Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Is a new labor movement brewing?

AFL-CIO President Elizabeth Shuler advocates a revitalized labor movement that expands high-quality jobs and reduces inequality.
"What we're seeing out there is a demand for change," says new AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, shown here speaking at the White House on Sept. 8.
Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images

The unequal effects of climate change

Jul 16, 2021
Climate change affects every aspect of our lives, but some people are more vulnerable to severe damage and high costs.
An almost dry section of Lake Oroville in Northern California. The state is suffering a prolonged drought, creating problems for agriculture and stoking wildfires.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Closing racial wage gap could lift 2 million Black Americans into middle class, study finds

Jun 28, 2021
A new McKinsey report details the sweeping economic disparities Black Americans face.
A new report from McKinsey says Black Americans are underrepresented in occupations like doctor that are traditional pathways to the middle class.
Getty Images

New inequality index launched to compare income groups

May 31, 2021
The Morning Consult-Axios data suggests that inequality is inching up as low-income people run out of relief money.
Lower-income households are starting to worry about losing eviction protections and unemployment benefits.
prempapan via Getty Images

Pandemic exacerbated inequality worldwide, Amnesty International says

Apr 7, 2021
In many countries, those working in low-wage jobs or in the gig economy were left out of government relief packages.
New data from Robin Hood and Columbia University paint a picture of poverty in New York City amid multiple crises.
Brad Barket/Getty Images for Action/2015

Research suggests we're misperceiving the inequality around us

Mar 25, 2021
How the perception of one’s income ranking affects views of fairness and much more.
Recent research suggests people's perceptions of their own economic status, as well as the status of people in their social or work circles, aren't as accurate as they might think.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on her new wealth tax bill and how to enforce it

Mar 12, 2021
Economists say the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act could raise $3 trillion in 10 years.
"This going to be good for our economy," Warren, D-Mass., said of the wealth tax legislation she introduced last week.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Did the Federal Reserve make economic inequality worse?

Mar 3, 2021
Fed watcher Karen Petrou believes so, and she says the Fed can fight inequality with targeted policies.
Karen Petrou, author of "Engine of Inequality," laments that investors win and savers lose. "Every time the Fed steps into the market, the markets go up. The markets run by the Fed's clock," she says.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Millennials continue to lag behind in home ownership rates

Feb 23, 2021
Student loan debt, high housing prices and career setbacks from the Great Recession hurt millennials' ability to build wealth.
Millennials are held back from homeownership from economic setbacks like student loan debt and the Great Recession. Above, a house under contract in Washington, D.C., in November.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The pandemic-induced economic inequality gap is widening

Jan 25, 2021
And efforts from central banks and governments have in some cases exacerbated it.
Fast-rising wages during the pandemic are an anomaly. While most higher-paid professionals were able to work from home, millions of lower-paid service workers lost jobs and income.
Filmstudio via Getty Images