Senate Republicans want to slash the number of weeks Arizonans can receive unemployment payments and tie the length of benefit availability to the unemployment rate, but critics say that even if jobs are plentiful, it can still be a long process to find a good one. Read more»

Forty million people in the U.S. are having difficulty affording household expenses, and a little more than 25 million people say they sometimes or often do not have enough to eat, reflecting Americans continuing struggle, made worse by the disappearance of pandemic relief. Read more»

For Arizona residents, the job market has tilted in favor of job seekers in a way rarely seen - but there are reasons for workers to be concerned that wages are not keeping up with costs. Read more»

A federal program critical to helping low-income families pay for child care received a $1.9 billion increase late last year - but if states simply use the funds to provide more families with vouchers or subsidies, there might not be enough providers to serve them. Read more»

Economists weigh in as many Americans are wondering if a recession is looming, with the current U.S. inflation rate at 7.1%, interest rates rising and housing costs up. Read more»

Each year, the more than 600,000 people released from state and federal prisons nationwide face a range of financial barriers that together can have devastating consequences for individuals coming back into the community, and their families. Read more»

The distribution of billions of dollars of federal COVID-19 relief funds in Arizona, like many other states, was marred by fraud, mismanagement and lack of oversight, according to a new report issued last week by the Arizona Auditor General.  Read more»

16 million people of working age in the U.S. are suffering with long COVID - with 2 to 4 million people unemployed in June and July - and lack of a social safety net for many together with a labor market beginning to turn in favor of employers could create wider economic problems. Read more»

Watching movies like “Double Indemnity,” “Easy Rider” and “Office Space,” you might think Americans had never heard of the spirit of sacrifice and delayed gratification that helped build capitalism - but films like these reveal that current anti-work sentiments may not be all that new. Read more»

Schools nationwide are considering switching to four-day-instructional weeks to help retain and attract teachers amid a national teacher shortage exacerbated by COVID-19 and battles over critical race theory, but low-income and special needs students are often the most affected. Read more»

A medical marijuana grow facility in Amado has notified Santa Cruz and Pima counties that it is laying off 103 employees. Read more»

The past two years have been difficult for everyone, but they’ve been particularly rough for transgender households as new data released by the Census Bureau shows that trans adults are reporting startling rates of depression, hunger and unemployment. Read more»

Despite skyrocketing oil and gas prices and amid worries about a possible recession, energy-producing states had the biggest drops in gross domestic product as companies are still struggling to bring back workers and rigs that were idled early in the pandemic. Read more»

Fast-rising prices for gas, food and most everything else are hitting low-income households hardest - but the Federal Reserve’s effort to rein in inflation with higher interest rates could hurt those same households. Read more»

Despite rising inflation and high gas prices, White House officials insisted this week that Arizona is sharing in the nation’s “robust” economic recovery, with low unemployment, and expanding wages in the state. Read more»