U.S. Jobless Claims Fall, But Are Jobs Being Created?

Jan. 13, 2005
By John S. McClenahen Initial claims for unemployment compensation fell by 2,000 to 389,000 during the week ending Aug. 17, reveal the latest data from the U.S. Labor Department's Employment & Training Administration. Claims for the previous week were ...
ByJohn S. McClenahen Initial claims for unemployment compensation fell by 2,000 to 389,000 during the week ending Aug. 17, reveal the latest data from the U.S. Labor Department's Employment & Training Administration. Claims for the previous week were revised upward to 391,000. The numbers are consistent with a stabilizing U.S. labor market. But the question remains: Is the U.S. economy creating a significant number of new jobs? The recent answer has been "No." Another response will come on Sept. 6, when the Labor Department is slated to release employment data for August. Merrill Lynch & Co., New York, is expecting to see payroll gains of about 50,000. With all other economic factors being equal, that kind of increase in jobs could persuade Alan Greenspan and his colleagues on the Federal Open Market Committee to keep the short-term interest rate target at 1.75% -- although with a "bias" toward a cut in the federal funds rate in the near future.

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Gain a competitive edge with real-world lessons on private 5G networks

Nov. 16, 2023
The use of private networks in manufacturing applications is rapidly growing. In this paper, we present valuable insights and lessons learned from the field with the goal of enhancing...

How Manufacturers Can Optimize Operations with Weather Intelligence

Nov. 2, 2023
The bad news? Severe weather has emerged as one of the biggest threats to continuity and safety in manufacturing. The good news? The intelligence solutions that build weather ...

The Benefits of Continuous Thermal Monitoring

Oct. 17, 2023
Read this eBook to learn more about collecting and using data intelligently to improve performance.

Beat the odds. Optimize product costs. Mitigate supply chain issues.

Sept. 12, 2023
Leverage fact-based supplier negotiations. Enhance design. Get to market faster. Our comprehensive Should Cost Analysis guide shows you how.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!