The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic crisis have highlighted how reliant the U.S. economy is on the web of global supply chains for manufactured goods. The decades-long decline of U.S. manufacturing meant that disruptions to the global market for semiconductors and other critical industrial goods led to acute shortages and higher prices for American families. Countering these damaging trends will require historic investments in American manufacturing, infrastructure and innovation.

Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases national and state-level data on U.S. employment, which provide useful information about the state of the labor market and progress toward building back better.

Social mobility, or the ability for an individual or group to improve their standing in society, has been faltering for decades as a result of declining public investment and rising inequality. Policy areas that are crucial for encouraging upward social mobility include childhood education and wellbeing, affordable housing, education and workforce development. However, in recent decades economic policy has not invested in these items that help those at the bottom and has instead focused on tax cuts for those at the top. Investing in key areas will have long-term positive impacts on social mobility and continue the American tradition of creating a better life through hard work.