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September 06, 2013
03:40 PM EDTNew data out today in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Employment Report show that of the increase in employment since the Affordable Care Act became law, more than 9 out of 10 positions have been full-time.
The Affordable Care Act continues to improve the functioning of labor markets in a range of ways including helping to slow the growth of premiums, creating affordable new options for small businesses, reducing the “job lock” that can keep workers from taking the best job for them, and generally improving health outcomes and reducing absenteeism. We are already seeing tangible changes in affordability, including premium growth at less than one-third the rate of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Businesses owners who are looking to take advantage of tax credits, and other benefits under the law aimed at making coverage more affordable are encouraged to visit Business.USA.gov/healthcare for more information.
Moreover, to date there is no economy-wide evidence that the employer responsibility requirement, which is scheduled to go into effect in 2015, is increasing part-time employment. In fact, a range of labor market data shows that our patterns of part-time employment are typical given our current economic recovery. Five charts make five key points in this area:
1. Of the increase in employment since the Affordable Care Act became law, more than 9 out of 10 positions are full-time. Over the 41 months since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, 91 percent of the increase in employment is due to full-time work. This pattern has roughly held over the past twelve months, with 86 percent of the increase in employment due to full-time work.
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“The entire world has a stake in making sure that we preserve Africa's beauty for future generations.”
- President Obama in Tanzania on July 1, 2013, announcing his Executive Order on Wildlife Trafficking
Tune in on Monday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at http://www.wh.gov/live as the White House hosts a Forum to Counter Wildlife Trafficking featuring Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton.
At the President’s direction, the United States is intensifying our assistance to foreign governments working to combat wildlife trafficking and related organized crime. At the Forum, Secretary Jewell will announce the members of the new Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking. The Council will work closely with and advise the President’s Task Force in developing a National Strategy on these issues, as directed by the Executive Order on Combating Wildlife Trafficking that the President signed in July.
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Fall isn’t just the time when kids go back to school; it also means enrollment under the Affordable Care Act is just around the corner. Starting on October 1, people without health care insurance -- including 10.2 million Latinos -- will be able to shop through the new health care marketplace to compares prices and plans and get covered. No one plans to get sick or hurt, but most people need medical care at some point. Health insurance covers these costs and protects you from very high expenses.
With open enrollment less than a month away, this is a great opportunity to review some of the key components of the Affordable Care Act and the health care marketplace that are important to know before October 1.
How does the health care law affect me?
- If you already have health insurance, you now have access to expanded preventative services like checkups, cancer screenings, mammograms and contraception at NO additional cost.
- Young adults, including nearly one million young Latinos, can now remain on their parents’ health insurance plan until the age of 26.
- Many seniors will save hundreds of dollars each year on their prescription drugs.
- Health insurance companies will no longer be able to deny you coverage or charge you more because of a pre-existing health conditions, including pregnancy or disability.
- Beginning 2014, most people are required to have health coverage. If they don’t, they may have to pay a fee.
- If you need help finding a plan, several kinds of help will be available to give you personalized assistance with the process.
What is the new Health Insurance Marketplace?
The Marketplace, also known as the insurance “exchange,” is a new, simple way to find health coverage that fits your budget and meets your needs. With one application, you can see all your options and enroll. You can comparison shop in an online marketplace, just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets. This tool will help you save money on your monthly premium for private health insurance and you will be able to find out if you qualify to reduce out-of-pocket costs. You can learn more about the new health insurance marketplace through live chat online or calling toll-free 24/7 at 1-800-318-2596.
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Over the last four years, we’ve cleared away the rubble from the financial crisis and begun to lay a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth. With continued solid job gains, today’s employment report is another sign of progress, but we must continue to pursue policies that move our economy forward and restore middle class security.
Five Key Points in Today’s Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
1. Private sector employment has risen for 42 consecutive months, with businesses adding a total of 7.5 million jobs over that period. Today we learned that total non-farm payroll employment rose by 169,000 in August, with the private sector accounting for 152,000 of that gain. Private sector job growth was revised down for June (to 194,000) and July (to 127,000), so that over the past three months, private sector employment has risen by an average of 158,000 per month. The monthly change is shown below.
2. The overall unemployment rate ticked down 0.1 percentage point to 7.3 percent, the lowest since December 2008, with long-term unemployment remaining elevated. Although the unemployment rate remains too high, it has been trending down steadily since late 2009. The lingering elevation in the unemployment rate primarily reflects a large number of long-term unemployed (those unemployed for more than 27 weeks), while the share of the labor force that has been unemployed for less than 27 weeks has mostly returned to its average during the 2001-07 expansion period. That's why the administration continues to push for measures to spur job creation now and put the long term unemployed back to work.
