Initial claims for unemployment insurance have dropped near their pre-recession average
Private consumption and residential investment are picking up
The energy-related spike in inflation is projected to fade away
Fiscal deficits are large
Federal budget balances and debt held by the public under various consolidation scenarios
The unemployment rate has fallen substantially but is still high
Demographic changes will continue to push down labour force participation
The duration of unemployment has risen dramatically
Hourly compensation has lagged behind the gains in labour productivity
US tertiary attainment rates have stagnated in recent decades
Income inequality has increased to a high level
The US tax system is effective in reducing inequality by OECD standards; but not the transfer system
A significant part of the income of the wealthy comes from capital, 2011
The tax-and-transfer system reduces poverty less than in other OECD countries
Multifactor productivity growth has slowed since the 1970s
R&D spending and patent activity are slipping in global rankings but remain high
The share of high- and medium-to-high tech manufacturing in total manufacturing value added in the United States ranks around the middle of OECD countries' shares (2009)
The number of STEM graduates in relation to total employment of persons aged 25-34 is relatively low in the United States (2009)
STEM workers receive a significant earnings premium over other workers with the same level of education
Seed/start-up financing has diminished
The unemployment rate has fallen substantially but is still high (graph)
Broader measures of labour inactivity show additional weakness
Unemployment has fallen more slowly than in previous recoveries
Unemployment rates for some groups are still extremely high
The duration of unemployment duration has risen dramatically
The relationship between job vacancies and unemployment changes in severe recessions
US long-duration unemployment has surged and is now close to the level in many OECD countries
Spending on active labour programmes remains low
Demographic changes will continue to push down labour force participation: Actual and projected participation rate, age 16 and over
Hourly compensation has lagged behind the gains in labour productivity: Index base 1947 = 100
Earnings data by gender and educational attainment show a similar pattern of stagnant or declining earnings for most categories
Disability rolls continue to trend up in the United States
Disability enrolments in the Netherlands dropped noticeably following reforms
Multifactor productivity growth has slowed since the 1970s (graph)
US government budget allocations for R&D have fluctuated in recent decades
US government R&D spending is high by international comparison
The shares of defence and health in government R&D budget allocations are high in the United States, 2010
The tax subsidy for business R&D is low in the United States by international comparison
US research universities are world leaders in most research fields
The share of manufacturing in total value added has been declining in the United States and other OECD countries
The share of high- and medium-to-high tech manufacturing in total manufacturing value added in the United States ranks around the middle of OECD countries' shares
The US trade balance in advanced technology products has deteriorated over the past decade
US tertiary education attainment rates have stagnated in recent decades
The college/high school wage premium has increased sharply since 1980, reversing earlier declines
STEM workers receive a significant earnings premium over other workers with the same level of education: Private wage and salary, workers aged 25 and over
The contribution of the allocation of employment across firms to aggregate labour productivity is higher in the United States than in other OECD countries
Start-up employment has declined as a share of total employment
Seed/start-up financing has diminished: Per cent of GDP