Aaron Sojourner
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Aaron Sojourner
@aaronsojourner.org
30K followers 7.3K following 15K posts

Labor econ @upjohninstitute.bsky.social & @IZA.org. Formerly senior economist for labor at White House CEA, UMinn prof, union organizer, bike courier, house painter, dishwasher... Minneapolis. Views mine.

aaronsojourner.org

Be kind • Work hard • Have fun .. more

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Aaron Sojourner is an American economist and senior researcher at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. He was formerly an associate professor of economics at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and senior economist for the Council of Economic Advisers. His work has been widely covered by the media, particularly on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market in the United States. .. more

Economics 31%
Education 27%
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Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · Sep 11
For Bluesky-Curious Econ Lovers, a Quick Start guide to plugging into the economics community here.

It aims to lower the costs & boost the benefits for folks to engage here.

If it seems useful, please share it here & especially on X.
📉📈 #️⃣#️⃣
aaronsojourner.org/for-bluesky-...
For Bluesky-Curious Econ Lovers - Aaron Sojourner
This Quick Start guide aims to help econ lovers easily join Bluesky’s growing economics community. The Bluesky User FAQ covers generic basics, like how to start an account. This guide orients you to e...
aaronsojourner.org

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 2h
What are the downsides with them?

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner

fightforaunion.bsky.social
Fight For A Union @fightforaunion.bsky.social · 3h
Welcome to the Divided States of Oligarchy

Elon Musk Wealth
2012: $2 billion
2026: $852 billion

Jeff Bezos Wealth
2012: $18 billion
2026: $265 billion

Mark Zuckerberg Wealth
2012: $44 billion
2026: $249 billion

Federal Minimum Wage
2009: $7.25 an hour
2026: $7.25 an hour

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner

ddayen.bsky.social
David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 3h
I am pretty used to corporate self-interest, but even I'm shocked by what Ellen Ioanes dug up about the Board of Peace and its designs in Gaza.
prospect.org/2026/02/09/b...
Board of Peace Is a Board of Profits - The American Prospect
Corporate interests dominate the organization planning the reconstruction of Gaza.
prospect.org

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 3h
The world will respect the USA like never before (very little).

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 3h
Congress should act to categorically exempt statistical agency staff from this schedule.

Statistical agencies by definition do not set policy.

Their only power and purpose is collecting data & publishing credible, informative stats. Without political independence, they can't do this.

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 3h
"The newly finalized Schedule Career/Policy could place political pressure on workers in the BLS if they’re determined to fall under the 'policy-influencing' category, according to Sojourner and the ASA report."
news.bloombergtax.com/delaware-bri...
Sojourner said the BLS has so far retained its integrity, despite Trump’s overtures. “The president has demonstrated very clearly his desire to influence inappropriately the statistics that come out of the agency when he fired the commissioner,” he said. “It’s a very legitimate concern but I don’t think it’s a reality right now.” The newly finalized Schedule Career/Policy could place political pressure on workers in the BLS if they’re determined to fall under the “policy-influencing” category, according to Sojourner and the ASA report.

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 3h
In sterling!
carlquintanilla.bsky.social Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 4h
(Bloomberg) -- Alphabet Inc. plans to sell a very rare 100-year bond as part of its mega debt issue, in the first sale of such long-dated debt by a technology firm since the late 1990s. The 100-year bond will be denominated in sterling, .. according to a person familiar with the matter.

#$GOOGL

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Aaron Sojourner

carlquintanilla.bsky.social
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 4h
(Bloomberg) -- Alphabet Inc. plans to sell a very rare 100-year bond as part of its mega debt issue, in the first sale of such long-dated debt by a technology firm since the late 1990s. The 100-year bond will be denominated in sterling, .. according to a person familiar with the matter.

#$GOOGL

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 4h
Yes, important to name that there is a group of winners from this politics/policy.

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 4h
This just waste and loss. Nothing good comes of it. Just a lot of misery, coercion, and cost.

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 4h
When you miss an entire month of data collection for the first time in 77 years (934 consecutive months).
bsky.app/profile/econ...
econreporter.bsky.social EconReporter @econreporter.bsky.social · 4h
With the next jobs report coming, give a thought to the Labor force status flows data...

BLS ain't able to publish them in the previous two reports

www.bls.gov/web/empsit/c...

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 4h
Some other resources that may be useful
bsky.app/profile/aaro...
aaronsojourner.org Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 12d
Tragic but critical: resources for talking with kids during these traumatic times.
ibsweb.colorado.edu/crw/resource...
Providing Support When Challenging Things Happen: Talking to Children and Teens The resources below, developed by CRW, offers guidance for adults who surround youth to support them in conversation when violent and scary things happen in the world. Click the resources below to learn more about talking with children and teens. Tips for Talking to Youth About Scary Events Tips for Talking to Youth Scary Events (Spanish) Tips for Talking to Teens About Violence Tip for Talking to Teens About Violence (Spanish) Tips for Talking to Students About Violence Tips for Talking to College Students Helping Children Cope With Frightening News (From Child Mind Institute)

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 4h
Yeah
cepr.org/voxeu/column...
US tariffs are an arbitrary and regressive tax
Tariffs – taxes on imported goods – likely impose a heavier burden on lower-income households, as these households generally spend more on traded goods as a share of expenditure/income and because of ...
cepr.org

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner

econreporter.bsky.social
EconReporter @econreporter.bsky.social · 4h
With the next jobs report coming, give a thought to the Labor force status flows data...

