Posted on 03/06/2014 7:04:44 AM PST by SeekAndFind
WASHINGTON -- Initial jobless claims fell sharply last week to their lowest level in three months, the Labor Department said Thursday, as a private report showed layoffs eased in February.
About 323,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits in the week ending Saturday, down from 349,000, the previous week, the Labor Department said.
The falloff was steeper than that expected by analysts, who had forecast 338,000 first-time claims. Last week's figure was the lowest since the end of November.
Also on Thursday, outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said the pace of business downsizing decreased last month. U.S. employers announced 41,835 planned layoffs in February, down 7.3% from the previous month, it said.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Are these the raw, unrevised numbers designed to make Ubama look relatively good or is this the revised downward numbers the Men Seeking Men media will ignore?
Just in time!
Can’t wait for the Staples/RadioShock closures to worm their way into the system...
fun and suspense in “Fun with Numbers Thursday”
I have been following these first time jobless claim numbers for nearly 5 years ( since the 2009 mass layoffs and financial crisis reached its apex ).
For the past 3 years, I have been reading news reports in effect always saying — the recovery is here because first time jobless claim numbers are down for the past few weeks.
However, they begin to rise again and the so called low weekly first time jobless claim numbers ( which have NEVER fallen below 320,000 since 2009 ) are inevitably revised UPWARDS.
Hence, they say this week that jobless claims are down 26,000 from last week to 323,000. What they did not say was last week’s jobless claim report was 348,000. This means it has been revised UPWARDS by 1,000.
How many of us want to bet that the 323,000 this week will be revised significantly up by next week?
RE: Can’t wait for the Staples/RadioShock closures to worm their way into the system...
Don’t forget the announced layoffs ( over 10,000 each ) from IBM and Barclays. And oh yeah, let’s not forget Best Buy closing stores as well.
Eventually, you run out of unemployed people who aren’t covered.
No worries. Always more jobs, just have to be willing to re-locate...
In Northern Virginia and DC, of course.
Bingo.
Both of our parties, are selling out America.
Bring back jobs to AMERICA.
Cripes! It has been 6 full solid years since the economy tanked and went into a depression. And they are even praising that layoffs might have “eased”.
WTF. I mean, 10 years from now when the economy finally turns around they will make it sound like the liberal asswipe in office did something to cause it, rather than just 15 years of depression running its natural course.
I so hate the media.
Is anybody else besides me pissed off that we are still even having layoffs 6 years later? I’m not surprised by them, with the uncertainty of Obamacare and the other mass of government regulations coming our way. And the massive handouts being doled out for becoming a bum.
Still pissed off though.
My view is that many people are being demoted to part timers to avoid Obamacare and more are being hired to pick up the slack. It pimps the numbers while actually degrading the standard of living.
Wait until next week or the week after when they re-release this week’s “corrected” number.
Most companies have cut personnel sufficiently and are operating efficiently now without many more layoffs or new hires.
DOWNSIZING AND RIGHTSIZING
http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/De-Ele/Downsizing-and-Rightsizing.html
Unspun and decoded LAT: 323,000 people stopped looking for work.
Isn’t it interesting that when unemployment applications are very slightly less it’s a “sharp drop”, but when the numbers go up it’s an “unexpected rise” ?
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