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Working Paper
The Effect of COVID Immigration Restrictions on Post-Pandemic Labor Market Tightness
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were unprecedented shortfalls in immigration. Concurrently, as the economy recovered, the labor market became tight, with the number of vacancies per unemployed worker reaching two, more than twice its pre-pandemic average. In this article, we investigate whether these two trends are connected. We find no evidence to support the hypothesis that the immigration shortfalls caused the tight labor market, for two main reasons. First, while the immigration deficit peaked at about two million workers, this number had largely recovered by February 2022, just as ...
Recent Trends in Individual Wage Growth
Data analysis tracking pay gains among individual workers shows that median wage growth began accelerating in mid-2021 before peaking in mid-2022.
Working Paper
Where Did the Workers Go? The Effect of COVID Immigration Restrictions on Post-Pandemic Labor Market Tightness
During the COVID pandemic there were unprecedented shortfalls in immigration. At the same time, during the economic recovery, the labor market was tight, with the number of vacancies per unemployed worker reaching 2.5, more than twice its pre-pandemic average. In this paper, we investigate whether these two trends are linked. We do not find evidence to support the hypothesis that the immigration shortfalls caused the tight labor market for two reasons. First, at the peak, we were missing about 2 million immigrant workers, but this number had largely recovered by February 2022 just as the ...
Journal Article
Child Poverty Rates in the Eighth District and Beyond
Child poverty and income volatility are higher in the Fed’s Eighth District than in the rest of the country, but the 2021 child tax credit could help alleviate these issues.
Tracking Families That Cross the Income Threshold for Food Stamps
Fluctuating incomes can mean families lose and then regain eligibility for food stamps multiple times during a period of years. Could that help explain why some eligible families don’t apply for the benefit?
Journal Article
Income Volatility as a Barrier to Food Stamp Takeup
Families with greater volatility in their incomes had more switches in food stamp eligibility and lower rates of food stamp usage when they were eligible.
Journal Article
School District Expenditures and Race
On average, spending per student is very similar for Black and White students, yet schools with a higher share of Black students spend less per student on instruction.
St. Louis Fed Research Associates Discuss Work and Experiences
RAs help the St. Louis Fed’s staff of economists investigate topics ranging from productivity to unemployment.
Retirements Surge for Older Workers during COVID-19
Though retirement decisions vary by different age groups, the COVID-19 pandemic increased retirement rates for those age 66 and older.
Do Congested Ports Cause Higher Shipping Costs?
An analysis of changes in the cost to ship to major U.S. ports suggests that rising costs varied more by the country of origin than by the port of entry.