Free Republic

Mayor de Blasio is set to send out layoff notices Monday, but trimming the city workforce won’t come close to addressing the ginormous fiscal and economic challenges ahead. Consider the July jobless figures out last week: 15.9 percent statewide, 20 percent (one of five workers) in the city. In The Bronx, 25 percent were jobless, a rate last seen during the Great Depression. New York’s numbers are far worse than those for the nation, which saw only 10.2 percent of employees off the job. And don’t blame it all on COVID: Last week, the state was posting the third-lowest number...

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits topped 1 million for the twentieth straight week — bringing the total number of initial jobless claims filed during the coronavirus pandemic to more than 55 million. An additional 1.186 million people filed for unemployment last week, according to the US Department of Labor. Jobless claims were down 249,000 from the week prior, but at a total of 55.3 million, the number of Americans who have filed for unemployment claims during the course of the pandemic is greater than the populations of New York and Texas combined — and has long since...

New claims for unemployment benefits rose to 1.41 million last week, data from the Department of Labor showed Thursday. This is the 18th consecutive week of initial claims above 1 million. Prior to March, initial claims had never risen as high as 700,000. Economists had forecast 1.3 million claims. The prior week was initially reported as 1.3 million claims. The Labor Department revised that figure up by 7,000. Claims hit a record 6.87 million for the week of March 27. Until this week, each subsequent week has seen claims decline. Continuing claims during the week ending July 11 fell to...

Preschool teacher Lainy Morse has been out of work for more than two months. But the Portland, Ore., child care center where she worked is considering a reopening. Morse says she is dreading the idea, as much as she loves the infants and toddlers for which she cared. "They always have snotty faces. It's just one cold after another," she says. "It feels just like an epicenter for spreading disease. And it feels really scary to go back to that." In addition to risking infection with COVID-19, going back to work would also mean a cut in pay for Morse....

Initial jobless claims surged to more 6.6 million last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. That brings the two-week total to about 10 million due to the coronavirus-induced economic shutdown. The torrent of Americans filing for unemployment insurance skyrocketed last week as more than 6.6 million new claims were filed, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That brings to 10 million the total Americans who filed over the past two weeks. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected 3.1 million for last week, one week after 3.3 million filings in the first wave of what has been a record-shattering swelling of...

Applications for unemployment benefits fell to a new 49-year low for the third straight week, reflecting a tight job market. U.S. filings for jobless claims fell 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 201,000 in the week ended Sept. 15, the lowest level since Nov. 15 1969, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week moving average, which is a better gauge for the direction of job market, was 205,750, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week's 208,000, the lowest level since Dec. 6, 1969 when it was 204,500. The effects of Hurricane Florence, which hit North Carolina and South Carolina last...

U.S. job openings rose to 6.7 million at the end of April, compared with the 6.3 million Americans who were unemployedThe U.S. had more job openings this spring than unemployed Americans. For the first time since such record-keeping began in 2000, the number of available positions exceeded the number of job seekers, the Labor Department said Tuesday, a shift that is rippling across the economy and affecting the behavior of employers and workers. U.S. job openings rose to a seasonally adjusted 6.7 million at the end of April, a record high, and more than the 6.3 million Americans who were...

The state of California, the once Bright and Shinning star of the future of the USA Republic is that no more...not even a shadow of its former self. Once the land of aerospace, hot rods (auto engineering & development), surfers, massive tourism, now dies slowly on the vine of failed progressive, Democrat Party failed leadership and neglect. Read my lips..."There is no such thing as a free lunch. The streets of San Francisco & Los Angeles are filled with budding "tent cities" of the homeless, the streets are filled with garbage dirt, human waste rotting is the open air, unabated...

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to near a 44-year low last week, pointing to further tightening of the labor market even as economic growth appears to have remained moderate in the first quarter.

Former NAACP branch president Rachel Dolezal, who lied about being black but still identifies as black, is now jobless, living on food stamps and expects to lose her home next month. "There's no protected class for me," the former NAACP branch president told The Guardian. "I'm this generic, ambiguous scapegoat for white people to call me a race traitor and take out their hostility on. And I'm a target for anger and pain about white people from the black community. It's like I am the worst of all these worlds." Dolezal has applied for over 100 jobs, but has received...

