Sep 7, 2021

Traveling nurses and short-staffed hospitals are in a vicious cycle

Mario Tama via Getty Images

Also on today's program: Aluminum prices soar, the Labor Department hopes to modernize unemployment benefits and why one woman quit her lab job to become a "mosquito hunter."

Segments From this episode

As federal unemployment benefits end, many states' UI systems remain janky

by Meghan McCarty Carino

Sep 7, 2021

Some crash, others don’t work on mobile devices. In some states, workers have to wait to receive new passwords by mail to access their accounts.

To help states improve their unemployment systems, the Labor Department is creating an Unemployment Insurance Modernization unit.

Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

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COVID-19

High pay for traveling nurses a symptom and cause of staff shortages

by Blake Farmer

Sep 7, 2021

Traveling RNs make far more money than full-timers in the same job, stirring frustration at hospitals. Governments often foot the bill.

A poster lauding nurses'efforts hangs at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles. The COVID pandemic has put more demands on nurses — and created more demand for nurses.

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

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My Economy

Leaving the lab to hunt mosquitoes in the swamp

by Sean McHenry

Sep 7, 2021

Mel Glenn, based in the Denver metro area, on why she decided to leave her lab job to become a seasonal mosquito control technician.

"I'm basically a mosquito hunter," said Mel Glenn, pictured here in a mosquito control position she previously held.

Courtesy of Mel Glenn

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Retailers work around supply snags to fill shelves ahead of holidays

by Marielle Segarra

Sep 7, 2021

Grappling with shortages as holiday shopping season approaches, merchants focus on products that are available.

The Macy's department store in Manhattan, Christmas Eve 2020. Responding to product shortages, merchants are modifying their offerings to emphasize available inventory.

Scott Heins via Getty Images

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How did aluminum get so expensive?

by Amanda Peacher

Sep 7, 2021

The 10-year high in prices is due to unrest in Guinea, where a key component is mined, and the surge in demand for the green economy.

Stacks of empty aluminum cans sit on a pallet Devil's Canyon Brewery in California. The price of aluminum reached a 10-year high this week.

Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

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Shelf Life

Machiavelli’s lessons for women in the workforce

by Stacey Vanek Smith

Sep 7, 2021

An excerpt from “Machiavelli for Women,” a new book by NPR’s Stacey Vanek Smith.

Italian statesman, writer and political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, circa 1510. In a new book, NPR’s Stacey Vanek Smith applies the lessons of Machiavelli’s “The Prince” to women in 21st century workplaces.

Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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Music from the episode

Confessions Sudan Archives

Buried In Detroit Mike Posner

It’s Only (feat. Zyra) ODESZA, Zyra

Not Dead Yet Lord Huron

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I

Dylan Miettinen Associate Digital Producer

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