Jobless Claims Fall to Two-Month Low

by Hugh Collins Sep 16th 2010 8:37AM
Updated Sep 16th 2010 12:16PM
jobless claimsInitial jobless claims fell to a two-month low of 450,000, confounding analyst expectations.

Jobless claims dipped 3,000 in the week ending Sept. 11, the Department of Labor said. The revised figure for the previous week was 453,000.

Analysts polled by Reuters forecast claims rising to 460,000.

"The labor market is slowly getting back on track," Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody's Economy.com told Bloomberg News before the report. "Businesses are still cautious about hiring, but the strong recovery in profits is giving firms the cash flow they need to invest."

Still, at this slow rate of hiring, it will take years for the U.S. economy to recover the more than 8 million jobs lost since the financial crisis began.

The four-week moving average, a clearer measure of unemployment trends, fell 13,500 to 464,750. The revised average for the previous week was 478,250.

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38 Comments

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bohemianacres

This is again a non-story so general that it is meaningless, except for someone or some political party that wishes to use the spin as a positive or negative view on employment. Meaningless because unemployment itself went up from 9.5 to 9.6 percent. This story is just truth without the honesty, which is the jargon of politics today.

September 16 2010 at 1:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to bohemianacres's comment
itacurubi

But, of course, if you analyze the numbers -- and I assume you'd like to, since you don't like generalities -- you'll find that that the unemployment rate increased from 9.5 to 9.6 percent due to an increase in the Workforce (Labor) Participation Rate ... a common occurance as employment increases.

September 16 2010 at 1:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
garyfoxley

how in the h33ll do you think that 450,000 jobs lost is good news--only the liberal dip heads could make that good news

September 16 2010 at 12:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to garyfoxley's comment
itacurubi

Well, it's good news because it is decreasing. Surely if one has had a fever of 104, it's good news if the temperature has gone down to 101. You may wish to delete anything that involves thinking logically from your list of potential careers.

September 16 2010 at 12:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
republicanslie13

In a GREAT economic year, claims will be between 250,000 and 350,000. The important part is if more jobs are created than employees be released. All signs show that this is happening. This is not liberal nonsense, it is 3rd grade economics.

September 16 2010 at 12:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
BEAR'S PAGE

what are coming too....Logan's Run or 1984...where as the loss of GOV of the people by the people for the people.. not big business or advertising concerns on what we should be as to what we are.. yes agrees we are what we eat, but thats the american way...we have to learn to be different, not be herded into it..problems exist yes, but its still our own destiny...

September 16 2010 at 11:55 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
partsautomall

PEOPLE ARE GIVING UP LOOKING.EITHER GETTING ON THE OBAMA WELFARE PLAN OR TAKING EARLY RETIREMENT.WE CAN'T ALL GIVE UP,FIGHT BACK IMPEACH THIS CLOWN

September 16 2010 at 11:50 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to partsautomall's comment
itacurubi

Actually, the numbers show that the number of people actively LOOKING for jobs has increased, not decreased. In other words, what economists call the Workforce (Labor) Participation Rate has increased: the number of people working plus unemployed, but actively seeking employment, has gone up. This routinely occurs as recoveries begin.

September 16 2010 at 11:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tomco727

you know what really makes people live in fear -leftwing nuts like new yorks mayor bloomberg .that want to impose more radical laws like banning outside smoking ,what will be next banning politically incorrect looking overweight people from eating ice cream outside this moron to back the people who lost loved ones this liberal jack azz needs to be booted out of office he must be a big fan of bill maher with the mindset screw the people they are to stupid to make their own decisions so just ram it down our throats

September 16 2010 at 11:23 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to tomco727's comment
itacurubi

Wow ... you must have taken a real hit when the punctuation markets fell. It appears that you lost almost everything. I have more than I need right now, so feel free to use these: ...........................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;::::::::::::::::::::: And you seem to be the sort who would like a lot of these !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No need to thank me.

September 16 2010 at 11:28 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
garyfoxley

if obama made the laws--you would be prohibited from disagreeing with the government---it's called the shame on u law

September 16 2010 at 11:58 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
tomco727

hope and change down the drain

September 16 2010 at 11:22 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
tomco727

you know what really makes people live in fear -leftwing nuts like new yorks mayor bloomberg .that want to impose more radical laws like banning outside smoking ,what will be next banning politically incorrect looking overweight people from eating ice cream outside this moron to back the people who lost loved ones this liberal jack azz needs to be booted out of office he must be a big fan of bill maher with the mindset screw the people they are to stupid to make their own decisions so just ram it down our throats

September 16 2010 at 11:21 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael

false numbers lets wait until the next 2 weeks these are people returning back to work. These are school bus drivers and other school workers returning back to work. Also Federal express is laying off 1900 workers.

September 16 2010 at 11:06 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Michael's comment
itacurubi

The figures are -- as always -- seasonally adjusted. Does no one take the time to understand what they are talking about before they talk about it? And FEDEX is laying off 1,700. Why do so many dog-brains post?

September 16 2010 at 11:08 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
kharismas

IMPEACH IS the way to go in NOV... NOWAYOBAMA ... YES ... CHANGE ... HIM!!!!!

September 16 2010 at 10:51 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to kharismas's comment
itacurubi

Was there a recent sale on exclamation points?

September 16 2010 at 10:53 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
republicanslie13

Republican party will be owned in Nivember if the don't dump the racist Tea Party.

September 16 2010 at 12:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mel

Every week we see new jobless claims in excess of 450,000. I think a more important figure might be the aveage hourly wage which must be dropping like a rock. And the work load on people who are still working is piling on to the point that they can't breathe anymore. So, when some of those millions of people do finally get employment, it will not be for $25 or $30 or $75/hour. It will be more like $15 an hour. Does that indicate that the country is recovering? I don't think so unless you are Barney Frank or Nancy Pelosi.

September 16 2010 at 10:49 AM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Mel's comment
itacurubi

Real wages have been flat or declining for a long, long time regardless of the party in power. It does, however, correlate with the demise of labor unions.

September 16 2010 at 10:52 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply