Betsey Stevenson
Labour economist and former US Council of Economic Advisers member.
Betsey Stevenson said on 23 July that fewer than one in three unemployed Americans can file for jobless benefits at all, as the University of Michigan economist and former Labor Department chief economist questioned a 57-year-low claims figure.
Last refreshed: 27 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Betsey Stevenson
Jobless claims hit a 57-year low
AI: Jobs, Power & MoneyBackground
Betsey Stevenson is a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan.
She previously served as chief economist at the US Department of Labor from 2010 to 2011 and as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2013 to 2015, giving her direct experience with how federal labour statistics are compiled and used in policy.
That background informed her July 2026 assessment that record-low jobless claims mask a labour market where relatively few people are hired or fired, making it especially difficult for anyone trying to enter or re-enter work.
She says most jobless can't claim
Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan and a former chief economist at the US Department of Labor, said on 23 July 2026 that fewer than one in three unemployed Americans can file for benefits at all.
She said 'a low-hire-low-fire environment is particularly hard for people to enter or re-enter the labor market', framing the record-low claims figure as a sign of a stuck labour market rather than a healthy one.
How many unemployed Americans can claim jobless benefits?
Who is Betsey Stevenson?
Why is a low-hire, low-fire labour market hard on jobseekers?
