Americans who are lucky enough to have jobs are hanging on to them longer. A new analysis of Census Bureau data shows that median job tenure in 2012 was the highest since at least the early 1980s. The Employment Benefit Research Institute said on Dec. 19 that the median time on the job for American … Continue reading
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending December 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 361,000, an increase of 17,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 344,000. The 4-week moving average was 367,750, a decrease of 13,750 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 381,500. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment … Continue reading
World economic growth has weakened substantially this year and faces the confluence of a triple threat — the fiscal cliff in the United States, a worsening European debt crisis and a sharp slowdown in China, the United Nations said in a year-end report released on Tuesday. The worst case, the report said, could be a … Continue reading
In January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics significantly reduced its projections for medium-term labor force participation. The revision implies that recent participation declines have largely been due to long-term trends rather than business-cycle effects. However, as the economy recovers, some discouraged workers may return to the labor force, boosting participation beyond the Bureau’s forecast. … Continue reading
All Americans willing and able to work have a right to paid employment. If the private sector can’t generate sufficient jobs, the public sector should provide them. This definition of “right to work” obviously differs from the one that Republican legislators in Michigan deployed when they passed a new law absolving workers from the responsibility … Continue reading
Before the recession, Amie Crawford was an interior designer, earning $50,000 a year patterning baths and cabinets for architectural firms. Now, she’s a “team member” at the Protein Bar in Chicago, where she makes $8.50 an hour, slightly more than minimum wage. It was the only job she could find after months of looking. Crawford, … Continue reading
Applications for jobless benefits fell by 29,000 to 343,000 in the week ended Dec. 8, the fewest since reaching a four-year low in the period ended Oct. 6, Labor Department figures showed today. Economists forecast 369,000 claims, according to the Bloomberg survey median. The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls declined for a fourth … Continue reading
The middle class crisis — and its resulting income inequality — is the most important economic story of our time. There are a million ways to tell it, and here’s another: an annotated slide show, culled from the amazing 2012 edition of the State of Working America from EPI. Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor … Continue reading
Exclusive new research from Bloomberg Businessweek has found that the pay gap among graduates of elite business schools, virtually non-existent a decade ago, is widening. Women now earn a nickel less than they used to in their first post-MBA jobs for every dollar earned by men. And those are the lucky ones. At about a … Continue reading
Agonizing over U.S. job losses often overlooks a primary cause of the problem: America’s severe trade deficit. Since the 1970s, U.S. imports have exceeded exports every year. “This deficit, now the world’s largest, kills jobs. It urgently needs to be fixed,” write Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele in their new book, The Betrayal … Continue reading
Recent days have produced a steady drip, drip, drip of good tidings about new jobs on America’s factory floors. Apple, Lenovo, LG Chem, and now Daimler AG have all recently said they plan to add manufacturing jobs in the US. President Obama hopes it’s a sign of the times, but economists say it’s, at best, a … Continue reading
Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) analysis of the BLS payroll data over the entire course of the recession and recovery shows that in November women passed men in the number of jobs regained in the recovery as a share of jobs lost in the recession. As of November, women have regained 54 percent (1.5 million) … Continue reading
The expansion of a Tennessee-based company will bring 550 jobs to the Volunteer State over the next four years. The state and company officials announced on Monday that Access America Transport will expand its Chattanooga and Knoxville facilities, adding 450 additional jobs in Chattanooga and 100 new jobs at the Knoxville facility. I want to … Continue reading
Why did the U.S. unemployment rate used to be so low? (and why it can be very low again) asked Regis Barnichon and Andrew Figura (Adapted choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor to follow) Between 1979 and 2000, the unemployment rate displayed a secular decline of about 2 ppt and reached 3.8% in April 2000, its lowest value in … Continue reading
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 146,000 in November, and the unemployment rate edged down to 7.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in retail trade, professional and business services, and health care. Household Survey Data The unemployment rate edged down to 7.7 percent in November. The number of unemployed … Continue reading