While I am always happy to celebrate any accolades my country and city might garner on the international stage, seeing Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau awarded the top ranking in a recent “most liveable cities” survey left me somewhat flummoxed.In particular, I would argue that many Māori whānau in Auckland do not enjoy the benefits of this supposed “liveability”.This is important, given Māori comprised 11.5% of the Auckland population in the 2018 Census. Roughly one in four Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand are living in the greater Auckland region.

Throughout the pandemic, millions of Americans wondered: “Is the cure worse than the disease?” The question implies a trade-off between “the cure,” in the form of economic shutdowns, and “the disease,” COVID-19. This debate dominated headlines in the first months of the pandemic. More than a year later, it continues to be a partisan lighting rod. But our research shows that mortality during the pandemic in America has never fit the narrative that pits economic shutdowns against COVID-19.

Nobel laureate Esther Duflo answers some big questions about how the U.S. will get back to work. She suggests that unemployment benefits are not to blame for the alleged labor shortage. She also believes that the pandemic is making us rethink several aspects of our lives from child care, to productivity, to inequities in the U.S. income distribution. Watch the video to hear more.

As millions of Americans received unemployment payments to get through the crisis, scammers developed a new way to steal cash directly from recipients' accounts, according to an investigation by CNBC.When one single mother's account was emptied, she had to crack open her child's piggy bank to survive. Another victim choked up when telling CNBC how she left a grocery store empty-handed. A musician said he had to live in his car for a few weeks after his funds were stolen. At the heart of the issue is the technology that underpins most of the debit cards used to distribute unemployment insurance in certain states, experts say. Unlike standard consumer debit cards, government-prepaid cards often lack a chip — instead they use outdated magnetic stripe technology — making them easier for hackers to penetrate. 

Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to a new pandemic-era low last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.First-time filings for benefits totaled 360,000, in line with Dow Jones estimates and the best number since March 14, 2020.This is breaking news. Please check back here for updates.Become a smarter investor with CNBC Pro. Get stock picks, analyst calls, exclusive interviews and access to CNBC TV. Sign up to start a free trial today.

California will strengthen the security of the debit cards it uses to issue unemployment insurance and other benefits following a wave of fraud, according to an announcement from the state's Employment Development Department.The state agency plans to work with Bank of America to start rolling out chip-enabled debit cards to new claimants, as well as those in need of replacements, beginning on July 25, the department said in its announcement on Thursday.The news comes about a week after a CNBC investigation highlighted the lack of chips in many government cards, which contributed to stolen unemployment insurance for more than 100,000 recipients during the pandemic. "Chip-cards can help safeguard in-person point of sale transactions where the card is used in a terminal," the state's employment development department said in the statement. 

CNBC's Leslie Picker reports on the rise in unemployment insurance fraud during the Covid-19 pandemic.

CNBC investigated why the pandemic fueled a wave of fraud in unemployment insurance.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected not only how we live, think and work but also how we acquire skills. This is particularly crucial for young people, large numbers of whom are excluded from labour market. South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey showed joblessness for those aged between 15 and 34 at 46,3%.To address the challenges of skills provision and acquisition, policy makers and researchers have set their sights on the vocational education and training system. But the view that this alone is the answer to solve existing labour market crises is flawed for three reasons.

Initial filings for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose last week, a possible hint that the rapid job growth seen the first half of 2021 could face hurdles in the months ahead, the Labor Department reported Thursday. CNBC's Rick Santelli reports.

Initial filings for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose last week, a possible hint that the rapid job growth seen the first half of 2021 could face hurdles in the months ahead, the Labor Department reported Thursday.First-time jobless claims totaled 373,000 for the week ended July 3, compared with the 350,000 Dow Jones estimate. The previous week's level was revised up by 7,000 from 364,000 to 371,000.The level of continuing claims decreased to 3.34 million, down 145,000 from the previous week's revised level. Despite the uptick in first-time applicants, the decreased number of continuing claims represented the lowest level for insured unemployment since March 2020.The four-week moving average for continuing claims, which smooths weekly volatility, fell by 44,500 to 3.44 million, also the lowest since March 2020.

The workplace and modes of working have come into the spotlight amid COVID-19 lockdowns that have enforced remote working as the new norm for most businesses. Companies have had to review their practices to accommodate a hybrid-approach which allows employees to spend some time in the office to create social work experiences.Research suggests that the pandemic could also shape other future workplace trends. Two trends stand out: the rise in telework and virtual collaboration on the one hand and the increasing divide between formal and informal work on the other.

