The number of Americans filing jobless claims fell more than expected last week, suggesting some traction in the labor market recovery. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 344,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, but still remained at levels consistent with a steady improvement in labor market conditions. Initial jobless claims increased 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 362,000, the Labor Department said.
How seriously do Americans take our retirement plans? Not seriously enough to do our homework: A new study shows that two-thirds of Americans with defined-contribution plans or IRAs spend less than five minutes scrutinizing each disclosure statement. But wait: It gets worse.
New forecasts show that the worst may be over for the construction industry, which was hit harder by the Great Recession than any other sector, as construction projects slowly resume. Some 27% of construction firms say they plan to add staff this year, while only 20% plan to cut jobs.
If the stock market reflected the entire economy, happy days would surely be here again. But, alas, it reflects just the profit potential of public companies. And for millions of unemployed Americans, that's proving to be no help at all.
The jobs market gained steam in October as companies added 151,000 jobs - the largest amount since May. Despite the better-than-expected gains, the unemployment rate remained steady at 9.6%.
U.S. nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses fell about 8% last year, as manufacturers had the largest one-year percentage drop in such incidents in at least six years, the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday.
Labor Day isn't just about rounding out the summer season with a nice three-day weekend, of course. It's a "national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country", notes the Labor Department, and has been a national holiday for over 100 years. In that vein, here's a roundup of recent labor-oriented legal news:
After falling for three straight months, unemployment rates rose in most U.S. metropolitan areas in June. Is this growing joblessness more evidence of a double-dip recession?
Poverty is growing in the recession, with nearly 40 million Americans living at or below the official poverty level in 2008. That figure includes more than 14 million children and a growing class of "working poor."
Although it seems like toting up the numbers should be fairly straightforward, it turns out to be a complicated calculation, thanks to several inherent difficulties. For starters, unemployment is a snapshot of a moving target.
