Why This Economist Says Immigration Crackdown is Reshaping U.S. Job Growth

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In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-hosts Miriam Gottfried and Telis Demos take off with a conversation on airlines. Alaska, Southwest, United and American are all reporting this upcoming week. Telis and Miriam get into how these carriers are dealing with skyrocketing fuel prices. Plus, they explore why luxury giants like LVMH and Kering are cooling even as the S&P 500 clears the 7,000 mark. They also talk about the mounting political drama surrounding the nomination of Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve. After the break, Miriam and Telis are joined by Wendy Edelberg, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank to get into how an immigration crackdown may explain why the U.S. jobs numbers have been so volatile. Edelberg explains why traditional job growth numbers are no longer a reliable gauge of economic health and why a "breakeven" rate of zero jobs might actually signal a strong market under the current immigration policy shift, and how the U.S. labor market is becoming like Japan’s. Finally, she offers some insight on why the Fed may need to rethink its calculus on interest rates as job growth potentially turns negative. This is WSJ’s Take On the Week where co-hosts Telis Demos, Heard on the Street’s banking and money columnist, and Miriam Gottfried, WSJ’s investing and wealth management reporter, cut through the noise and dive into markets, the economy and finance—the big trades, key players and business news ahead. Have an idea for a future guest or episode? How can we better help you take on the week? We’d love to hear from you. Email the show at takeontheweek@wsj.com. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com Further Reading Spirit’s Bankruptcy Exit in Flux as Jet Fuel Prices Surge Delta’s Ace in the Hole for Surging Jet Fuel Costs: Its Own Refinery How Airline Passengers Are Being Hit by the Jet-Fuel Crunch Facing Soaring Fuel Costs, Delta Tells Customers to Plan