Category: Unemployment
The analysis published under this category are as follows.Thursday, March 24, 2011
U.S. Jobless Claims Maintain Downward Trend / Economics / Unemployment
Initial jobless claims fell 5,000 to 382,000 during the week ended March 19. Continuing claims, which lag initial jobless claims by one week, dropped 2,000 to 3.721 million.
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Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Why Is U.S. Unemployment So High? / Economics / Unemployment
Everyone knows that the unemployment situation is very bad, but the official figures (not surprisingly) understate the problem. In this article I'll outline the severity of the stalled labor market, and explain some of the major causes.
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Sunday, March 20, 2011
U.S. Real Unemployment Rate 10.2%, Underemployment at 20% / Economics / Unemployment
I am very skeptical of BLS unemployment rates inching lower. Not only do the BLS reports discount millions of marginally attached and discouraged workers but BLS seasonal adjustments seem more than a bit unusual.
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Friday, March 11, 2011
U.S. Jobless Claims, Too Soon to Question if Decline Represents Reversal of Trend / Economics / Unemployment
Initial jobless claims rose 26,000 to 397,000 during the week ended March 5. The Labor Department noted that President's Day holiday in the prior week could have moved claims into the latest weekly count. The four-week moving average of initial jobless claims offers an alternative in the event of temporary distortions.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, March 07, 2011
15 Tips for Staying Sane While Unemployed / Personal_Finance / Unemployment
There is nothing easy about being unemployed. It is stressful. It depletes your sense of self-confidence and takes away any feeling of financial stability that you may once have had. The longer that unemployment drags on, the more it feels like it’s going to make you crazy. However, there are many things that you can do to keep your sanity even while you’re unemployed. While it may sometimes be tough to motivate yourself to do these things, doing so will improve your mental health during your job search and make you a more appealing candidate at those interviews!
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Friday, March 04, 2011
U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Show Noticeable Improvement / Economics / Unemployment
Initial jobless claims fell 20,000 to 368,000 during the week ended February 27. This reading is the lowest since May 2008 (see Chart 8). Continuing claims, which lag initial jobless claims by one week, declined 59,000 to 3.774 million, the lowest since October 2008 (see Chart 9). Both of these readings suggest a noticeable improvement in the labor market. The number of applicants obtaining unemployment insurance under the special programs increased roughly 57,000 for the week ended February 13.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Ten Reasons Why it is So Difficult to Find a Job in America Today / Economics / Unemployment
Have you been unemployed lately? If so, then you probably know how frustrating it is to try to find a job in the United States today. It now takes the average unemployed worker about 33 weeks to find a job. There are millions of Americans that have not been able to find a full-time job even after searching hard for an entire year. Some areas of the United States have been devastated so badly by the economic downturn that they are starting to resemble war zones. Unless you have been there, it is hard to even try to describe the extreme frustration that one feels when you are unable to pay the mortgage and feed your family. It can be absolutely soul-crushing.
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Friday, February 11, 2011
Weather Distorts Initial Jobless Claims / Economics / Unemployment
Initial jobless claims fell 36,000 to 383,000 during the week ended February 5. A large part of the nation experienced severely inclement weather during this week, which suggests that the initial jobless claims numbers of the past week did not capture the entire count. Next week's report should give a better read on initial jobless claims. Continuing claims, which lag initial jobless claims by one week, dropped 47,000 to 3.888 million after a decline of 74,000 the prior week.
