Sean Higgins is a research fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute specializing in labor and employment issues. As journalist, he covered the intersection of politics and economics for two decades, having been senior writer for the Washington Examiner, Washington correspondent for Investor’s Business Daily and a contributor to publications like Reason and National Review Online.”
Authored by Sean Higgins
News
US economy added 64,000 jobs in November but underemployment and stagflation cause concern: CEI analysis
The US Labor Department released its report today on jobs added to the economy in November 2025, a modest gain. But underemployment and the…
CEI supports SCORE Act protecting college athletes’ right to profit
The Competitive Enterprise Institute endorses the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act sponsored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), which would ensure…
US economy adds 119,000 jobs in September amid tariff turmoil
American employers added 119,000 jobs in September, the government reported today in the first jobs report since the weeks long federal government shutdown. CEI experts…
Blog
Courts reject states’ efforts to take over union law enforcement
- By: Sean Higgins
A California court late last month struck down a law that would have allowed the Golden State to usurp the role of the National Labor…
Court rejects New York bid to take over federal labor enforcement
- By: Sean Higgins
An effort by the New York legislature to usurp the role of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the main federal labor law enforcement agency,…
New York, California make a play for federal labor law enforcement
- By: Sean Higgins
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the main federal labor law enforcement agency, currently lacks a quorum to act. Ordinarily, that type of federal…
Op-Eds/Articles
DC Journal
Point: AI Won’t Take Our Jobs Away
- By: Sean Higgins
For an alternate viewpoint, see “Counterpoint: Trump’s Extreme Anti-Labor Policies Could Determine the Effect of AI on Labor.” Read enough headlines about artificial intelligence and…
National Review
Josh Hawley, friend of a friend of the working man
- By: Sean Higgins
His mistake is thinking that the way to win over working-class voters is by supporting policies favored by union leaders. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is the…
National Review
The Teamsters’ Imaginary Strike against Amazon
- By: Sean Higgins
There was a historic strike by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters workers at Amazon facilities over the Christmas holiday, yet it didn’t appear to slow Amazon’s…
Studies
The Forgotten History of the Wagner Act
- By: Sean Higgins
Introduction President Joe Biden on April 26, 2021, announced the creation of a special Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. The purpose of the…
The Protect the Right to Organize Act Empowers Unions at Workers’ Expense
- By: Sean Higgins
View the Full Document as PDF The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act is touted by its supporters as advancing the rights…
Citations
The Washington Times
Record-high 203 million people shopped over Thanksgiving weekend, says National Retail Federation
- By: Sean Higgins
The Washington Times cited CEI’s expert on The Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis “The good news is that inflation hasn’t deterred people that much,” said…
The Daily Signal
How Many Biden Appointees ‘Burrowed in’ to the Permanent Bureaucracy?
- By: Sean Higgins
The Daily Signal cited CEI’s expert on political career placements Sean Higgins, a research fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, also highlighted the threat of…
The Daily Signal
The Sneaky Way Government Unions Rake in Taxpayer Money, and How Congress Can Fight It in Reconciliation
- By: Sean Higgins
The Daily Signal quoted CEI’s expert on budget reconciliation To drive the point home, Stern noted, “Your tax dollars quite literally go to pay for…
Regulatory Comments
Competitive Enterprise Institute Letter in Support of DOT Request to Reduce Regulatory Burden
- By: Sean Higgins
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), I respectfully submit the following comments in response to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) request for information,…
CEI Letter Opposing the Department of Labor’s Proposed Changes to the Davis-Bacon Act
- By: Sean Higgins
Via Regulations.Gov Hon. Marty Walsh Secretary of Labor United States Department of Labor 200 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC 20210 Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related…
Competitive Enterprise Institute Letter In Opposition To Withdrawal of Independent Contractor Status Final Rule
- By: Sean Higgins
View Full Document as PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), I respectfully submit the following comments in response to the…
Podcast Episodes
Going into Labor with Sean Higgins
- By: Sean Higgins
This week we talk about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s legal fate, rising economic might in India, terrible federal policy on sugar, and how the...