Home / Alana Semuels

Reporting on work, technology, labor, and the American economy.

Currently senior economics correspondent at TIME magazine, previously The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe. Sign up to get an email when I publish stories here: https://alanasemuels.substack....

Time • 4th November 2021

Two Rich Men Decided to Fund a Failing City. Some People Say They Made It Worse

A giant philanthropic gift to shore up Kalamazoo has raised questions about the role of extreme wealth in democratic society.

The Atlantic • 13th February 2019

When Wall Street Is Your Landlord

With help from the federal government, institutional investors became major players in the rental market. They promised to return profits to their investors and convenience to their tenants. Investors are happy. Tenants are not.

Time • 21st July 2021

I Tried to Live Off Women-Owned Businesses. Turns Out, Men Still Run Everything

I embark on a weeklong experiment in which I try to only patronize businesses run by women, and find out that men run many more things than I though, including companies with names like "Organic Girl" and "Josie's Organics."

TIME • 21st August 2019

The Left Behind Economy

In the booming service economy, the minimum wage for waitresses in some states is as low as $2.13 an hour, an amount that hasn't changed since 1991.

The Atlantic • 25th June 2018

I Delivered Packages for Amazon and It Was a Nightmare

The day I spent doing Amazon Flex.

Time • 28th July 2021

Hourly Workers Are Demanding Better Pay and Benefits—and Getting Them

The pandemic was a turning point for many of America's hourly workers, who are no longer willing to put up with low pay and dangerous conditions, and are walking out of bad jobs.

The Atlantic • 1st February 2018

What Amazon Does to Poor Cities

Amazon has rapidly expanded warehouses into low-income suburbs, bringing jobs. But is it a positive presence in these communities?

The Atlantic • 25th March 2019

The White Flight From Football

Parents know that football comes with a risk of brain damage. But as white families leave the sport, economic circumstances leave many black families to feel that football is still the best option for their kids.

The Atlantic • 2nd June 2016

The Graying of Rural America

As young people increasingly move to cities, what happens to the people and places they leave behind?

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