Filed Under: Jobs Report
Published on: Monday, February 06, 2012
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The January US Jobs Report reported some good news with the picture showing a real upswing in job creation since mid-2011 and a recovery back to those levels seen early last year:
- much higher than expected 243,000 jobs created
- unemployment dipped to 8.3%
- 257,000 private sector jobs were created in the month (14,000 public sector jobs were eliminated in January)
- revisions to November also showed an additional increase in jobs created by 60,000
But what does that mean to you?
Published on: Monday, January 09, 2012
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Last month,
we reported the significant upswing in our exclusive Recruiter Confidence Index, a trajectory that began in
October. For the last nine years, this index has been a leading indicator for the economy and for executive hiring, and Friday's job report reinforced how strongly this indicator has led.
Consistent with what recruiters pointed to in September, and in a big way in our December survey, the employment picture continues to brighten.
Published on: Wednesday, December 07, 2011
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Many economic releases last week supported the notion of continued growth for the US economy. The Purchasing Managers' Report (an indicator of a rebounding manufacturing sector) crossed into expansionary areas. The monthly jobs report showed the private sector added 140,000 new jobs and revisions from prior months continued to show strength.
But, the most important economic releases last week were the retail sales figures from Black Friday and the first holiday sales weekend. They indicated that the consumer was starting to spend — which for the economy has been the missing link for faster growth. Consumer spending makes up 70 percent of the US economy. Over the last three years, they have been deleveraging themselves. The Black Friday reports were the first sign that may be easing.
Published on: Tuesday, November 08, 2011
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What surprised me most about Friday's job and unemployment report, was not 80K+ jobs added to the economy in October, but the revisions to prior months – notably August and September.
A lot of "hoopla" was generated in August when the jobs report showed no jobs were added to the economy. The media revved up talk about a "double dip recession." Coming on the heels of the government debt negotiations, the "pessimistic frenzy" was strong.
Published on: Tuesday, October 11, 2011
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The Labor Department reported last Friday that employers added 103,000 jobs in September. Hiring was stronger than expected and well above consensus and upper range estimates. With 34,000 jobs lost in federal and state governments, private sector hiring increased jobs by a solid +137,000.
With positive revisions to the previous July release (going from +85,000 to +127,000 jobs) and the August release (going from 0 to +57,000 jobs added), there was further good news and strength in the employment situation — though unemployment remained unchanged at 9.1%.
Published on: Monday, August 08, 2011
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Friday's jobs report showed an uptick in job creation and the lower unemployment claim numbers released on Thursday were another indicator that the jobs market is not on a downward spiral. This trend may be lost with all the other economic news that surrounded these releases and were clearly disturbing the financial markets over the last week.
Published on: Tuesday, July 12, 2011
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The June jobs report, released last Friday, was clearly disappointing in its aggregate picture. The total economy gained just 18,000 jobs in June, sharply missing most expectations and coming in even weaker than the 25,000 jobs added in May and significantly down from the three months prior, which had averaged over 200,000 jobs created monthly.
If there was any good news, it was that private sector businesses continued to add jobs in June (+57,000) — but again at levels slightly lower than May (+73,000) and significantly lower than the average in February through April. Currently, the private sector continues to show job growth, while the public sector is a clear drag to the overall economic numbers.
Published on: Monday, June 06, 2011
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At only 54,000 jobs created, the US jobs report on Friday was disappointing. Private sector jobs increased 83,000 but were still below the average of the first four months of 2011. Economists were expecting approximately 170,000 jobs to be added in May and similar numbers for the private sector.
One month does not make a trend, but the lower number of jobs created certainly shows a loss of momentum. It does continue to reinforce the unevenness of the recovery and shows the economy's continued slow advance against earlier hopeful expectations for a fuller rebound.
Published on: Monday, May 09, 2011
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On Friday, the US government released its job report for April, and it was good news. They showed growth in overall job creation in the economy of 244,000 jobs and even stronger private sector job growth of 268,000 jobs. Unemployment increased slightly to 9 percent as more people came back to the job market with the continuing improvement in the jobs market.
It was Mother's Day yesterday, and in deference to this holiday you may have missed some news; here are seven things you might not have heard about that are important:
Published on: Tuesday, October 12, 2010
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the September job numbers and though the total non-farm employment (-95K) disappointed many, unemployment remained steady as a percentage (9.6 %) and there was private sector employment growth (+64K) with some revisions upward for prior months.
The environment remains "wait and see" until the election or beyond in many respects as companies stay on the side lines with plenty of cash and strong balance sheets and income statements to make a move. It remains all about business confidence.
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