3. The economy has been consistently adding jobs at a pace of more than 2 million per year. Over the twelve months ending August 2013, total non-farm payroll employment rose by 2.2 million, similar to the gain in the year-earlier period. While the month-to-month figures can be volatile, the year-over-year changes indicate that the recovery has been durable in the face of several headwinds that have emerged in recent years. The separate household survey is more volatile month-to-month, but over a longer period, it tells the same story. When adjusted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to be comparable to the concept of employment used in the payroll measure, household employment has risen by 2.4 million over the twelve months ending August 2013.
4. CEA estimates that if state and local government employment had held steady during the recovery, the unemployment rate would currently be below 7 percent. Unlike previous recoveries in which state and local government employment- like teachers, fire fighters and first responders-- expanded, public payrolls have declined in the current recovery (see chart). During the current 42-month consecutive streak of increasing private sector employment, state and local government employment has fallen by 507,000, including the loss of 267,000 education positions.
5. The number of persons working part-time for involuntary “economic reasons” has fallen by 152,000 over the past twelve months. Budget cuts due to sequestration led to an increase of 77,000 in the number of federal government employees at work part-time for economic reasons, so the number of persons part-time for economic reasons in private sector and non-federal government positions is down by an even larger 229,000 (see chart, based on not seasonally adjusted data). Measures of part-time employment can be volatile month-to-month, but the seasonally-adjusted 334,000 drop in persons working part-time for economic reasons in August almost entirely reversed the increase over the preceding two months.
As the Administration stresses every month, the monthly employment and unemployment figures can be volatile, and payroll employment estimates can be subject to substantial revision. Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report and it is informative to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available. Nevertheless, incoming economic data broadly suggest that the recovery continues to make progress. It is therefore essential that policymakers avoid “self-inflicted wounds” that could derail the recovery and stay focused on policies that will help sustain and boost the pace of job creation.
Jason Furman is Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
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This week, the President continued to address the conflict in Syria, met with Baltic Leaders, and embarked on a three day trip to Sweden and Russia. That's August 30th to September 5th or "Stronger Together"
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President Barack Obama, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, during their bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sept. 5, 2013 . (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
This morning, President Obama met with the King and Queen of Sweden before flying to St. Petersburg for the G-20 Summit.
After arriving in St. Petersburg, President Obama held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Abe of Japan. “The U.S.-Japan alliance is one of the cornerstones not just of Japan’s and America’s security, but also a cornerstone for peace and security around the world,” President Obama said before the bilateral meeting.
Here at the G20, our primary purpose is to focus on the economy and how we can improve the world’s prospects for jobs and growth and stability. And I know that Prime Minister Abe has taken some very bold steps to boost growth and jobs and demand in Japan.
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Vice President Joe Biden ceremonially swears in Thomas Perez as Secretary of Labor, at the Department of Labor in Washington, DC, Sep. 4, 2013. Also pictured are (from left) Rafael Perez, Ann Staudenmaier, Amalia Perez, and Susana Perez. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
On Wednesday, I had the great honor to attend the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony of Secretary Tom Pérez at the Department of Labor. Secretary Pérez will undoubtedly be a fierce advocate for working men and women across America, including Latinos who comprise 15% of the labor force in the US.
During his remarks, Secretary Pérez shared his own personal story and how he has “lived the American dream.” The son of Dominican immigrants, he was raised in a modest home in Buffalo, New York. The constant encouragement from his family and mentors and an unwavering commitment to working hard ultimately led him to pay his way through college by working as a garbage collector and working at a warehouse. He attended Brown University and Harvard Law School. After earning his law degree, Secretary Pérez has had an impressive career in both elected and appointed office, most recently as Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
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President Barack Obama talks with Foreign Minister Carl Bildt of Sweden during the arrival ceremony at Stockholm-Arlanda International Airport in Sweden, Sept. 4, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
This morning, President Obama arrived in Stockholm for a brief visit ahead of the G-20 meeting that starts tomorrow in St. Petersburg. His trip marks the first-ever bilateral visit by a U.S. President to Sweden.
After an official arrival ceremony at the airport, President Obama and Prime Minister Reinfeldt held a bilateral meeting and a joint press conference.
