2022 was not a great year for crypto. It started with a bang as crypto ads went mainstream in the Super Bowl. And then the year ended with an implosion. Crypto hacks piled on scandals and sliding valuations, one company fell and then another, culminating with the spectacular collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who is now under investigation for fraud. So will this crypto winter start to thaw in 2023 or head into deep freeze? Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with crypto journalist and host of the “Unchained” podcast, Laura Shin, about what she thinks is in store for the industry this year.

On New Year’s Day, 23 states raised their minimum wage, benefiting an estimated 8 million workers. But pay scales have already been rising in a tight labor market. Today, a look at where minimum wages stand in a job market that economists expect to weaken. Also on the show: Small business layoffs tick up, social media shifts how we spend and a Louisiana town elevates homes to evade flooding.

Now that the holidays are over, many people are going to be returning gifts and other items that didn’t quite fit the bill. But for many online retailers, accepting and processing returns is costly and undercuts profits. We take a look at what makes the process so expensive. Plus, Twitter is reversing course on its policy of disallowing political advertising. And, we ask Chris Farrell what the pandemic may have taught employers about supporting workers’ mental health.

From the BBC World Service: Pakistan’s economy appears to be teetering on the brink. Inflation is at almost 25%, its debts continue to spiral and the country is running out of foreign currency. Now the government has taken drastic measures to try and save cash. Markets, shops, wedding halls and restaurants will have to close early every evening to conserve energy. We get the view from business. Plus, there’s been more disruption in Bolivia’s economic heartland. And, women’s cricket in India is coming of age with pay parity and lucrative commercial deals.

Southwest is trying to put this holiday’s flight cancellation disaster behind it, but it may be facing a new obstacle: legal trouble. A passenger is suing over the compensation provided by the airline. We delve into the lawsuit and what it could mean for the beleaguered carrier. And, a look at why Chinese companies listed on American stock exchanges are opening themselves to inspection by U.S. regulators.

Deep inside a mountain, a full day’s hike from any road, in a dry, deserted part of West Texas, a foundation funded by Jeff Bezos is building a giant clock that’s hundreds of feet tall. It’s been called the Millennium Clock, the 10,000 Year Clock and the Clock of the Long Now. Like the Pyramids, Stonehenge and the Colosseum, its makers hope it will outlast our civilization and tick for 10 millennia. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Alexander Rose, executive director of the Long Now Foundation, which has been building the roughly $40 million prototype of the clock in Texas.

Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some favorite episodes from 2021. We want to say a big thank-you for being part of the “Make Me Smart” family this year — every voicemail, question and donation made a huge difference. None of us is as smart as all of us, and we couldn’t do this show without you. There’s still time to help Marketplace reach its end-of-year fundraising goal. If you can, please donate here. Thanks, happy holidays and we’ll see you in the new year.

Labor organizing looks a lot different today.

The workplaces are different compared to decades ago. Think less industrial factories with thousands of workers and more Starbucks, REI and Trader Joe’s with bargaining units of a couple of dozen employees, all organizing one location at a time.

“On one hand, it could be easier because you’ve got a smaller group of people to be making the demands. But then you have this challenge of power … it’s hard when you’re looking at a massive corporation, but you’re organizing it piece by piece,” said Sarah Jaffe, labor journalist and co-host of the podcast “Belabored.”

The AFL-CIO’s goal is to unionize 1 million workers in the next decade. Could organizing smaller workplaces be the path toward reversing decades of declining union membership?

On the show today, what labor organizing looks like in the modern economy, why it’s different from what we saw in the past and what it means for the workplace of 2022 and beyond.

In the News Fix, the wild story of an Olympic athlete and what it says about modern-day slavery. Plus, we’ll tell you about an airport to avoid if you’re traveling this summer. Later, we’ll hear from listeners about deep sighs and coupons, and we’ll make you smart about flapjacks!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Got a question for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Or leave us a voice message at (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.

A tight labor market is always a positive thing, right? While it can be good for wages, those unfilled jobs can limit productivity and economic growth. Today, a look at the risks of an economy with missing parts. Then, what’s in store for Big Oil after a profitable year, why demand for cars is softening and what’s behind Gen Z’s proudly pro-union stance.

New reports from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found that employers are continuing to raise wages in a tight labor market. Inflation, however, is complicating matters. Also, a look at why the frequency of corporate dealmaking, which includes IPOs and mergers, slowed in 2022. And, we sat down with Dina Temple-Raston, host of the podcast “Click Here,” to talk about the rise of ransomware and malware attacks last year.

General Electric, one of the nation’s most recognizable industrial firms, is spinning off its health care business into a separate company. We delve into the latest move by the ailing conglomerate, which has spun off multiple businesses since the Great Recession. Also, we sat down with both the CEO and the president of Charge Enterprises, a company that’s one of the players in the growing electric vehicle charging industry.