Despite expectations for a decline in weekly unemployment numbers, jobless claims for the week ended Sept. 5 held steady, signaling that the climb toward economic recovery remains volatile amid the ongoing impact on the COVID-19 pandemic. … READ MORE >
unemployment
Initial jobless claims arrive above expectations
First-time initial jobless claims increased by 884,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis, higher than the 850,000 anticipated, and by 857,000 on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, according to data released by the Labor Department on Thursday. … READ MORE >
August U.S. employment report: Strong hiring continues for fourth month
The return of workers to their jobs continued at a strong pace in August, with 1.371 million jobs added, including 238,000 temporary census workers. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Americans with no job for 27 weeks or more rises sharply
Labor market studies by the Federal Reserve show that individuals who experience joblessness for more than 26 weeks face increasing risk of becoming permanently detached from the labor force, contributing to structural unemployment in the economy. … READ MORE >
Methodological changes to jobless claims data are behind their slower pace
First-time jobless claims declined to a seasonally adjusted rate of 881,000 for the week ending Aug. 29, with non-seasonally adjusted claims falling to 833,000 as the Department of Labor introduced a new way to estimate the pace of firings in the domestic labor market. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Weekly initial jobless claims higher than expected
In a sobering surprise, the Labor Department reported on Thursday that initial jobless claims for the week ended Aug. 15 reached a higher-than-expected 1.1 million, a sign the road to economic recovery will be bumpy and volatile as the country struggles to gain footing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Continuing jobless claims data point to cracks in labor market
As we enter week 22 of pandemic-induced job losses, the increase in the duration of unemployment is becoming worrisome. The insured unemployment rate increased to 10.6% for the week ending Aug. 1, which is above the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ July estimate of 10.2%, implying August nonfarm payrolls may be less robust than expected. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Job openings increase, but so does competition for them
RSM’s Chart of the Day shows steep competition for available job openings in the U.S. labor market. … READ MORE >
U.S. employment report: Recall of workers slows in July
The recall of workers to their jobs slowed in July as evidence of a much greater problem in the domestic labor force mounts. … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims: Potential inflection point
Initial jobless claims for the month of July point to a potential inflection point in the American labor market. July’s data perfectly captured the flattening out of consumer demand and slowing of overall growth in the economy. … READ MORE >