U.S. jobless claims jumped to the highest level since mid-June, the government said Thursday. The Labor Department said jobless claims in the week ending Dec. 17 rose a seasonally adjusted 21,000 to 275,000. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected claims of 258,000. The four-week average of claims, a less volatile indicator, rose by 6,000 to 263,750. ... The ratio of continuing claims to the total number of unemployed was 27% in November, compared to a low of 34% during the previous expansion. That’s an indication of fewer people eligible for unemployment insurance — perhaps, due to the rise of the so-called...

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since February 2015, more sobering news for the labor market after a disappointing April jobs report. The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for jobless aid rose by 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 294,000. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose by 10,250 to 268,250, highest in nearly three months. […] “Today’s jobless claims report was a surprise, and not a positive one,” said Jim Baird, chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors. “Jobless claims have moved sharply higher in recent weeks, reinforcing...

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, hitting its lowest level since 1973, suggesting an apparent sharp slowdown in economic growth in the first quarter could be temporary. While another report on Thursday showed a mild weakening in factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region in April, manufacturers were fairly upbeat about business prospects in the next six months. This, together with labor market buoyancy bodes well for a pick-up in economic growth in the second quarter. "The labor market continues to improve. If the apparent slowing in GDP in the first quarter was truly a...

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose modestly last week while revisions for prior weeks showed the labor market was much stronger than previously thought. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 265,000 for the week ended March 19, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's claims were revised to show 6,000 fewer applications received than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 268,000 in the latest week. The government also revised data going back to 2011, which showed claims trending lower than previously reported. Claims for...

WASHINGTON — Surprise: America's discouraged workers are finding jobs — or so it seems. Unanticipated by many economists, this is good news for the country (and, assuming it continues, probably for Democrats this fall). Ever since the Great Recession, economists have worried that the severity and length of the slump would forever consign many workers to the sidelines. Their prolonged disconnect from jobs would corrode their morale, contacts and job skills. For years, the numbers seemed to confirm these fears. The labor-force participation rate — the share of Americans 16 and over with a job or looking for one —...

Donald Trump seems quite certain that the real unemployment rate is higher than the 4.9 percent that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported it to be. A lot higher. "Don't believe these phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment," Mr. Trump said in his victory speech after the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night. "The number's probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent." Mr. Trump might be bombastic, but he's not entirely wrong. And the ways in which he is wrong are actually useful for anyone who wants to...

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but remained below levels associated with a healthy labor market. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 284,000 for the week ended Jan. 9, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's claims were unrevised.Still, it was the 45th consecutive week that claims remained below the 300,000 mark, which is associated with strong labor market conditions. That is the longest such stretch since the early 1970s. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims slipping to 275,000 in the latest week. The increase...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The number of Americans who sought unemployment benefits at the end of August rose to a two-month high, but so-called initial claims are still at very low levels that suggest a low rate of layoffs in the economy. Initial jobless claims in the period running from Aug. 23 to Aug. 29 rose by 12,000 to 282,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the highest level since the end of June. Still, new claims have been under the key 300,000 level for the past six months, the longest streak since 2000. The average of new claims over the...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney/WIBW) -- There is good news, but there are still serious concerns because only 123,000 of those jobs were full time. Analysis will be found at the bottom of the story and in attached government reports. Officials claim that the U.S. economy added 295,000 jobs in February, which crushed expectations. That beat the estimate from CNNMoney's survey of economists, who predicted 235,000 job gains.

The latest jobs report showed the unemployment rate was at its lowest level in six years, 5.8 percent. But Americans aren't convinced that things are nearly that good. In a recent Ipsos-MORI poll, 1,001 Americans were asked, "Out of every 100 people of working age, how many do you think are unemployed and looking for work?" Their average response was 32. That's almost 26 percentage points higher than the 6.1-percent jobless rate in August, when the poll was conducted. Americans are way, way off here. But they aren't alone. Here's how other countries' average estimated unemployment rates stack up to...