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The economy is growing, with GDP up 6.4% in the first quarter. But that’s cold comfort to the unemployed. The Labor Department says first-time jobless claims are still much higher than pre-pandemic levels. We look into what’s going on and sift through some of the more confusing facts. We also examine the concept of the four-day workweek, the challenges businesses face training legions of new employees and whether Congress is poised to regulate Big Tech.

The FAA’s $8 billion in grants is designed to help airports recover from the lingering effects of the pandemic. Will it? Also, we talk about heading back to the theaters as summer movie season gets underway, prognostications about GDP growth and how even house flippers are being priced out of the market.

By the time you read this, there’s a chance someone you know has already mentioned Amazon’s Prime Day. Perhaps they even wished you a “happy” Prime Day. Amazon’s signature day of sales has transformed into its own kind of epic spending event, much like Black Friday. However, what does this retail surge mean for supply chains already bearing the burden of booming consumer demand? Also in this episode, we explore supply chain shortages even further, the factors involved in a racial disparity in access to unemployment benefits, a picture of the coffee business in China and low vaccination rates among autoworkers in some parts of the United States.

We know now that it’s pretty rare for COVID-19 to spread through surfaces, and most Americans are at least partly vaccinated anyway, but that hasn’t stopped businesses from cleaning like they were last March. On today’s show, we’ll look at what that level of hygiene costs businesses — and why they’re still doing it. Plus, more on inflation and wages, along with a live wrap-up of the biggest news of the week.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said yesterday that the Fed is seeing some inflation — but it’s likely transitory inflation caused by, in part, the uneven reopening of the economy. But if you’ve been tuned in to the news lately, you know inflation is a big story. So what do consumers make of prices shooting up but the Fed taking no action? On today’s show: How consumers are making sense of all this inflation talk. Also on the program: One study says automation is to blame for stagnating wages, how it works when a company’s CEO is also chairman of the board and how a Los Angeles taqueria pivoted to survive the pandemic.

We’ve spent every month since the start of this pandemic picking apart jobs numbers and unemployment claims. But there’s a lot happening in the labor force that isn’t captured in that data — like the toll long-term unemployment can take on those looking for work. A recent Pew survey says about half of unemployed adults in the U.S. are pessimistic about future employment and more than half have experienced mental health issues like anxiety or depression. On today’s show: We look at how these factors can create a less predictable back-to-work economy. Also on the program: What’s driving the housing shortage, how New Yorkers feel about COVID-19 restrictions lifting, and how the pandemic changed economic forecasting.

Businesses have been having a hard time finding people to hire, even though millions of Americans are still out of work. It seems like quite the conundrum. But that’s because half the story is left out, said Barry Ritholtz, chairman of Ritholtz Wealth Management. “Whenever I hear people say, ‘We can’t hire people,’ they’re leaving out half of the question, which is ‘at these wages,'” he said. On today’s show: How the pandemic changed the labor market. Also on the program: why retail sales are down, about that U.S.-EU truce on airplane subsidies and what lowering the Medicare eligibility age would mean for American health care.

Federal Reserve officials have some new inflation data to chew on before they head into a two-day meeting on interest rates tomorrow. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a consumer survey today that says consumers are expecting inflation above the Fed’s target of 2% over the next several years. On the show today: How inflation can be a self-fulfilling prophecy and why that makes it hard to set policy around it. Also on the program: Why restaurants say they need more financial aid, more companies are investing in cyber insurance, and Canada’s agricultural worker program is under scrutiny amid the pandemic.

The University of Michigan’s preliminary June consumer sentiment numbers came out today, and although Americans are a little more confident in the economy and the recovery than they were in May, they’re still worried about inflation and the rising prices of things like cars and homes. Does that change how people spend their money? We also take a look at how consumer demand changes when products are scarce due to supply chain shortages. Also on the show today: Some British executives are getting bonuses for good behavior, and whether the pandemic could change Americans’ attitudes when it comes to taking vacations.

Consumer prices rose a little over half a percent in May. Over the last year, prices are up 5% — the biggest 12-month increase since August of 2008. It’s unclear so far whether the price hikes we’re seeing are a short-term story or a long one. On today’s show, we look at what makes inflation so worrying. Also on the program: Why 5 million Americans are still receiving extended federal unemployment benefits, a look at the economic challenges of ramping up wind energy production, and a conversation about the Biden administration’s debt relief for Black farmers.