BLS ain't able to publish them in the previous two reports

www.bls.gov/web/empsit/c...

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 4h
bsky.app/profile/aaro...
aaronsojourner.org Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 12d
Tragic but critical: resources for talking with kids during these traumatic times.
ibsweb.colorado.edu/crw/resource...
Providing Support When Challenging Things Happen: Talking to Children and Teens The resources below, developed by CRW, offers guidance for adults who surround youth to support them in conversation when violent and scary things happen in the world. Click the resources below to learn more about talking with children and teens. Tips for Talking to Youth About Scary Events Tips for Talking to Youth Scary Events (Spanish) Tips for Talking to Teens About Violence Tip for Talking to Teens About Violence (Spanish) Tips for Talking to Students About Violence Tips for Talking to College Students Helping Children Cope With Frightening News (From Child Mind Institute)

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 5h
"The Trump tariffs amount to an average tax increase per US household of $1,000 in 2025 and $1,300 in 2026....

"The Trump tariffs are the largest US tax increase as a percent of GDP (0.54 percent for 2026) since 1993."
@taxfoundation.bsky.social
taxfoundation.org/research/all...

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 5h
The comparison between "a lot" and "little" are load bearing here. I'm not sure.

Reposted by Todd Pugatch

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 5h
#EconConf #TeachEcon #EconSky #FundSocSci #econ_ra
IZA@LISER Summer School in Labor Economics 2026 When: From: MON, 1 JUN 2026, 10:00 AM To: WED, 3 JUN 2026, 5:00 PM Where: In person Remich, Luxembourg

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 5h
Conventionally, the payment is set equal every month over 30 years.

Compared to that, this would keep 30 years & same interest rate (so banks wouldn't care) but just lower early-years payments & increase late-years payments. More borrowing due to repaying less early on but more affordablility.

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 5h
The immaculate ratio

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 5h
Buying still gives valued predictability of location and price and tax advantages. It's just that the financing terms are tweaked a bit.

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 6h
Why? There's no real reason payments need to be constant for 30 years. What I could afford when I was 25-35 is less than I can afford at 50. That is a good bet for most people because of experience & inflation

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 6h
If Lutnick should be out of power, then POTUS should too.

Therefore, it is essential to POTUS that Lutnick stay in power.
carlquintanilla.bsky.social Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 6h
“.. He’s got a lot to answer for, but really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign.”

@cnbc.com
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/08/e...

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 6h
To improve 1st-home affordablility & better match housing payments to age-earnings profiles, why not a 30-year, fixed-rate, *rising-payment* mortgage?

A question I had after reading
@mtkonczal.bsky.social
newsletter.mikekonczal.com/p/why-afford...
Why Affordability and the Vibecession Are Real Economic Problems
There are many ways inflation makes people worse off even when real incomes recover, especially for essentials.
newsletter.mikekonczal.com

Reposted by Philip N. Cohen, Aaron Sojourner

bangordailynews.bsky.social
Bangor Daily News @bangordailynews.bsky.social · 6h
The BDN obtained and reviewed more than a thousand pages of federal court documents filed throughout New England, conducted interviews, attended court hearings and more. www.bangordailynews.com/2026/02/09/m...
ICE said it was arresting ‘the worst of the worst’ in Maine. We only found a few criminals.
The BDN used court records and other sources to identify 67 of roughly 200 people arrested in Maine during last month's surge.
www.bangordailynews.com

Reposted by Michael Barnett, Daniel Stone, Karen Benjamin Guzzo , and 1 more

aaronsojourner.org
Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 6h
Immigrants save Americans' lives: "...a 25% increase in the steady state flow of immigrants to the US would result in 5,000 fewer deaths nationwide. We identify reduced use of nursing homes as a key mechanism driving this result."
www.nber.org/papers/w34791
Is Immigration Good for Health? The Effect of Immigration on Older Adult Mortality in the United States David C. Grabowski, Jonathan Gruber, Brian E. McGarry #34791 Abstract: We measure the impact of increased immigration on mortality among elderly Americans, who rely on the immigrant-intensive health and long-term care sectors. Using a shift-share approach we find a strong impact of immigration on the size of the immigrant care workforce: admitting 1,000 new immigrants would lead to 142 new foreign healthcare workers, without evidence of crowd out of native health care workers. We also find striking effects on mortality: a 25% increase in the steady state flow of immigrants to the US would result in 5,000 fewer deaths nationwide. We identify reduced use of nursing homes as a key mechanism driving this result

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner

carlquintanilla.bsky.social
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 6h
“.. He’s got a lot to answer for, but really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign.”

@cnbc.com
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/08/e...

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Kim L. Scheppele, Ashish Arora , and 21 more

propublica.org
ProPublica @propublica.org · 6h
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained.

We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner

cep-lse.bsky.social
Centre for Economic Performance @cep-lse.bsky.social · 9h
Join us today for the second of three Lionel Robbins lectures. Tonight Alan Manning (CEP, LSE) looks at foundations of immigration policy and its implications.

https://www.lse.ac.uk/events/a-picture-of-migration
A picture of migration | Alan Manning discusses new books at LSE event
Mon 9 Feb 2026, 6:30pm | Alan Manning | Ticket Required | Free public event at LSE
www.lse.ac.uk

Reposted by David Lazer, Will Jennings, Ashish Arora , and 20 more

klillington.bsky.social
Karlin Lillington @klillington.bsky.social · 9h
And here is my story: ‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September

www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
Seamus Culleton has been in a detention facility in Texas for nearly five months despite having no criminal record
www.irishtimes.com