The rapidly spreading delta variant of Covid-19 may be reason for Congress to extend federal unemployment benefits past their expiration in early September, according to some labor economists.Rising Covid caseloads, largely the result of the more transmissible virus strain, threaten to undermine the U.S. economic recovery at around the same time that federal benefits are supposed to end, they said.  Local outbreaks may lead consumers — both vaccinated and unvaccinated — to curtail in-person activities like dining at restaurants, and lead parents to stay home if some schools adopt remote learning in the fall, for example, economists said.More from Personal Finance: Student loan borrowers may get more time without payments Intuit will no longer be a part of an IRS free-tax-filing program Democrats' budget bars higher taxes for those making under $400,000

Across the world, COVID-19 has completely disrupted lives. This includes the activities and social affairs within households. I wanted to explore how exactly it had affected gender roles, and the relationship between women and men, within households in Morocco. Morocco is basically a patriarchal society – laws codifying gender relations are based fundamentally on the supremacy of the male head of the family, considered the main provider and decision maker. Women’s lives, choices and mobility are controlled by the male members of their families.

A great many African countries had shown steady economic growth in the decade prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But all have failed to adequately create opportunities for the young people in their countries. With growing youth populations, creating paths for education and employment is a make or break issue for the continent.But there’s also good news. Many young people are getting access to secondary education and an increasing number also university education. An increasing share of youth in Africa are university students, 9% in 2018.

Initial claims for unemployment insurance were expected to total 350,000 for the week ended July 17, according to economists surveyed by Dow Jones.This is breaking news. Please check back here for updates.Become a smarter investor with CNBC Pro. Get stock picks, analyst calls, exclusive interviews and access to CNBC TV. Sign up to start a free trial today.

African countries are experiencing an unprecedented level of unemployment among young people. The unemployment numbers are expected to increase given the booming youth population in Africa.Not only are more young people without jobs, the vast majority are employed in the informal economy. The International Labour Organisation puts the proportion of 15-24 year olds employed in the informal economy in the world at 95% in 2018. The proportion in sub-Saharan Africa is in the same ballpark.

State withdrawals from pandemic-era unemployment programs aren't speeding up the job recovery, according to a new analysis.Twenty-five states have ended their participation in at least some of the programs since mid-June. Louisiana, will do so July 31.Those measures offered aid to the long-term unemployed, gig and other workers ineligible for traditional state benefits and raised pay by $300 a week.State governors, largely Republicans, said the federal funds were keeping recipients from looking for jobs, making it harder for businesses to hire and holding back the economic recovery.However, Census Bureau data suggests recipients didn't rush to find jobs in the weeks following the first batch of state withdrawals, according to Arindrajit Dube, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

At last, the government and the Reserve Bank are singing from the same song sheet. Both say they will keep supporting the economy (the government with big deficits, the Reserve Bank with ultra-low interest rates) until the unemployment rate is well below 5%.Australia’s leading economists back them.Of the 60 leading economists surveyed by the Economic Society ahead of the budget, more than 60% wanted stimulus until the unemployment rate was below 5%.

Fertility levels remain relatively high in Nigeria. The rate is slightly over five children per woman. This is one of the highest fertility rates in the world. With almost seven children per woman, Niger has the highest rate in the world, followed by Mali. Many studies have suggested targeting men in family planning programmes to reduce fertility levels, particularly in patriarchal societies. This is because men wield excessive power that determines contraception use or non-use.

Being out of work isn’t bad just for your finances: It’s bad for your health. Losing a job can cause depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. Research also consistently shows that job loss and unemployment – even just for a few months – are associated with poorer physical health as well, including increased risks for cardiovascular disease, hospitalization and death. These risks can endure for years or even decades after a person returns to work.

The federal government has declared its “independent assessments” plan for the National Disability Insurance Scheme “dead”. But it has another plan to save money: get people with disabilities off welfare and into jobs. It is committing A$3.5 million to building a “dedicated job platform connecting people with disability with employers”. It hopes 100,000 job seekers and 45,000 businesses will be on it within 18 months.

A great many African countries had shown steady economic growth in the decade prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But all have failed to adequately create opportunities for the young people in their countries. With growing youth populations, creating paths for education and employment is a make or break issue for the continent.But there’s also good news. Many young people are getting access to secondary education and an increasing number also university education. An increasing share of youth in Africa are university students, 9% in 2018.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell delivers a testimony to the Senate Banking Committee and answers questions from lawmakers.