adp jobs data

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits rose for the second straight week, a sign the hiring market is recovering at a slow and uneven pace. Weekly applications for unemployment benefits rose 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 402,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Applications had been below 400,000 for three straight weeks.

In January, job creation was anemic, yet unemployment plummeted. What gives? The answer lies in the quirky way the government decides who gets counted as part of the work force, who gets counted as officially unemployed and who gets left out of the picture.

According to a survey by outplacement consultants Challenger Gray & Christmas, June saw corporate layoff announcements drop to the slowest pace in 15 months. During June, 74,393 people were laid off -- which was 33 percent lower than May's 111,182 layoffs and 9 percent less than a year ago....