The level of employment has a direct effect on people's well-being and the government's finances. When employment is higher, incomes and federal revenues are higher, while federal outlays for income support programs are lower. CBO analyzes the causes and consequences of unemployment, the effects of the unemployment insurance program, the impact of various policy proposals that might affect employment, and other issues concerning labor markets such as people's participation in the labor force.
Employment and Labor Markets
featured work
Unemployment Insurance in the Wake of the Recent RecessionNov 2012 - Between 2007 and 2010, unemployment benefits expanded nearly five-fold owing to high unemployment due to the weak economy, and decisions by policymakers to increase the number of weeks for which eligible unemployed workers could receive benefits.
Small Firms, Employment, and Federal PolicyMar 2012 - Small firms, widely believed to promote job growth, both create and eliminate jobs at higher rates than large firms do. Although small firms account for a disproportionate share of net job growth, that greater growth is driven primarily by new small firms.
Understanding and Responding to Persistently High UnemploymentFeb 2012 - The rate of unemployment in the United States has exceeded 8 percent since February 2009, and CBO projects that it will remain above 8 percent until 2014.
Comparing the Compensation of Federal and Private-Sector EmployeesJan 2012 - This analysis focuses on wages, benefits, and total compensation between 2005 and 2010.
latest work
S. 815, Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013
cost estimateSeptember 11, 2013H.R. 2052, Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2013
cost estimateJuly 24, 2013Modeling Individual Earnings in CBO’s Long-Term Microsimulation Model: Working Paper 2013-04
working paperJune 4, 2013Unemployment Compensation and Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers
data or technical informationMay 17, 2013Unemployment Compensation—May 2013 Baseline
data or technical informationMay 14, 2013The Unemployment Insurance System
blog postApril 1, 2013Unemployment Insurance in 2013 and Beyond
presentationApril 1, 2013U.S. Economic Performance
blog postMarch 21, 2013
Use this menu to filter CBO's publications by topic. From January 2011 forward, all the agency's products are categorized by topic. Cost estimates released prior to the 112th Congress are not categorized by topic.