Economy

A closed sign is displayed in the window of a business in a nearly deserted lower Manhattan on April 17, 2020, in New York. Many small businesses benefited from a government emergency loan program during the pandemic, but its effectiveness is still in dou

Did Emergency PPP Loans Work? Nearly $800 Billion Later, We Still Don't Know

10:20am April 27, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The Paycheck Protection Program, which provided emergency loans to small businesses amid the pandemic, will wind down soon. Economists are divided on whether it saved enough jobs to justify its cost.

President Biden plans to sign an executive order on Tuesday that will kick off the rulemaking process for a higher minimum wage for employees of federal contractors.

Biden To Establish $15-An-Hour Minimum Wage For Federal Contractors

9:19am April 27, 2021

by Alana Wise

The administration also plans to eliminate the tipped minimum wage for federal contractors by 2024, effectively raising it to $15 from the current level of $7.65.

Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, speaks to reporters at the White House Monday about the American Families Plan.

Biden Wants Millionaires To Foot The Bill For Big New Social Programs

7:35pm April 26, 2021

by Ayesha Rascoe

President Biden will ask Congress to increase taxes on capital gains for tax filers who make more than $1 million a year — a move the White House says will affect only about 500,000 households.

Apple Announces 1st East Coast Campus In North Carolina

9:53am April 26, 2021

by Associated Press

Economy

Tenants In Northern Virginia Apartment Complex Worry About Eviction

8:43am April 25, 2021

by Pam Fessler

The complex houses hundreds of immigrants, mostly from Africa. Many of them have faced eviction because they lost service jobs during the pandemic.

Economy

Career Coach Answers Questions About Job Hunting During A Pandemic

8:43am April 25, 2021

Finding a job or changing your career in the midst of a pandemic is hard. We collected questions from four listeners about their journeys to find jobs, and posed them to career coach Akhila Satish.

Here's How Millennial Wealth Stacks Up Against That Of Prior Generations

5:27pm April 23, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

Many millennials are now in their thirties. Unlike many generations before them, they came of age during a Great Recession, a global pandemic and huge changes to the economy.

A car accident in 2019 smashed six of Mark Gottlieb's teeth and severely damaged four vertebrae. The spinal surgery he needed as a result led to medical bills that exhausted the personal injury coverage in his auto insurance.

Surprise: The Charge For His Spine Surgery After A Car Crash Topped $700,000

10:14am April 22, 2021

by Julie Appleby

Generous personal injury coverage on your auto insurance policy may not be enough to cover your medical bills. Patients can get financially blindsided when car and health insurance policies differ.

The Biden administration has opened up enrollment on all Affordable Care Act marketplaces, including on the federal insurance exchange, Healthcare.gov, until August. Many people will qualify for better or less expensive plans — or both.

Health Insurance For $10 Or Less A Month? You May Qualify For New Discounts

10:07am April 22, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

From now until August, you can sign up for or change coverage through the federal and state health insurance marketplaces. Many people are eligible for better or less expensive plans — or both.

American Indicators Check-in: The Faces And Stories Behind The Economic Statistics

5:12pm April 21, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with the American indicators, four people whose stories illustrate what the American economy faces a month after President Biden signed a coronavirus relief bill into law.

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