Tag: unemployment

If Only We Knew How to Decrease Unemployment…

Every month the jobs numbers come out, and every month we have the same conversation: Why is unemployment so high? How can we get it down? While the entire political establishment continues to suck its thumb, this post from the Atlantic (h/t Bryce Covert) tells you all you need to know. We have the lowest number of public-sector employees per population since 1968. If we merely restored government employment to its 2007 levels, there’d be 1.7 million more jobs. Remember last summer when the Atlantic asked a group of worthies, including Matt Yglesias, “What is the single best thing Washington can do to jumpstart job creation?” I think we know the answer: First, stop firing people. Second, start hiring people.