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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Year Up raises employment odds for young adults by teaching job-ready skills

Year Up, a career development program for urban young adults, starts with a six-month crash course in job skills like...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Income Distribution

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Low-wage jobs drive gains in U.S. employment

The BMW factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is luring workers with a program that offers part-time work, an all-expenses paid...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment, Income Distribution

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Hefty child care costs present catch-22 for working parents

In most of the country, child care is the most expensive part of the family budget. Infant care now costs...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Economic Development, Market Structures…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Good news in jobs report bolstered by shrinking workforce

The jobs report released Friday finds that employers added 288,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate fell to 6.3...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment, Income Distribution

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Seattle restaurant industry caught in the middle of $15 minimum wage debate

Seattleâ€™s push to raise the minimum wage to $15 has left owners and workers in the cityâ€™s restaurant industry conflicted....

Key Concepts: Budgeting, Division of Labor/Specialization, Income Distribution…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Why obsessing over economic indicators may hinder economic improvement

The monthly jobs report is big news on the first Friday of every month, swaying the financial markets and prompting...

Key Concepts: Business Cycles, Coincident Indicators, Division of Labor/Specialization…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: In 'second machine age' of robots, it's time for humans to get creative

Robotic technology is increasingly infiltrating our everyday world, and as robots become more capable of human labor, people will likely...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Economic Development, Entrepreneurs…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Is academia suffering from adjunctivitis? Low-paid adjunct professors struggle to make ends meet

Juggling multiple part-time jobs, earning little-to-no benefits, depending on public assistance: This is the financial reality for many adjunct professors...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Economic Development, Goods and Services

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Weak job growth, unemployment drop signal 'unwinding' of labor participation

The December jobs report showed a gain of just 74,000 jobs, while the drop in unemployment was due largely to...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Rosier-than-expected jobs report doesn't improve outlook for long-term jobless

The November jobs report boasted positive momentum, including gains in manufacturing and construction sectors. But economics correspondent Paul Solman reports...

Key Concepts: Business Cycles, Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Bubble in the making? How the stock market might not reflect the current economy

At the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow ended above 16,000, another record high. Meanwhile, companies continue to report healthy...

Key Concepts: Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments, Division of Labor/Specialization, Economic Institutions…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Airport workers in suburban Seattle take on living wage debate at the ballot box

SeaTac, Wash., is aptly named after the airport located there. The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the city's largest employer and...

Key Concepts: Budgeting, Credit, Division of Labor/Specialization…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Economists expect 'messier' jobs report for October after unimpressive September

Employment data for the month of September was finally released after being delayed for weeks by the shutdown. The numbers...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Mass. exchange model shows vast coverage for citizens, high care costs for state

October 1 was the opening day nationwide for new health care exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. But Massachusetts has...

Key Concepts: Consumers, Division of Labor/Specialization, Insurance

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Former Interns Debate Worth and Legality of Unpaid Gigs

Legally, unpaid interns can't displace regular paid workers, doing real work for no pay. So why have unpaid internships have...

Key Concepts: Business Costs and Revenues, Division of Labor/Specialization, Producers

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Artists Learn Art of Business to Brave Tough Economic Times

In the classical performing arts, more and more artists -- ever more highly skilled -- compete for fewer and fewer...

Key Concepts: Budgeting, Demand, Division of Labor/Specialization…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Left Behind by the Recovery, Inner City Teens Struggle to Find Jobs

The jobs report for June 2013 found that among teens alone, the jobless rate was almost 25 percent -- more...

Key Concepts: Business Cycles, Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Performing Artists Compete, Move, Adapt in Tough Economy

A new report shows 45 percent of young adults who recently got a college degree are underemployed, and the next...

Key Concepts: Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments, Demand, Division of Labor/Specialization…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Treasury Secretary Lew on Long-Term Unemployment, Party Divide on Spending Cuts

In a conversation with economics correspondent Paul Solman, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew addresses jobs and economic growth -- issues paramount...

Key Concepts: Aggregate Demand, Budget Deficits and Public Debt, Business Cycles…

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Grades 9-12

Making Sen$e with Paul Solman: Brutal Job Search Reality for Older Americans Out of Work for Six Months or More

Despite a rosier jobs picture in April, for Americans ages 55 or older who have been unemployed long-term, the prospect...

Key Concepts: Division of Labor/Specialization, Employment and Unemployment, Goods and Services…

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