After a turbulent few months, unemployment filings fall again

Nov 15, 2024
Last week, 217,000 people filed new claims for unemployment insurance. Back in the summer and early fall, that number spiked as high as 260,000.
Jobless claims are back down to levels last seen in the spring, signaling low layoffs and a rebound in job gains to come.
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With more good news about the job market, why are we hearing about so many layoffs?

Feb 15, 2024
Layoff announcements at big companies --like Cisco, this week--can seem at odds with low unemployment claim numbers and positive monthly job reports.
Amid more good news about a bustling job market, Cisco announced major layoffs this week.
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Unemployment claims are at their lowest number since January

Sep 21, 2023
The labor market is still pretty tight, even after the last year and a half of rate hikes loosened things a bit.
Even without big hiring expansions, there are still more jobs out there than workers available to fill them.
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Fewer people are leaving their jobs. What's that mean for the economy?

Jun 1, 2023
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover report for April showed that the quits rate has dropped back to average levels in 2019.
U.S. unemployment claims rose slightly last week and the quits rate declined in April, suggesting a softer labor market.
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Workers have more leverage these days, but they're not less stressed

Apr 11, 2022
Nearly half of American workers are looking for a new job or plan to in the next year. One-third are ready to quit without a new job lined up.
One recent survey found that half of American workers think they’ll make more money just by switching jobs.
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Is it possible for unemployment numbers to be too low?

Apr 7, 2022
This week jobless claims were at their lowest since 1968. What's the economic downside of too few people looking for work?
The unemployment rate doesn't necessarily paint the whole jobs picture.
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Omicron’s peak coincided with key week for jobs data

Feb 2, 2022
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' "reference week," used to calculate employment, included Jan. 12 — when omicron was at its worst.
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What job trends will the new year bring?

Dec 30, 2021
The economy is growing and employers are still looking for workers, and that trend will probably continue for awhile.
The U.S. economy added 528,000 jobs in July, according to the latest jobs report, far outpacing expectations.
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Holiday cheer: Jobless claims hit Beatles-era low

Dec 16, 2021
The hot jobs market is giving employees leverage over employers.
The current labor crunch means fewer layoffs and rising wages.
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