Author: Vincent Trivett

Jobless Claims to Return to Normal

Initial claims for unemployment jumped from 385,000 to 412,000 in the first week of April, but experts say that this does not signal a reversal of the downward trend in layoffs.  Most economists forecast the number of initial weekly claims to go back below 400,000. The more reliable four-week moving […]

Public Sector Layoffs Add To Unemployment Rolls

Hiring in key areas of the private sector has been bullish, but increasing layoffs in the private sector are still a major headwind to job growth. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry, which has been hampered by a weak housing market and bad weather in […]

New Jobless Claims Drop Below 400,000

Initial jobless claims fell last week to the lowest level since July 2008. In the week that ended on February 5th, new applications for unemployment insurance totaled 383,000, a decrease of 36,000 from the previous week’s 419,000, according to the Department of Labor.  This drop in claims far exceeded expectations […]