MUMBAI, India (AP) — India will soon eclipse China to become the world’s most populous country, and its economy is among the fastest-growing. But the number of Indian women in the workforce, already among the 20 lowest in the world, has been shrinking for years. It’s not only a problem for individual women, but a growing challenge for India’s own economic ambitions if its estimated 670 million women are left behind as its population expands. The hope is that India’s fast-growing working-age population will propel the nation’s economic growth for years to come. Yet experts worry this could just as easily become a demographic liability if India fails to ensure its rising population, especially its women, are employed.

Asian shares higher after report shows resilience in US jobs

Shares are mostly higher in Asia after a report showed resilience in the U.S. jobs market. Benchmarks rose in Tokyo and Seoul but fell in Shanghai. Markets were closed in Hong Kong and Sydney. European markets also were closed on Monday. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices rose. The highly anticipated report on U.S. employment showed hiring slowed more than expected but remained resilient last month. The Federal Reserve faces a tough decision over whether to raise interest rates to drive down inflation that’s still high or hold off given signs of a slowing economy.

Home-based workers became younger, more diverse in pandemic

People working from home became younger, more diverse, better educated and more likely to move during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau released last week. The report says that, in many respects, the demographic makeup of people working from home from 2019 to 2021 became more like workers who were commuting. The industry groups that saw the greatest jumps in people working from home were information, finance and professional and administrative services. The smallest gains were in agriculture and mining; entertainment and food services; and armed forces.

Reports: Tesla plans Shanghai factory for power storage

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media say electric car maker Tesla Inc. plans to build a factory in Shanghai to produce power-storage devices for sale worldwide. The reports say Tesla made the announcement at a signing ceremony in Shanghai, where the company operates an auto factory. Plans call for annual production of 10,000 Megapack units. The factory is due to break ground in the third quarter of this year and start productions in the second quarter of 2024.

Unemployment fell to 3.5% under Biden. For how much longer?

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden keeps seeing good economic news and bad public approval ratings. The unemployment rate has fallen to 3.5% and more than 236,000 jobs were added in March. But there’s been no political payoff for the president. US. adults are skipping past the jobs numbers and generally not feeling good about the economy. To explain that pessimism, White House aides cite high inflation, the hangover from the pandemic and Republicans’ belief that the economy is sour whenever there’s a Democrat in the White House. The challenge for Biden might be the expectation that unemployment will get much worse this year. The fear is that interest rates have to rise in order to beat inflation.

As streamers cut costs, TV shows — and residuals — vanish

Over the past few months, many streaming companies have started eliminating some of their own shows from their library. It helps save the companies money but brings criticism that they are sidelining marginalized voices, shortchanging creatives out of already slimmer residual paychecks and offering fewer options to customers. These issues have increased tension between executives and writers ahead of union contract negotiations that could lead to a significant work stoppage this spring. Streaming companies say they never promised that shows would live forever. In a hyper-competitive, changing market, they say, each streamer is trying to balance ample offerings with sheer survival.

Small towns reclaim abandoned ski areas as nonprofits

CUCHARA, Colorado (AP) — Under the gaze of the imposing Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado, the 50-acre Parker-Fitzgerald Cuchara Mountain Park is the story of so many American ski areas, only the community was determined to change the script. Ski resorts boomed in the 70s and 80s, emerging even in areas that didn’t have the climate or workers to sustain them long-term. First-time ski resort owners took on debt and quickly filed for bankruptcy after a bad snow season. But some communities including Cuchara one are now finding a niche, offering an alternative to endless lift lines and sky-high ticket prices. They’re reopening, several as nonprofits, offering a mom-and-pop experience at a far lower cost than mountains run by corporate conglomerates.

Washington shutters pot businesses due to old pesticide

SEATTLE (AP) — Cannabis regulators have halted operations at several outdoor pot farms and processing facilities on a stretch of former fruit orchards in north-central Washington state. Testing found high levels of chemicals related to a dangerous pesticide used decades ago. The sweeping action announced Thursday night has renewed concerns about pesticides in marijuana. It also has put dozens of people at least temporarily out of work. The businesses are in an area where fruit growers used the cancer-causing pesticide DDT before the U.S. banned it in 1972. Officials are working to identify any products the tainted marijuana was used in. They have asked the affected companies to issue recalls.

US adds a healthy 236,000 jobs despite Fed’s rate hikes

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers added a solid 236,000 jobs in March, suggesting that the economy remains on solid footing despite the nine interest rate hikes the Federal Reserve has imposed over the past year in its drive to tame inflation. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, just above the 53-year low of 3.4% set in January. At the same time, some of the details of Friday’s report from the Labor Department raised the possibility that inflationary pressures might be easing and that the Fed might soon decide to pause its rate hikes. Average hourly wages were up 4.2% from 12 months earlier, down sharply from a 4.6% year-over-year increase in February.

US probes crash involving Tesla that hit student leaving bus

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. road safety regulators have sent a team to investigate a crash involving a Tesla that may have been using a partially automated driving system when it struck a student who had just exited a school bus. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says Friday it will probe the March 15 crash in Halifax County, North Carolina, that injured the 17-year-old student. The State Highway Patrol says the driver of Tesla Model Y failed to stop for the bus, which was displaying all of its activated warning devices. Sending special investigation teams to crashes means that the agency suspects the Tesla was operating on systems that can handle some aspects of driving. Tesla says these are driver-assist systems and that drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.