Category: unemployment

EXCLUSIVE: How Nebraska Has the Lowest Unemployment Rate in the Nation: Gov. Pete Ricketts

Last month, Nebraska reported a new record-low unemployment rate in December, 1.7 percent, the lowest in the nation since data collection began in 1976. In an exclusive interview with NTD, Governor Pete Ricketts explained how Nebraska made it possible. “It’s because we have a pro-business state here,” Ricketts told “NTD Business” in an interview broadcast…


Unemployment Claims Drop for 3rd Straight Week, Pointing to More Labor Market Tightening

The number of American workers filing weekly jobless claims—a proxy for layoffs—have declined for the third straight week, pointing to further firming of an already tight labor market. First-time filings for unemployment insurance came in at 223,000 for the week ending Feb. 5, down 16,000 from the prior week’s revised level of 239,000, the Labor…


European Unemployment Shows Big Government Means Poor Jobs

Commentary The unemployment rate in the euro area fell to 7 percent in December and 6.4 percent (pdf) in the European Union, compared with the United States at 3.9 percent. We mustn’t forget that these unemployment rates don’t include furloughed jobs covered by unemployment retention schemes, which account for another 5 million workers waiting to…


California’s Appeal for Proof of Unemployment Eligibility Flops

California’s attempt to claw back more than $20 billion in unemployment insurance (UI) payments from those who didn’t qualify for benefits has flopped, with 80 percent of the 1.4 million recipients contacted failing to respond to the government’s request to prove their eligibility. The federally funded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program was designed to help…


Fed’s Bullard Says US Unemployment Rate Can Go Below 3 Percent This Year

NEW YORK—St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said he sees the unemployment rate falling below 3 percent this year, a jobless rate the U.S. economy last saw in the early 1950s. “I think unemployment is going to go down below 3 percent this year,” Bullard said on Tuesday in a Reuters interview. He…


‘We Could Walk Away With Nothing’: NSW Business Hit Hard by Omicron

Bookshop café Gertrude and Alice used to see customers coming in droves during summertime. But since the Omicron strain tore through Sydney two months ago, the Bondi Beach shop is losing money every day just by keeping its doors open. “We may as well be in lockdown,” said owners of 21 years Jane Turner, who…


Weekly Unemployment Claims Jump In Possible Sign of Omicron Hit to Jobs Recovery

The number of American workers filing weekly jobless claims—a proxy for layoffs—rose by 23,000 from the prior week in what could be a sign of an impact from the Omicron surge, though the number of people continuing to claim benefits hit a multi-decade low, suggesting further labor market tightening. First-time filings for unemployment insurance came…


Maryland Department of Labor Implores Lawmakers to Hold Off on UI Tax Changes During ‘Tenuous Economic Time’

With short-term solvency and an ongoing pandemic in play, the head of Maryland’s Department of Labor recommended lawmakers not make any tax policy changes to the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) system for at least another year. Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson went before the state Joint Unemployment Insurance Oversight Committee on Jan. 6 and discussed a…


Statistics Canada Says Economy Added 55,000 Jobs in December, Unemployment Rate 5.9%

OTTAWA—The Canadian economy added 55,000 jobs in December before COVID-19 cases began spiking at the end of the month, Statistics Canada said Friday. The agency said in its labour force survey that the increase in the number of people working came as the unemployment rate edged down to 5.9 percent compared with 6.0 percent in…


Weekly Jobless Claims Drop Below Pre-Pandemic Levels in Sign of Continued Labor Market Tightness

The number of weekly jobless filings—a proxy for layoffs—dropped by 8,000 from the prior week to below pre-pandemic levels, delivering a fresh sign of continued tightening in the U.S. jobs market. First-time filings for unemployment insurance fell to 198,000 for the week ending Dec. 25, the Labor Department said in a report (pdf). The four-week…