America’s Sputtering Economy, by the Numbers. With increasing signs that the economy is laboring [2], most economists agree that a short-term infusion of spending, or an extension of
this year’s temporary cut in Social Security taxes, could help fend off a new downturn. But whatever one thinks of the debt deal — and most of its billions in cuts won’t come for a few years [3] — there’s a near-consensus [4] in Washington against spending increases.
Updated Aug. 5 with the latest job numbers and other stats. This post has also been corrected [1].
America’s Economy By The Numbers
Here’s a brief overview of some key stats on where the economy stands.
Unemployed workers per job opening: 4.64 as of May 2011, the most recent month for which data on job openings was collected (3.0 million job openings in May 2011; unemployed people in May 2011: 13,914,000)
The economy by your numbers (suggested by our readers on Twitter):
85 percent of college graduates [23] are going to return home to live with their parents after college, according to a May 2011 poll by Twentysomething Inc. Suggested by @SuzanneMcGeeNYC [24]
What stats best describe our economy? Tweet at @ProPublica [30] or email Braden [31]. Make sure to include your source.
Correction: This post initially said that there are 4.98 unemployed people per job opening. In fact, there were 4.64 unemployed people per job opening as of May 2011, the most recent month when data about job openings was collected.