The president of the Fed assured that the institution would maintain its accommodative policy despite the fears of economists of inflation and an overheating of the economy.
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The US job market, decimated by the pandemic, is “very far” from being solid and the experience of past recessions shows that it could take “years” to return to full employment before the pandemic, he said. Jerome Powell warned Wednesday.
The chairman of the Federal Reserve (Fed) also assured that the institution would maintain its accommodative policy despite economists’ fears of inflation and an overheating of the economy.
In addition to a massive vaccination campaign to end the health crisis caused by COVID-19, it will take a series of effective government measures to heal the wounds of the labor market, said Jerome Powell in a speech dedicated to the labor market. employment before the Economic Club of New York.
“Despite an astonishingly rapid recovery (in spring 2020), we are still very far from a solid labor market, the advantages of which are widely shared” among the population, he stressed, noting that the rate of real unemployment is 10%.
Official unemployment statistics showed a rate of 6.3% for the month of January.
Mr. Powell’s remarks come in the midst of a debate on the gigantic emergency plan of 1.9 trillion dollars proposed by new President Joe Biden to help SMEs and the most vulnerable households.
In February 2020, before the pandemic spread in the United States, unemployment had fallen to its lowest level in 50 years.
Mr. Powell recalls that all categories of people, including black workers, then enjoyed full employment, with incomes rising especially for the lowest incomes.
Helping Americans
“The recovery always depends on the ability to control the spread of the virus,” said Jerome Powell, stressing that this required mass vaccinations in addition to “continuous vigilance” in terms of physical distancing and wearing of masks.
While at the start of the pandemic, the increase in unemployment was almost entirely due to the loss of temporary jobs, which are the fastest being recreated, the persistence of the pandemic is now also affecting permanent jobs and unemployment. ‘is installed over time for millions of people.
In January, the United States had 10 million fewer jobs than in February 2020, lamented the boss of the powerful institution.
“Given the number of people who have lost their jobs and the likelihood that many will struggle to find work in the post-pandemic economy”, this will require “more than an accommodating monetary policy,” he said. he commented.
“It will take a company-wide commitment, with contributions from across government and the private sector.”
However, he refrained from commenting on the relevance of the amount of the plan wanted by Joe Biden.
“The question of how much to spend and what to spend on is really a question for Congress,” he said.
Jerome Powell, however, tempered the risk of galloping inflation, a hypothesis raised by some economists.
“Inflation has been much lower and more stable over the past three decades than before,” he said.
The Fed’s “patiently accommodating monetary policy” takes this history into account, he added.
Larry Summers, former Treasury secretary to Bill Clinton and chief economic adviser to Barack Obama, warned last week against “inflationary pressures unheard of in a generation” if the $ 1.9 trillion Biden plan was adopted.
Jerome Powell has been clear: The Fed will not raise interest rates or cut its aggressive asset purchase program – $ 120 billion per month – at the first signs of a labor market vigorous.
The priority, according to him, is to come to the aid of the Americans, an argument also advanced by the new Biden administration in the face of criticism.
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