labor
Everything tagged labor — 2 dashboards, 2 stories, 2 episodes.
Dashboards
Working Hours: the productivity converged, the time didn't
The rich world shortened the working year for 150 years, then the US stopped and Europe didn't. Americans now work 454 hours a year more than Germans — while producing almost exactly the same amount per hour.
Labor Market
The U.S. labor market beyond the headline unemployment rate: who's working, how tight the market is, the slack the headline misses, and what a paycheck actually buys.
Stories
The productivity converged. The time didn't.
The rich world shortened the working year for 150 years, then the US stopped and Europe didn't. Americans now work 454 hours a year more than Germans — and the reason isn't what almost everyone assumes.
What the unemployment rate doesn't say
By the headline measure, the U.S. labor market in 2026 looks fully healed. The series underneath tell a more textured story.
Episodes
Working Hours: The Productivity Converged, the Time Didn't
The rich world shortened the working year for 150 years, then the US stopped and continental Europe didn't. Americans now work 454 hours a year more than Germans — while producing almost exactly the same amount per hour.
What the Unemployment Rate Doesn't Say
By the headline measure, the U.S. labor market in 2026 looks fully healed. The series underneath tell a more textured story.