Economist Betsey Stevenson breaks down the gender gap in recent hiring reports
The U.S. economy added fewer jobs last month than analysts had expected, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.2%.
NPR host Scott Simon spoke with Betsey Stevenson, a University of Michigan economics and public policy professor and former member of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers.
Asked about 29,000 new jobs, Stevenson said the figures reflected an ongoing pattern of low hiring and low firing.
The interview focused on recent employment data, including a gender gap in hiring reports, as indicated by the program’s headline. The provided transcript excerpt does not include her explanation of that gap.
The excerpt ends before Stevenson expands on the figures, so it does not provide further detail about the hiring trend or what may come next.
Key points
- U.S. job growth fell short of expectations, and unemployment reached 4.2%.
- Stevenson characterized the latest figures as part of a low-hiring, low-firing period.
- The available excerpt does not explain the gender gap mentioned in the headline.