New U.S. jobless claims hit lowest level in five years
The Labor Department said the rapid drop in claims may be a short-term distortion. Long-term and extended claims for unemployment increased.
Unemployment
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HICKS: Why is the unemployment rate still so high?
The Great Recession wasn’t caused by a housing market collapse; it was more than that. Our economic unwinding required lots of failures.
U.S. unemployment rate remains at 7.8 percent
U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs in December, a steady gain that shows hiring held up during the tense negotiations to resolve the fiscal cliff.
Weekly unemployment applications rise to 372,000
More Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, though the winter holidays likely distorted the data from the U.S. Labor Department for the second straight week.
U.S. economy adds 146,000 jobs as unemployment rate slips
The Labor Department’s report Friday offered a mixed picture of the economy. Hiring remained steady during November in the face of looming tax increases. But the jobless rate slipped in part because more people stopped looking for work.
State’s unemployment rate drops to 8 percent
Indiana added 7,700 private-sector jobs in October, marking the largest monthly gain since May, as the unemployment rate fell for the second straight month.
U.S. jobless benefit applications fall slightly
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week by 8,000, but the figures were distorted by Superstorm Sandy. The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, rose by 3,250.
U.S. unemployment rate rises despite job gains
President Barack Obama will face voters with the highest unemployment rate of any incumbent since Franklin Roosevelt.
Financial crisis pushes millennials to fiscal conservatism
Researchers find that the recession had a particularly profound effect on the political attitudes of younger millennials, who’ve come of age as the adults who preceded them have lost homes, jobs and retirement funds. Their age group also faces high unemployment.
Indiana sheds jobs but unemployment rate falls
Indiana’s unemployment rate fell to 8.2 percent in September, the first decline for the rate since April, despite a loss of 6,000 private-sector jobs.
U.S. jobless claims fall to lowest level in over 4 years
Unemployment benefit applications are a proxy for layoffs. When they consistently drop below 375,000, it suggests that hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate.
Hopes slipping among state business owners
A survey of Hoosier business owners shows an increasingly a ho-hum outlook, with only one in seven optimistic for their own company and even fewer encouraged about the U.S. economy.
Bernanke: Economy growing much too slowly to put people back to work
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a local lunch crowd that he expects the economy to keep growing, but he said the growth is so slow that it could create a "permanent group" of underemployed Americans.
Unemployment aid applications hit 2-month low
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits plunged to its lowest level in nine weeks. Other economic figures released Thursday were mainly disappointing.
State’s unemployment rate rises to 8.3 percent
Indiana’s jobless rate rose to 8.3 percent in August from 8.2 percent in July despite the addition of 11,000 private-sector jobs, the state announced Friday morning. The state is questioning the calculation.
Weekly U.S. unemployment claims remain high
The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits declined by 3,000 last week, to 382,000. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose for the fifth straight week, to 377,750, the highest level in nearly three months.
U.S. unemployment rate dips despite weak jobs report
The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent in July, the Labor Department said Friday. But that was only because more people gave up looking for work. Hourly pay fell, manufacturers cut the most jobs in two years and the number of people in the work force dropped to its lowest level in 31 years.
U.S. unemployment applications flat for the week
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits was unchanged last week at a seasonally adjusted 374,000, suggesting little improvement in the job market.
State officials crack down on unemployment fraud
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development has caught more than 135 people falsely claiming benefits since 2006. Sixty-two of those have been convicted of felonies, including 14 this year.
U.S. jobless claims increase to highest level in a month
The number of Americans filing first-time applications for unemployment benefits climbed last week to a one-month high, showing little progress in the labor market.