Wonkbook: The two reasons it really is harder to get a job than it used to be

By Jeff Guo It used to be that jobs returned swiftly after a recession. But since the 1990s, the labor market seems to have lost much of its natural buoyancy. The last three downturns all caused extended periods of underemployment. Years after economic output had fully rebounded, there were still fewer people at work. Economists …   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   Jordan Mills, from Lithonia, waits for the job fair to open on Oct. 19, in Atlanta. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) By Jeff Guo It used to be that jobs returned swiftly after a recession. But since the 1990s, the labor market seems to have lost much of its natural buoyancy. The last three downturns all caused extended periods of underemployment. Years after economic output had fully rebounded, there were still fewer people at work. Economists have struggled to explain the forces behind these so-called "jobless" recoveries. A popular view is that recessions are times when companies clean house and find ways to become more efficient. In recent decades, that has often meant replacing employees with computers. This could explain why the jobs we lose in a recession don't seem to return anymore: The positions became obsolete. New evidence says there might be another reason for these stubborn spells of low employment. Read the rest on Wonkblog.   Map of the day Guns seized by police in Chicago come from all over the Midwest and as far away as Texas and Mississippi. Max Ehrenfreund has more. ADVERTISEMENT     Number of the day 2.9 percent. That was the annualized rate of economic expansion in the United States last quarter, according to federal data released Friday. It is the fastest pace in two years. Ana Swanson has more.   Top policy tweets Lack of women in #economics - interesting paper and chart - Imbalance seems to start at undergrad, not PhD. https://t.co/7AY6ZKnHak pic.twitter.com/jXlz4hv9AZ — Richard Davies (@RD_Economist) October 28, 2016 "This is about as blatant a violation of the federal Fair Housing Act as one can find." https://t.co/OERrx5Z4Xj — Ned Resnikoff (@resnikoff) October 28, 2016 Liberals are preparing blacklists of appointees they want Clinton to avoid https://t.co/QgNhbZMJEB — Ylan Q. Mui (@ylanmui) October 28, 2016 Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog What Donald Trump gets wrong about gun violence Chicago is a favorite example for opponents of gun rights. The city's full story is a little more complicated. By Max Ehrenfreund  •  Read more »   Why the Industrial Revolution didn’t happen in China What really sparked the world's incredible revolution in wealth. By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   Child care isn’t just expensive. It’s hard to find. In Chicago, 5 out of 6 kids live in a 'child-care desert.' By Danielle Paquette  •  Read more »   The two reasons it really is harder to get a job than it used to be It used to be pretty easy for most people in America to get a job. But no longer. By Jeff Guo  •  Read more »   How to gerrymander your way to a huge election victory Stunning maps illustrate how politicians choose their voters rather than the other way around. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   U.S. economy surges to strongest growth in two years The U.S. economy grew at its strongest pace in two years in the third quarter, according to government data released Friday morning. By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   Why you shouldn’t get too worked up about early-voting numbers The author of a deep dive into Donald Trump's turnout operation explains how the nominee is reaching out to voters — and why early returns might not show whether he's succeeding. By Jim Tankersley  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   This is definitely the strangest part of Trump’s ‘new deal for black America’ In a speech on urban renewal, Donald Trump called for legally designating some impoverished neighborhoods as "disaster" areas. By Max Ehrenfreund  •  Read more »   Donald Trump believes the United States can get $1 trillion in new roads — for free The GOP presidential nominee's advisers say his infrastructure plan would pay for itself. By Jim Tankersley  •  Read more »   The marijuana industry created more than 18,000 new jobs in Colorado last year It also generated $2.4 billion in economic activity for the state, according to a first-of-its-kind study. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »           Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071