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Catherine Ruetschlin

Catherine Ruetschlin works as a policy analyst at Demos. She provides the team with analysis of labor market, population, and other US survey data, as well as additional research support.  Catherine came to Demos in September 2011 from the New School for Social Research, where she worked as a research assistant in the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis and as an academic advisor to graduate students in the social sciences.   She is currently completing a PhD in Economics at The New School, focusing on issues related to privatization in the criminal justice system. 

Recent Articles

Young People and Debt: The New Normal

Catherine RuetschlinMar 06, 2013
Flickr/401(k) 2013

With a weak job market and uncertain prospects, young people have to make careful choices about how to invest in their futures. 

They’ve put off marriage and having kids. They’re moving back home with mom and dad. But the one expense with which they are not compromising is the high and rising cost of college. 

Walmart’s Missed Cue at Retail’s Big Show

Catherine RuetschlinJan 15, 2013
Demos

Inside of New York’s Javits Convention Center this morning, Walmart US President and CEO Bill Simon took the stage before a crowd of industry leaders to talk about how retail can play a central role in revitalizing the American economy. 

Fast Food Shouldn't Mean Low Wages

Catherine RuetschlinNov 29, 2012
(Flickr/GenBug)

From Burger King to Walmart, the low-wage workers we depend on to staff America’s consumption-driven economy are tired of being overworked and underpaid, and they are letting their bosses know. 

Your Young Adult Employment Report for October 2012

Catherine RuetschlinNov 06, 2012

This month’s employment report points to a trend of job growth crawling just barely above our low expectations for recovery, which is good news for Millennials returning to the labor pool after years of flagging participation.  And—surely this counts for something—we were spared a repeat of September’s politicized BLS paranoia. 

Good News For Grads in the Jobs Report

Catherine RuetschlinOct 05, 2012
(Demos DataByte)

While the September jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics provided plenty of political ammunition, it remains an ambiguous signal about the current labor market.

Young people, who are at a disadvantage when hiring is slack, tend to fare worse in such good news/bad news situations. They confront the same challenges as the working population overall, but are not as well-positioned to endure them. In this case those obstacles include weak growth, persistent rates of long-term unemployment, and a substantial rise in workers holding part-time positions because they cannot find the full-time work they need.

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