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Friday, February 04, 2011
Initial Jobless Claims Decline, Assessment of Labor Market Little Changed / Economics / Unemployment
Initial jobless claims fell 42,000 during the week ended January 29 to 415,000, reversing nearly the entire 54,000 jump recorded in the prior week. The Labor Department has indicated that declines in initial jobless claims were from states who reported storm-related increases in the prior week. Inclement weather in several states this week suggests that additional backlogs due to bad weather are likely to distort readings once again. Continuing claims, which lag initial jobless claims by one week, fell 84,000 to 3.925 million. Claims filed under special programs, which lag initial jobless claims by two weeks, show a small drop for the week ended January 15 (4.55 million vs. 4.69 million for week ended January 8, see Chart 8).Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
How Fast Has the Jobless Rate Declined After Prior Recessions? / Economics / Unemployment
The 9.4% unemployment rate in December 2010, an elevated reading, is down from a high of 10.1% in October 2009. The recent cycle low for the unemployment rate was 4.4% in May 2007. Although each business cycle is different, it is still worthwhile to recall how fast the jobless rate has declined in the past 60 years after each recession.Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 21, 2011
U.S. Jobless Claims Reverse Gains Posted Last Week / Economics / Unemployment
Initial jobless claims dropped 37,000 to 404,000 during the week ended January 15 after advancing 30,000 in the prior week. Additional weekly readings will be necessary to confirm if the reversal is not temporary.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The Global Economic Slump: Dramatic Job Losses in all Major Regions of the World / Economics / Unemployment
Prof David McNally writes: I have never accepted the postmodernist contention that contemporary capitalism is all about smoke and mirrors. The notion that ideology and illusion make the system go round strikes me as another mode of reductionism – this one based on culture rather than, say, economics. But it must be said that, at first blush, the mainstream business media certainly offers some sustenance for the smoke and mirrors thesis.
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Thursday, December 16, 2010
Britain's Jobless Economic Recovery as UK Unemployment Hits 2.5 million / Economics / Unemployment
The latest UK unemployment data caught the mainstream press and academic economists by surprise by showing a rise of 35k to 2.5 million (7.9%) for the three months to September 2010. UK unemployment is particularly hitting young people hard which risks creating a lost generation of increasingly angry youth (19.8% unemployed), as well as 1/2 million jobs expected to be cut from the public sector over the next 2 years, many of whom will find it difficult to adapt to the private sector jobs market.
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Wednesday, December 08, 2010
U.S. Jobs Off Shoring Tsunami Quantitative Easing 3, a Perfect Stagflation Storm / Economics / Unemployment
Whilst most of the recent economic data seem to demonstrate a steady, albeit slow recovery in the United States, the November employment figures from the Labor Dept. threw a curve ball into the mix as the unemployment rate unexpectedly jumped to 9.8% from 9.6% held since August.
That brought the jobless rate to its 19th straight month of 9% or more, which is the longest stretch since World War II, while the unemployment rate of people with a college degree (25 and older) also hit a 40-year high of 5.1%.
Friday, December 03, 2010
More Economic Stimulus Means Fewer U.S. Jobs / Economics / Unemployment
Today's payroll report severely disappointed on the downside and left economists scratching their heads to explain the weakness. The explanation, however, is plain as day. As I have been saying for years, the US economy will not create jobs as long as the Fed keeps interest rates artificially low, and Congress keeps stimulating spending and consumer debt, punishing employers with mandates, regulations, and taxes, crowding out private investment with massive government borrowing, and preventing market forces from restructuring our out-of-balance economy.
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Friday, December 03, 2010
U.S. Labor Market Musings Prior to the November Employment Report / Economics / Unemployment
Labor market indicators are sending a mixed message. Today's jobless claims report continues to suggest that the economic recovery is not sufficiently strong to bring about a meaningful reduction in the number of jobless claims. Initial jobless claims rose 26,000 to 436,000 during the week ended November 27.
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Thursday, November 25, 2010
U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Decline / Economics / Unemployment
Initial jobless claims fell 34,000 to 407,000 during the week ended November 20. This is the lowest count of initial jobless claims since July 19, 2008. The four-week moving average, at 436,000, is noticeably below 450,000, which has been the level around which initial jobless claims have been holding since April. Continuing claims, which lag initial claims by one week, fell 142,000 to 4.182 million. Unemployment insurance claims under special programs also dropped 262,000 for the week ended November 6 (see Chart 7). The decline in initial jobless claims suggests that labor market conditions are improving
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