Wednesday’s business headlines
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Here’s a look at Wednesday’s business headlines with Jane King.
Inflation forcing 25% of Americans to delay retirement
Americans’ finances are being squeezed as inflation pushes up prices on things such as rent, groceries, and gasoline.
As a result, one-quarter of Americans will have to delay their retirement, according to the BMO Real Financial Progress Index.
Teen unemployment rate at 10.2% in April
The unemployment rate for teenagers aged 16 to 19 fell to just 10.2% in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That’s just short of the 9.6% rate seen in May 2021, which itself was a 68-year low.
Economists say the tight labor market is a key factor drawing in more teenage workers than ever before.
Virginia Target employees working to unionize
Target workers in Virginia who are seeking to unionize filed unfair labor practice charges against the retailer for allegedly “creating a climate of fear and anxiety for workers.”
The alleged tactics started just days after the group attempted to file a petition to hold a union election with the National Labor Relations Board on May 10, according to the organizers.
Target told Fox Business it respects all employees and denies the accusation.
College enrollment falls 4.7% in the spring
Enrollment in colleges and universities fell across the U.S. this spring, worsening an ongoing crisis that many had thought would show signs of rebound by now.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center says 662,000 fewer students enrolled in undergraduate programs in spring 2022 than the previous spring — a drop of 4.7%
The enrollment data comes as a growing number of high schoolers and their families begin considering alternatives to higher education due to the high cost and limited earning potential for some college majors.
Movie theaters are afraid of running out of popcorn
The Wall Street Journal reports farmers have switched to crops that pay higher than popcorn does.
That likely won’t spell trouble immediate trouble for movie theaters, but it could cause trouble later this year, just in time for the busy holiday movie season, logistics experts say. A trucker shortage has also delayed popcorn shipments.