Child-care workers are quitting rapidly, a red flag for economy
The numbers are staggering: The child-care services industry is still down 126,700 workers—more than a 10 percent decline from pre-pandemic levels, Labor Department data shows.
Employment
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Amazon eyes 125K more hires at $18-plus per hour
Amazon’s starting pay is still $15 per hour, but with labor markets growing so tight in regions of the country, the company said new hires could make as much as $22.50 an hour. It’s also paying sign-on bonuses of $3,000 in some places.
Hiring might have slowed in August in face of delta variant
Economists have forecast that employers added 750,000 jobs in August, according to the data provider FactSet. That would represent a substantial gain, but below the roughly 940,000 jobs that were added in both June and July.
Indiana unemployment rate stuck at 4.1% while U.S. rate slides
An estimated 137,857 Hoosiers were unemployed and seeking jobs in July, the state reported Friday. That’s was down from 138,192 in June.
U.S. job openings hit record 10.1 million
The gap between openings and hiring suggests that firms are scrambling to find workers. Lingering health fears, difficulty getting child care at a time and expanded federal jobless aid may have kept some unemployed Americans from seeking work.
For first time, average hourly pay for supermarket, restaurant workers tops $15
Wages have been rising rapidly as the economy reopens and businesses struggle to hire enough workers. Some of the biggest gains have gone to workers in some of the lowest-paying industries.
U.S. manufacturing activity grew, but at slightly slower rate in June
June was the 13th consecutive month manufacturing has grown after contracting in April 2020, when coronavirus fears triggered business shutdowns across the country.
Retail workers quitting at record rates for higher-paying work
Retail workers, drained from the pandemic and empowered by a strengthening job market, are leaving jobs like never before.
Fired Cathedral teacher appeals dismissal of his lawsuit against archdiocese
Joshua Payne-Elliott, a foreign language and social studies teacher, sued the archdiocese after his contract with Cathedral High School was terminated in June 2019 for being in a same-sex marriage.
Changed by pandemic, many workers won’t return to old jobs
Layoffs and lockdowns, combined with enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, have given many Americans the time and the financial cushion to rethink their careers.
IBJ Podcast: Restaurants are getting busy again—but don’t have the staff to keep up
Host Mason King talks with two restauranteurs—Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery co-owner Danny Scotten and Upland Brewing Co. President David Bower—about how the labor crunch is affecting their eateries and what they’re doing to try to find workers.
Clusters of immigrants common at some workplaces
A 2014 study found that, on average, 37% of immigrants working in urban America had co-workers who were also immigrants.
Marketing tech firm ActiveCampaign lands $240M in investment capital
Chicago-based ActiveCampaign hasn’t realized the type of employment growth it projected in Indianapolis when it opened its local office two years ago. Company officials, however, emphasized this week that they still have big plans for the Indy office.
U.S. jobless claims fall to pandemic-low 547,000
Weekly jobless claims are down sharply from a peak of 900,000 in early January, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Indiana unemployment rate drops below 4% for first time since pandemic
The state’s unemployment rate has been doggedly retracing its steps over the last year from its latest spike, falling from 16.9% in April 2020 to 3.9% last month.
Jobvite moves HQ from California to Indianapolis, plans to add 200 employees
The recruiting technology company, which entered the local market with a single-employee office in 2014, began growing its Indianapolis operations after acquiring Canvas Talent Inc. in early 2019.
U.S. adds strong 379,000 jobs in hopeful sign for economy
The pickup in hiring lowered the unemployment rate from 6.3% to 6.2%, the Labor Department said Friday in its monthly jobs report. That is down dramatically from the 14.8% jobless rate of April of last year, just after the virus erupted in the United States.
U.S. job growth likely rose in February in rebound from slump
Economists have forecast that job growth reached 175,000 last month, according to data provider FactSet. That would mark a sharp improvement over an average of just 29,000 jobs a month from November through January.
State jobless rate continues to improve, hitting 5% in October
Indiana’s unemployment rate has been doggedly retracing its steps in recent months from 16.9% in April, when the pandemic paralyzed sections of the economy.
Employ Indy, Ascend Indiana launch paid high school apprenticeship program
The apprenticeship will enable high school students to attain soft skills, technical skills and relevant work experience in growing, high-demand industries.