Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference after the Fed's meeting on Nov. 2, 2022, in Washington, D.C. The Fed raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point on Wednesday, its smallest increase in 11 months. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Banners promote Small Business Saturday in West Reading, Pa. on Nov. 25, 2017. Jeremy Drey/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle/Getty Images hide caption
Workers attach siding to a house at a new home construction site in Trappe, Maryland, on October 28, 2022. Rising interest rates could mean slowing job growth in construction and manufacturing. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A woman waves a British flag during the Platinum Pageant London, England. WPA Pool/Getty Images hide caption
Sheet metal worker Carey Mercer assembles ductwork at Contractors Sheet Metal on Aug. 3, 2021, in New York. New York City and Washington, D.C., are among the cities in which young women earn more than young men, a Pew Research Center study found. Kevin Hagen/AP hide caption
Signs with the message 'Now Hiring' are displayed in front of restaurants in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on March 19. Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A man wearing a face mask walks past a "Now Hiring" sign in front of a store on Jan. 13, in Arlington, Va. The labor market is showing resilience despite a recent spike in omicron-related coronavirus infections. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Higher costing meat and drinks on the menu at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, which runs 60 dining outlets across the country — from high-end steakhouses to Molly Woo's Asian Bistro and El Segundo Mexican Kitchen. Cameron Mitchell Restaurants hide caption
Workers from a Kellogg cereal plant picket along the main rail lines leading into the facility on Oct. 6 in Omaha, Neb. Workers have gone on strike after a breakdown in contract talks with company management. Grant Schulte/AP hide caption
People shop at a Macy's in New York this month. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
A server delivers food to customers dining at a restaurant in Los Angeles on Aug. 7. Restaurants are boosting pay to attract workers, and that could have an impact on already-high inflation. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Restaurants in Miami and across the country are seeing surging demand from customers, but they are still struggling to recruit staff. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption
An activist wears a "Fight For $15 and a Union" t-shirt at the U.S. Capitol in 2019 as lawmakers took on legislation to raise the federal minimum wage. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption
Workers with disabilities can be paid less than minimum wage. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights says that has trapped workers in "exploitative and discriminatory" job programs. erhui1979/ DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images hide caption
Unusually warm weather contributed to a surge in construction last month, with 44,000 jobs added. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
In a class-action lawsuit, McDonald's workers in California accused the fast-food chain of failing to pay them overtime and other wages. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
People protest for a $15 minimum wage in New York City in 2017. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption
Job applicants wait in line at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood during a job fair in Hollywood, Fla., on Thursday. Wilfredo Lee/AP hide caption
Courtney Hering, who is getting married next year, is planning a slightly more lavish wedding reception. After seven years at Kohler, she finally feels like she has found a professional home. Sara Stathas for NPR hide caption
Betty Fernandez of Macy's department store speaks with a potential applicant about job openings during a job fair in Miami on April 5. Employers added far more jobs than expected in April — another sign the U.S. economy is chugging along as the expansion nears the 10-year mark. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption
People walk past a branch of Bank of America in New York City in 2015. The bank announced Tuesday that it's raising its minimum wage to $20 an hour by 2021. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption