job growth

Stocks End Week With Sixth Straight Day of Gains

A burst of hiring in February pushed stocks higher on Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 67.58 points, or 0.5 percent, to 14,397.07, surpassing its previous record close Tuesday and logged a sixth straight increase Friday.

Retailers Report Slower Sales Growth in Sept

Americans slowed down their spending in September as they took a pause after wrapping up their back-to-school buying, according to monthly reports from major retailers released Thursday.

Unemployment Aid Applications Rise to 386,000

More Americans sought unemployment aid last week, suggesting hiring remains sluggish. The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment benefit applications rose 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 386,000.

U.S. Stock Futures Head Higher as Economists See Growth Ahead

Stock futures are rising with a new survey suggesting that economists are a bit more optimistic about housing and employment. The National Association for Business Economists' forecasters expect modest growth for the rest of 2012, with the pace picking up in 2013.

America's Next Great Carmaker: Toyota?

Perhaps the most surprising recent news in the auto industry last week was this little gem. In large part owing to President Obama's negotiation of a free trade agreement with South Korea earlier this year, Toyota will be expanding exports of U.S.-built vehicles to Korea for sale.

Retail Launches Its Own Job Growth Policy Campaign

With the 2012 election season looming, the retail sector is getting vocally political for the first time. The National Retail Federation has launched "Retail Means Jobs," a year-long, $10 million advocacy campaign designed to push for retail-friendly policies in Washington.

GOP Wins Budget Battle, but May Lose Political War

The Republicans are winning this year's budget battle: Discretionary spending will decrease. But this is hardly the time for the GOP to take a victory lap: Next, the GOP will have to lower unemployment and improve the average American's daily life -- two areas where the party has historically come up short.

Can the Tea Party Platform Reduce Unemployment?

The U.S. set the forces of globalization in motion, and now more than ever, it's clear we're suffering the consequences: high unemployment, stagnant or declining incomes, and rising costs for goods. Can the policies of the surging Tea Party provide solutions, or will they just make matters worse?

Can U.S. Services Growth Outweigh High Oil Prices?

The U.S. services sector is growing strong, providing additional evidence that the U.S. economy is recovering and might not need more stimulus funding. But that's contingent upon oil staying below $120 per barrel.

Manufacturing Is Building Hopes for the Economy

The U.S. manufacturing sector is a sight for sore eyes: After more than a year of expansion, it's still growing, as American factories continue to churn out the equipment, machines and products that emerging-market nations need to develop their infrastructures.

January's Jobs Report: What It Means for You

While unemployment is shrinking, jobs still aren't being created at a pace that will really help the economy. How does that situation affect your situation? Here's some insight -- and advice -- that can help you through until the job market is healthy once again.

Where the Signs Point to a Strengthening U.S. Economy

If you glanced at just one or two headlines from last week's reports on the U.S. economy, you might have concluded that things haven't changed that much. In fact, digging deeper reveals that business conditions are improving. Even the puzzling payroll report has hopeful indicators.

What's Really Ailing Employment: Lack of Demand

Many people blame America's high unemployment rate on a mismatch between workers' skills and the fields with open jobs. But jobs are scarce across all sectors. That means effective policies are needed to stimulate demand and rebuild economic output.

U.S. Productivity Gains Are Good News for Everyone

These days it feels as if every piece of economic news comes with a qualifier. However, one statistic has had an unqualified, enduring positive run: the rise in worker productivity, which bodes well for investors, employees and -- eventually -- job-seekers.

Spin, Not Substance, Is Just What Investors Need Now

With the economic recovery gaining steam, President Obama's State of the Union address -- and the GOP response -- should be seen as a shift to a less activist approach. Feel-good rhetoric may be wiser than heavy-handed policies that could easily backfire.

How Long Is America's Road Back to Full Employment?

There's no way to sugarcoat it: The U.S. job deficit is huge, and it will take years to fix. But investors shouldn't become too pessimistic. America's economy has the capacity to adapt and renew itself faster than many folks expect.

These Signs Point to Job Growth in 2011

Many Wall Street pundits are surprisingly bullish about the U.S. economy for 2011, but high unemployment continues to ravage Main Street. Still, with corporate profits booming and the stock market rallying, some indicators say jobs may finally be poised for a comeback, too.

An Unexpectedly Chilly Jobs Report for November

The economy added just 39,000 jobs in November -- substantially less than expected. And the jobless rate rose to 9.8%. The report shows that despite a year of GDP growth, America still hasn't overcome its worst job drought in decades.

Consumer Sentiment Rises to Highest Level Since June

The consumer sentiment index rose a better than expected 3.9 points in November to 71.6 -- its highest level since June, as Americans sensed modest improvement in the job market. Its still below historic norms, though, and sustained job growth will be needed to send America's mood higher.

Services Lead Job Growth in September

The long period of large monthly losses appears to be ending, as the private sector added 43,000 jobs in October, according to ADP's latest report. And September's job loss was greatly revised, from an initial estimate of 39,000 down to just 2,000.

Consumer Sentiment Dips on Economic Concerns Ahead of Elections

Consumer sentiment dipped to 67.2 in October -- its lowest reading in about a year. There%u2019s no mystery behind consumers%u2019 protracted melancholy mood: Economic uncertainty. Sentiment is not likely to rise until Americans are certain job market conditions are improving and their incomes are rising.

Why a Republican Congress Won't Ignite a Hiring Explosion

CNBC's Larry Kudlow blogged Tuesday that the a GOP win in November's elections would create an explosion of U.S. job creation. One of his guests that day on The Kudlow Report was DailyFinance's Peter Cohan, who breaks down precisely why that rhetoric doesn't match reality.

More Jobs Added Than Expected in August

The private sector created 67,000 jobs in August, more than the 40,000 gain economists had forecast. And job-loss totals for June and July were revised substantially downward. The jobless rate ticked up to 9.6% as more people started looking for jobs.

Economists: Boost Growth Now, Fix Deficit Later

In a new survey, economists say the U.S. government should focus on promoting economic growth rather than reducing the deficit in the near term. However, 75% of them oppose another stimulus package.

Risky Business: No Easy Policy Options Left for the Fed

As he addresses the nation%u2019s weak economy, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke doesn%u2019t just face the traditional risks of rising inflation or an economic stall, but a polarized, caustic political climate that will make creative solutions even harder to propose, let alone implement.