In a commencement address on Monday, Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen congratulated the graduating class at the University of Baltimore on earning their degrees and told them that they're entering the workforce at an opportune time. Per Yellen, the grads are entering the best job market in nearly a decade following years of a slow economic recovery. During a strong economy, she added, not only are jobs more plentiful, but they tend to pay better. Yellen told the graduates that the degrees they've earned are the ticket to a successful working life, giving them access to higher-paying opportunities and providing them with higher job satisfaction over their careers. Yellen stated that college graduates' annual earnings are, on average, 70% higher than those who only hold a high school diploma -- an increase of 50% since 1980. The chairwoman went on to say that all signs point to a healthy job market, including consistent job creation, more job openings, and a ...

According to the latest job report, the economy added 161,000 in October, effectively dropping the unemployment rate to 4.9%. Taken together with the fact that jobs added during the previous month were revised up considerably by the Labor Department, this suggests that the economy is keeping a steady pace. Though the drop to 4.9% is only a slight one on a month-to-month basis, we've come a long way since 2009, when the unemployment hit a whopping 10.2%. What's more, October's gains signaled the 73rd consecutive month of job gains for the U.S. economy. The September job gains were revised upward to 191,000 jobs from the initial tally of 156,000. Moreover, wage growth, which has been anemic for the better part of the post-recession years, continued to show signs of improvement. Wages increased 2.8% in October compared to a year ago, the fastest growth since June 2009. Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, isn't buying it. He has repeatedly called ...