President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt participate in a joint press conference at Rosenbad in Stockholm, Sweden, Sept. 4, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
“I’ve said before that it’s no accident that democracies are America’s closest partners. And that includes Sweden,” President Obama explained at the start of the press conference. “That’s why I’m here today.”
As free peoples, we recognize that democracy is the most effective form of government ever devised for delivering progress and opportunity and prosperity and freedom to people. And as two of the most innovative economies on Earth, we cherish that freedom that allows us to innovate and create, which is why we’re leaders in science and research and development -- those things that pioneers new industries and broaden our horizons.
We share a belief in the dignity and equality of every human being; that our daughters deserve the same opportunities as our sons; that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters must be treated equally under the law; that our societies are strengthened and not weakened by diversity. And we stand up for universal human rights, not only in America and in Europe, but beyond, because we believe that when these rights are respected, nations are more successful and our world is safer and more just.
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On Wednesday, September 4, former President Bill Clinton will speak about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act from Little Rock, Arkansas.
Update: This event has concluded. Watch the full speech below.
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September 03, 2013
02:30 PM EDTLast week, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) jointly challenged a group of over 80 top innovators from around the country to come up with ways to improve disaster response and recovery efforts. This diverse group of stakeholders, consisting of representatives from Zappos, Airbnb, Marriott International, the Parsons School of Design, AOL/Huffington Post’s Social Impact, The Weather Channel, Twitter, Topix.com, Twilio, New York City, Google and the Red Cross, to name a few, spent an entire day at the White House collaborating on ideas for tools, products, services, programs, and apps that can assist disaster survivors and communities.
This collaboration is a great example of this Administration’s commitment to convening private-sector talent and innovators to work with public servants in order to deliver better results for the American people. The event mobilized innovators from the private sector, nonprofits, artistic organizations, and Federal as well as local government agencies to develop solutions that support and integrate both public and private efforts for disaster relief. It also comes as our Nation prepares for what is usually the peak of Hurricane Season. In fact, the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Irene fell last week, and the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy is approaching.
During the “Data Jam/Think Tank,” we discussed response and recovery challenges with the participants and other Federal leaders, including Patricia Hoffman, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Energy and Dr. Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services. The participants then broke into subgroups to brainstorm innovative ideas for addressing those challenges, vote on the best ideas, and commit to implementing them. -
Today President Obama met with Congressional leaders to discuss the situation in Syria.
“We have high confidence that Syria used, in an indiscriminate fashion, chemical weapons that killed thousands of people, including over 400 children, and in direct violation of the international norm against using chemical weapons,” President Obama explained. “That poses a serious national security threat to the United States and to the region, and as a consequence, Assad and Syria needs to be held accountable.”
I've made a decision that America should take action. But I also believe that we will be much more effective, we will be stronger, if we take action together as one nation. And so this gives us an opportunity not only to present the evidence to all of the leading members of Congress and their various foreign policy committees as to why we have high confidence that chemical weapons were used and that Assad used them, but it also gives us an opportunity to discuss why it's so important that he be held to account.
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Labor Day is a day that belongs to you, the working men and women of America. It's a day when we recommit ourselves to the idea that everyone who works hard in this country has a chance to get ahead. This Labor Day, take a moment to watch the President talk about why the celebration of this holiday is so important and how he's fighting for a better bargain for the middle class.
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August 31, 2013
03:56 PM EDT
President Barack Obama makes a statement on the situation in Syria, with Vice President Joe Biden, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Aug. 31, 2013. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
Just now, President Obama laid out the case for a targeted military action against Syrian regime targets as a result of their use of chemical weapons that killed over one thousand people--including hundreds of children. The President also made clear that this would not be an open-ended intervention, and there will be no American troops on the ground.
While the President was clear on the need for action, he announced he would seek Congressional authorization for the use of force.
Watch the President's statement now in his own words or read a transcript of his remarks:
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President Obama discusses Labor Day and reflects on the contributions of the working men and women in our country.
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August 30, 2013
07:00 PM EDT50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: On Wednesday, President Obama spoke from the Lincoln Memorial at the “Let Freedom Ring” Ceremony, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. President Obama was joined by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, along with members of the King family, civil rights leaders and other dignitaries. Thousands converged from across the country to join in this historic event. In his remarks, President Obama honored the heroes that marched in 1963, but stressed that while the nation has come far in the past fifty years, there is still work to be done.
But we would dishonor those heroes as well to suggest that the work of this nation is somehow complete. The arc of the moral universe may bend towards justice, but it doesn’t bend on its own. To secure the gains this country has made requires constant vigilance, not complacency.
