Groundwork’s Director of Policy and Research Mike Mitchell Reacts to February Jobs Report

Groundwork’s Director of Policy and Research Mike Mitchell Reacts to February Jobs Report

Following the release of February’s Jobs Report today, Mike Mitchell, director of policy and research at Groundwork Collaborative, released the following statement:

“Today’s job numbers demonstrate that smart, sustained investments in people and families are critical to building a healthy, resilient economy for all. This is especially urgent for Black and brown workers who continue to be left behind in our recovery.

“President Biden’s State of the Union Address made it clear: Our government can and must do more to continue our economic comeback and ensure our economy is working for all of us.”

To speak to economic justice expert Mike Mitchell about the February Jobs Report, email press@groundworkcollaborative.org.

Background

• The American Rescue Plan is proof of the critical role of public investment in our economy. The American Rescue Plan stabilized our economy and helped people weather current crises by extending unemployment insurance, cutting child poverty in half through the Child Tax Credit, and providing direct relief to people who need it most.
• But a full economic recovery cannot be achieved without additional public investment. We can build on the success of our recovery thus far by pushing forward significant, long-term, economically-sound investments – in clean energy, housing, child care, and more – that will tackle the deep and long-running inequities in our economy head on.
• Lawmakers should use this moment as an opportunity to address persistent racial and gender disparities in the labor force. The unemployment rates for Black men and women are still roughly double the rates for white men and women, with unemployment for Black women ticking up from 5.8 percent to 6.1 percent last month. As long as those who have always been left behind in recovery periods continue to struggle, we cannot take our foot off the accelerator.
• Sustaining strong economic growth will also depend on prioritizing caregiving needs in the face of an ongoing public health crisis. Recent research shows that low-income families lost both child care and income at disproportionately high rates during this winter’s COVID-19 surge. Ensuring working caregivers can access the support they need is essential to securing our economic health for generations to come.
• Our economy only works when it works for all of us. Workers and families are depending on policymakers to deliver. Because people are the economy — not the markets, not headline measures like GDP, and certainly not the national debt.