at NFJ Investment Group, discusses how the Fed is balancing recession risks and interest rate cuts, plus whether the tech rally will broaden.
Nick Wolny, CNet editor, tells consumers about BNPL being added to credit reports – and why they may want to be more cautious about using it as an option.
Co-founders of 1953 Tequila, Shivam Mallick Shah and Lindsey Davis Stover, share how they broke into the traditionally male-dominated world of tequila production.