In recognition of the historic March on Washington, Administration officials wrote blog posts reflecting what the civil rights movement meant for the country, the urgency of continuing that march, and what lies ahead.
For more information, check out six videos that capture our favorite moments of the President with icons of the Civil Rights Movement.
“The Powerbroker” Screening: A day before the President spoke at the Lincoln Memorial, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a screening of “The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights,” a documentary detailing the life and achievements of the civil rights leader. The First Lady also spoke to a group of students who attended the screening.
The thing I want you all to remember, as you watch this film, is that we are here because of that struggle. I'm here because of that struggle. And even though you may think you have some struggles, your paths are a whole lot easier because of the work these men and women did.
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Earlier this week, as part of a series of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, I attended the White House Ladders of Opportunity Forum. As I responded to questions about inequality, housing, jobs, and a host of other issues that affect the middle class and those striving to reach the middle class, I got a couple of questions that come up frequently in the course of my work. The first question was about how the current immigration debate affects these economic issues. And the second was from an African immigrant wondering what a new immigration law might mean for her.
There’s a reason that President Obama describes immigration reform as an economic imperative, and now that the Senate has passed a bill with a strong bipartisan vote, we can actually measure what the economic impact of this bill will be. The numbers are impressive: the Senate-passed immigration bill would:
- Strengthen the overall economy and grow U.S. GDP by 3.3 percent in 2023 and 5.4 percent in 2033 – an increase of roughly $700 billion in 2023 and $1.4 trillion in 2033 in today’s dollars.
- Increase real wages by 0.5 percent in 2033 relative to current law – the equivalent of about an annual $250 increase today for a median household.
- Reduce the federal deficit by nearly $850 billion over the next 20 years.
It’s clear that immigration reform fits squarely in the President’s agenda to make sure that policymakers in Washington do everything they can to build a better bargain for the middle class, growing our economy in a way that ensures that we all benefit.
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President Barack Obama, with Vice President Joe Biden, delivers a statement to the press before meeting with Baltic Leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Aug. 30, 2013. The meeting included, from left, Latvia President Andris Běrzinš, Estonia President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, and Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaite. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
Today, President Obama hosted Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, and Latvian President Andris Bērziņš for a meeting at the White House.
The visit underscored the close ties between the United States and the Baltic states, which are grounded in our shared values, ideals, and interests. The leaders highlighted ongoing cooperation on issues including defense and security, trade and investment, energy and the environment, and global development.
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In September 2009, the President announced that—for the first time in history—White House visitor records would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in May 2013. This release brings the total number of records made public by this White House to more than 3.34 million—all of which can be viewed in our Disclosures section.
Ed. note: For more information, check out Ethics.gov.
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Ed. note: This is crossposted from Work in Progress, the official blog of the Department of Labor. See the original post here. Learn more about the history of Labor Day, and the history of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Labor Day 2013 is special. This year marks the centennial of the U.S. Department of Labor – 100 years of working for America’s workers. And this past week, our nation reaffirmed the ideals of the 1963 March on Washington. This transformational event, exactly 50 years ago, was just as much about labor rights as it was about civil rights.
For me, just like so many others then and now, these two movements are inextricably intertwined, their interests converging time and time again, their goals united in creating opportunity for all.
For a guy like me who grew up in an immigrant family from Buffalo, the past few days have been pretty heady. At the Lincoln Memorial Wednesday, I couldn’t help but wonder if The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. ever imagined that half a century after he stood on these steps, another African-American man would stand there – as president?
For a moment, I celebrated how far we have come. And then I remembered that we also have a long journey still to complete.
I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on at the Labor Department 50 years ago. What was my predecessor doing and thinking, as the March on Washington began right outside his office windows, and on the eve of Labor Day 1963?
Well, it turns out, President Kennedy’s labor secretary, Willard Wirtz, was in the thick of it. Immediately after the march, Wirtz joined Kennedy and Vice President Johnson at an Oval Office meeting with Dr. King and other march leaders. A few days later, over Labor Day weekend, Wirtz was asked on a Sunday news talk show what was “most urgently on the minds” of the marchers. He replied: “Equality of opportunity in general, but the necessity particularly of equality of opportunity for work.”
Opportunity. Then and now, it’s about opportunity.
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This week, the President hit the road for a College Affordability bus tour in New York and Pennsylvania, conferred the medal of honor for conspicuous gallantry, and reflected on what the Civil Rights Movement has meant for the country on the anniversary of the March on Washington 50 years ago, at the Let Freedom Ring ceremony on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
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