Two Articles, One Webcomic, and One Podcast About Jobs and Wages

Photo credit: Daniel Novta, CC BY 2.0.

The Los Angeles Times gives us new data on household income and healthcare coverage:

With unemployment steadily declining and more people working full time in year-round jobs, household incomes in the United States rose moderately last year, and the nation’s poverty rate fell to the lowest point in more than a decade, according to new federal government data.

But in another important measure of economic well-being, the share of Americans without medical insurance remained unchanged in 2017, ending a three-year trend of improving health coverage that was largely the result of Obamacare.

The Planet Money Indicator podcast notes that there are now more job openings than there are unemployed people (although not every person who wants a job will be able to get one, since they might not live in the right city, might not have the right skills, etc.). Also, wages might be going up!

STACEY VANEK SMITH: And a healthy labor market is about more than just job creation because when a lot of work is available, it means that workers have more power to negotiate for a higher wage. And we are finally seeing signs that wage growth is accelerating this year after a long period of not going up very much for a very long time.

If you are looking for a job, the New York Public Library is ready to help:

With our NYPL Grow Up work accessories collection, you can now borrow:

• Neckties and bowties
• Briefcases
• Handbags

I love the library. ❤︎

Lastly, you’re going to want to read this Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic that explains the difference between classic epic narratives and today’s superhero stories. (Yes, it’s really about jobs — or, more specifically, Truth, Justice and the American Way.)

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