Connect with us
Newsletters Signup!
Archive for the ‘Jobs’ Category
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday (January 6) that employers added 200,000 jobs in December with the unemployment rate dropping to 8.5%. That’s 50,000 more jobs than economists expected. The unemployment rate averaged 8.9 percent last year, down from 9.6 percent the previous year. November’s unemployment rate had dropped to 8.6 % from a 2011 high of 9.2%. Job gains occurred in retail, health care, transportation, warehousing, mining and manufacturing.
Economists estimate that employers will add about 2.1 million jobs in 2012. That compares to 1.6 million in 2011 and 940,000 in 2010. 125,000 are needed each month just to keep up with the growth in the potential labor force. The economy typically needs to add 125,000 jobs each month just to keep up with population growth. Government employment changed little in December but was down by 280,000 in 2011.
The hiring gains cap a six-month period in which the economy generated 100,000 jobs or more each month. That hasn’t happened since April 2006.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday (May 6, 2011) that employers added 244,000 jobs in April. In another positive development, the employment gains in both February and March were revised upward by a cumulative total of 46,000 jobs. Private sector employment has now averaged over 250,000 job growth the past three months. April’s unemployment rate rose to 9 % from March’s 8.8%, however, many economists discounted the rise noting the data is derived from the more volatile household survey sample. Public sector jobs continued to shrink in April by 22,000.
Economists estimate that employers will continue to add about 200,000 jobs a month through the remainder of the year. That compares to last year’s average of 78,000 job growth per month. The unemployment rate is expected to drop to 8.5% by year’s end.
Moody’s Analytics, as illustrated in USA Today, has forecast U.S. job growth by geographic region, state and industry.
It’s a start. Will it sputter… again? Let’s hope not. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Employment Situation Summary today with encouraging news. Moody’s Analytics forecasts job growth through 2014 by region and industry. Check it out. Moody’s forecasting model is based on a number of factors including Bureau of Labor statistics, DOL surveys, demographic trends, Federal Reserve policy decisions, and government programs.
Considering the negative news today, and probably tomorrow too, Thomas Friedman with the New York Times remains remarkably 0ptimistic. It might be a result of his access to the best and brightest people in the world today.
Want a job – start a company. Mr. Friedman has always been consistent about job creation – our government can’t do it all. He has also been realistic about the government’s law making pattern – we are not taking the bold steps to really address the problem.
We know Mr. Friedman from his most recent book – Hot, Flat and Crowded. Yes, our planet is getting hotter and more crowded, but Mr. Friedman continues to provide both hope and the possibilities to move our nation forward to a better future. As Mr. Friedman says, “Good jobs …don’t come from government. They come from risk-takers starting businesses.”