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June 11, 2012
The Numbers: Unemployment Claims Fall; Economic Growth Expected to Continue

CHICAGO — Economic data show slight improvement, while consumers remain cautious

THE END OF APRIL BROUGHT a decrease to the number of unemployment insurance claims, says the U.S. Department of Labor. For the week ending April 28, the initial claims decreased 27,000, to 365,000 from the previous week’s figure of 392,000. For the week ending April 21, the overall number of unemployed decreased slightly, to 3,276,000.

To go along with those figures, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports there were 3.7 million job openings at the end of March, basically the same as February but up from the figure of 3.1 million reported during the same time frame in 2011. The number of nonfarm job openings has increased by 1.3 million since June 2009.

While jobs have grown for the last several months, the number of new jobs in April increased by 115,000, about half of the previously month. The unemployment rate remained at 8.1%, the bureau reported.

May 16, 2012
The Numbers: Unemployment Rate Falls; Consumer Confidence Increases Slightly

CHICAGO — While the unemployment rate went down slightly, job growth slowed noticeably

WHILE JOB GROWTH SLOWED for the month of March, with the market adding only 121,000 private-sector jobs, the unemployment rate fell to 8.2%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“We’ve added nearly half a million manufacturing jobs since February 2010,” says Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “We cannot rest on our laurels and expect to coast our way back to prosperity.”

The figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show little change from January to February, with 3.6 million job openings, a hires rate of 3.3% and a separations rate of 3.1%. Compared with the 4.3 million job openings when the recession began in December 2007, the current rate has increased 46% since the end of the recession in June 2009.

March 8, 2012
The Numbers: Positive Outlook for Unemployment, Consumer Spending, GDP

CHICAGO — January ’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%

CHICAGO — JANUARY’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE dropped to 8.3%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the lowest since February 2009.

“The economy added 257,000 private-sector jobs last month, exceeding expectations,” says Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “These numbers show that the labor market continues on a positive trajectory.

In response to the positive numbers, the Dow Jones jumped the day after the announcement while the Nasdaq index reached a level that hasn’t been seen since December 2000.

THE FEDERAL RESERVE DISTRICTS reported modest growth for December, indicating ongoing improvement in the country’s economy. Consumer spending increased in most of the 12 districts, showing strong holiday sales compared to that of 2010, and activity expanded in the travel and tourist sector as well.

February 7, 2012
The Numbers: Unemployment, Mortgage Applications, U.S. Competitiveness

CHICAGO — DECEMBER FOUND THE U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT rate dropping to a nearly three-year low of 8.5%, with non-farm payrolls increasing by 200,000 in the month alone, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Economists had expected a 150,000 increase, and the number was the largest hike in three months. The forecasted unemployment rate was 8.7%.

January 9, 2012
The Numbers: Unemployment, Mortgage Applications, Pending Home Sales

CHICAGO — Helping to ring in a better new year are the Federal Reserve Board, the nation’s unemployment numbers and job growth, mortgage applications, and pending home sales.

ALL BUT ONE OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE DISTRICTS reported an increase in economic activity in a report filed Nov. 30. The districts saw a slow to moderate upward trend in consumer spending, with the strongest upticks occurring in vehicle sales and tourism dollars. Manufacturing activity and overall bank lending also increased slightly.

THE NOVEMBER JOBLESS RATE was down to 8.6%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, with an estimated 120,000 jobs added—that’s the fifth month in a row to post 100,000 or more new jobs, a first since April 2006. However, a downswing in wages slightly offset that good news.

The department reports a decrease in the weekly seasonally adjusted unemployment claims in the week ending Dec. 3, as the number went to 381,000 from the previous week’s revised number of 404,000.

September 22, 2011
The Numbers: Jobs, Mortgages, and Consumer Confidence

CHICAGO — Early September brought a new proposal—the Americans Jobs Act—from President Barack Obama, which includes incentives for small-business owners to aid in cutting taxes and adding employees.

The proposal cuts employer payroll taxes in half, offers a series of tax credits for companies that hire workers who have been unemployed for longer than six months, establishes an “infrastructure bank” to offer loans for private-sector projects, funds a variety of transportation projects, intends to modernize schools and vacant properties, extends unemployment benefits and subsidizes jobs training programs, pumps money into communities for teachers and first responders, and sets up a summer jobs program for teens.

The bipartisan super committee in Congress—tasked with finding ways to reduce the nation’s debt by December—was due to hear the president’s proposals on cutting debt later in the month.

August 1, 2007
DOL Releases New Minimum Wage Poster

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released a revised Federal minimum wage poster to reflect the recently enacted increases to the minimum wage. The poster can be viewed, downloaded and printed from its website, www.dol.gov.

April 18, 2007
Labor Dept. May Investigate Navisa Closure

BRENHAM, Texas — Texas officials have asked the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate whether the more than 70 employees who lost their jobs this month at Navisa’s manufacturing plant in Brenham, Texas, are eligible for additional benefits.

The Houston-based hanger manufacturer shuttered the plant abruptly April 2. Employees returning to work that day found the doors locked and a sign on the door blaming “foreign competition” for the closure.