Posted on 04/04/2019 8:07:17 AM PDT by Red Badger
Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell, dropping to the lowest since December 1969, as the labor market tightened further.
Jobless claims decreased to 202,000 in the week ended March 30, below all economist forecasts, Labor Department figures showed Thursday. The four-week average, a less-volatile measure, declined to 213,500, the lowest since October.
The surprising drop in claims is an indication that the labor market continued to tighten, with employers holding onto workers and loathe to let them go.
The level of continuing claims, which had moved up in recent months, fell the most since November in the week ended March 23.
At the same time, the ADP Research Institute said this week that firms added the fewest workers in March since 2017, potentially signaling some weakness. A Bloomberg survey of economists had forecast a gain of 215,000.
Continuing claims, which are reported with a one-week lag, fell by 38,000 to 1.717 million in the week ended March 23.
The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.2%. The level has been unchanged since May. The previous week’s claims were revised up to 212,000 from 211,000.
There are plenty of workers, but employers won’t, or can’t pay enough. Once work requirements really kick in for various aid programs we might see a change.
obamanomics must finally be kicking in ... be sure to vote Democrat in 2020 to keep the good times rolling ...
I get contacted by 4-5 recruiters every week. These people are calling me to fill jobs that would have been a career step DOWN for me — even ten years ago. There’s almost a level of desperation out there.
Trumps fault.
Don't ask employers to train new workers for anything other than entry-level jobs. I've been in that position before, and we steered clear of that because there is no effective way to keep these people from going to work for your competitors.
Headhunter’s looking for heads.....................
Question for the 2020 Presidential election debate: “During the last four years, unemployment has fallen to a 50 year low, wages have risen by an average of 8%, unemployment amongst blacks, hispanics and females is the lowest ever recorded, U.S. oil and natural gas production is at an all timehigh and the U.S. is a net exporter of oil and gas for the first time ever, U.S. manufacturing jobs have increased by over a million, and the stock market is at an all time high, so my question is: “As President, what would you do to perpetuate and even increase this economic growth?”
Can’t wait to hear the corrupt fake news media spin this negatively.
Dem candidate response:
First, Mr. Catnipman, I do not accept the premise of your question. All of those numbers are bogus, coming from an administration of liars, cheats and homophobes.....blah, blah, blah..............
No. If there were plenty of workers as you suggest then wages would not be climbing nor would the number of available jobs exceed workers available to fill them as current statistics suggest.
There are about 1.3-1.7 million more jobs listed as there are workers available to fill them. Now you can argue that low wages preclude many unemployed from taking certain jobs but that just proves that labor is just like any commodity and is subject too the immutable laws of supply and demand.
Business can either pay the prevailing wage demands or they will fail as long as there are other businesses willing to pay it.
Left alone the marketplace is the very best regulator of wages and prices.
I would advise every person working in a career they love to always have a game plan for self-employment on short notice.
Well, I agree with you about the marketplace, and in general.
My disagreement is how ‘available workers’ is defined. I know plenty of lazy bums who have scammed SDI or other programs who are perfectly capable of working. Hell, I have a co-worker who is a quadriplegic. Maybe I’m “intolerant” because the standards I have for ‘unable to work’ are too high....
Let the marketplace decide, for sure.
“Don’t ask employers to train new workers for anything other than entry-level jobs.” What you say makes *some* sense, but OTOH if you don’t have any other options then you pretty much HAVE to train them and simply treat (and pay) them in such a manner that they *don’t* go to competitors. It’s only fair, since in many cases workers have to face the reality that they could be let go even if they were doing a fine job, just because a competitor bought and consolidated their employer. The risk should cut both ways.
I, for one, think loyalty is something that will occur, but only if it’s shown to the employee. In an ‘employment at will’ state, and with an employer that has zero loyalty, of course employees will go elsewhere if not properly compensated.
In all, OJT is fine, it worked well for a long time, it’s the culture of no loyalty that is the problem.
AMEN to everything you say.
The one question you cannot legitimately answer is....How many of those “available” are WILLING to work. I can’t answer that either but my gut tells me a majority, perhaps the vast majority.
Your self righteous sanctimonious tirade ignores a fundamental fact about our culture in it’s present condition.....That we have turned into a welfare state and until laws are passed by Congress that make all benefits contigent on WORK, there will continue to be a significant % of people that will not work because they don’t have to.
This “condition” has been around for awhile but was reinforced and solidified during the 8 years of Obama.
I was being a tad facetious when I stated there was “nobody left to work” but there is more than a grain of truth in the comment. One simply has to drive down a Main St. in practically any town USA and see the “help wanted” signs.
So what do you do with people that really can’t work?
Exactly. They also know that they can continue to bring in H1B’s to park at entry level tech jobs for peanuts. That’s why so many job postings aren’t real. Post it for x number of days, amazingly fail to find a qualified applicant, get H1B or some other visa approved. It’s a cottage industry.
Unfortunately all the programs that were initiated for that purpose have evolved into a cradle to grave umbrella providing food, shelter and amenities to any and all whether they are able to work or not.
But But muh Russia, come on priorities dont ya know its all about Russia/sarc
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