The number of newly out-of-work employees moved lower in the last week in all but four states, but the totals remain extremely high. … READ MORE >
initial jobless claims
Initial jobless claims point to near real-time unemployment rate of 18.1%
The slow-motion train wreck of weekly initial U.S. jobless claims continued as data for the week ending April 11 produced an additional 5.245 million applications, implying a near real-time unemployment rate of 18.1% at a minimum. Once one adds in those not captured by the data, we are almost certainly facing a 20% unemployment rate now. … READ MORE >
State-by-state initial jobless claims show the spread of the coronavirus
The latest initial jobless claims report shows that layoffs of employees were lower in some of the already hardest-hit states, but were widespread nonetheless. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims surge by 6.6 million, implying unemployment rate of 14.6%
The carnage in the American labor market continued unabated for the week ending April 4 as first-time jobless claims soared to 6.6 million, which implies a real-time U.S. unemployment rate of 14.6% at a minimum. … READ MORE >
The state-by-state toll of the coronavirus shutdown on the labor market
The widespread layoffs of American workers worsened in the third week of the coronavirus shutdown, with all states (with the exception of the Virgin Islands) now having reported a significant increase in initial jobless claims at some point during the three-week period. … READ MORE >
Tectonic shift in initial jobless claims implies 10.1% unemployment rate
The tectonic shifts in the American labor market continued during the week ending March 28 as first-time jobless claims increased by 6.64 million. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims preview: Expect another big increase
We expect that for the week ending March 28, 2020, initial jobless claims will show an increase of 3.1 million when the figures are announced on Thursday. This would imply a two-week total of 6.4 million. … READ MORE >
For states struggling with coronavirus, stimulus package is likely not enough
All states – with the exception of Utah – reported significant numbers of workers filing for unemployment benefits as state and local authorities and businesses took the lead in slowing the virus by shutting down the normal flow of interaction. … READ MORE >