New filings for jobless benefits last week rose to 230,000 from 207,000 in the prior week, exceeding the average pre-pandemic level for the first time in six weeks as the impact of the omicron variant began to be felt in the labor market. … READ MORE >
Covid-19
Changing work patterns in the middle market: An MMBI special report
COVID-19 has had a wide range of effects on how middle market businesses conduct operations. Although many of the innovations that companies instituted to deal with the pandemic were meant to be stop-gap measures, some of these initiatives are now here to stay. Read RSM’s new Middle Market Business Index special report on these issues. … READ MORE >
RSM Canada Supply Chain Index shows continued strain
Supply chain disruptions in Canada worsened in December as businesses continued to be hindered by the fallout from flooding in British Columbia and a shortage of workers. … READ MORE >
RSM Canada Financial Conditions Index shows the return of risk
Risk is being reintroduced into Canada’s financial markets as investment decisions and monetary policy begin to pivot from interest rates at the zero bound. … READ MORE >
5 things to know in life sciences: Week of Jan. 3
This week we explore a partnership between a large biopharma and a machine learning startup along with other developments impacting the life sciences industry. … READ MORE >
Canada’s jobs report shows strong gains among full-time workers
Canada added 55,000 jobs in December, rounding out the year on a strong note, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Friday … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Service sector grew at slower pace in December
The purchasing managers’ index for services grew at a much slower rate in December as supply chain delays continued to put a drag on service activities. … READ MORE >
Canada’s merchandise trade surplus increases, lifted by vaccine production
Canada’s international merchandise trade surplus widened to 3.1 billion CAD in November because of an unexpected source: the mass production of the COVID-19 vaccine. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims remain below pandemic level despite seasonal uptick
New filings for unemployment insurance last week ticked up to 207,000 from 198,000, continuing to stay below the pre-pandemic level amid a tight labor market where businesses are holding onto their workers. … READ MORE >
ADP jobs report: Service sector led an upside surprise in December
Private businesses in the United States added 807,000 jobs in December, the most since May, pointing to a stronger rebound of the labor market, according to a report from ADP on Wednesday. … READ MORE >