Publications
The Hamilton Project produces and commissions policy proposals and analyses to promote broad-based economic growth by embracing a significant role for well-designed government policies and public investment.
Economic Facts
Seven economic facts about prime-age labor force participation
This set of economic facts takes stock of the labor market through May 2025, paying particular attention to prime-age labor force participation.
Employment & Wages
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Posts
Proposed SNAP cuts would permanently undermine recession readiness and responsiveness
Economic Security & Inequality
Social Insurance
Tax Policy & Budget
Posts
Will the reconciliation bill’s Child Tax Credit changes leave out children in low-income working families?
Economic Security & Inequality
Tax Policy & Budget
Posts
Work requirements penalize workers in volatile occupations
Employment & Wages
Social Insurance
Tax Policy & Budget
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Have workers gotten a raise?
A comprehensive evaluation of real pay changes since the pandemic looks at pay measures, inflation effects, and the distributional breakdown.
A primer on SNAP work requirements (2023)
An explainer on work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) summarizes the research on…
The coming end of federal child care funding threatens working mothers’ gains
Women have made impressive gains in the labor market, but if Congress fails to allocate additional funding for the sector, work will be more difficult for mill…
Prime-age women are going above and beyond in the labor market recovery
The greatest contributors to the post-pandemic rebound in labor force participation are prime-age women–remarkably, those with young children.
Deteriorating household finances will not support strong spending
An analysis of household finances finds that Americans face a financial choice: slow down their spending or take on more debt.
Who’s missing from the post-pandemic labor force?
An analysis backcasts census population revision in order to create a more informative point of comparison for the current size of the workforce and labor forc…
The labor market needs to soften—but not as much as some think
Two measures suggest different gaps between the current strength in the labor market and what a more sustainable level would be. This analysis finds that the r…
A closer look at a hot labor market
This analysis uses JOLTS data to determine the degree to which firms that are looking to hire a significant number of workers can or cannot expand employment.
