U.S. layoffs tracking near the lowest level in years

[Zippyjuan]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-...ars-2014-10-02

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The number of people applying for new unemployment benefits fell by 8,000 to 287,000 in the last week of September, offering yet another sign that layoffs remain low and the labor market continues to improve.

Initial jobless claims have been below the key 300,000 mark for three straight weeks and five of the last seven, according to Labor Department data issued Thursday.


The decline in claims offers a bit of good news to investors after jitters about the global economy sent U.S. stocks lower in Wednesday action. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected claims to rise to a seasonally adjusted 298,000 in the week of Sept. 21 to Sept. 27.

“Claims remain at low levels consistent with an improving labor market,” said Derek Lindsey, an economist at BNP Paribas.

The average of new claims over the past month fell by 4,250 to 294,750 — just a hair above an eight-year low. The four-week average reduces seasonal volatility in the weekly data and is seen as a more accurate barometer of labor-market trends.

Jobless claims are a good measure of whether layoffs are rising or falling. The number of layoffs announced in September fell to the lowest level in 14 years, according to the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. U.S.-based employers announced workforce reductions totaling 30,477.

As the fourth quarter begins, the firm said, 2014 is on pace to post the fewest amount of layoffs since 1997.

Initial claims are now close to the smallest levels the economy has experienced since 1980, so they probably can’t go much lower. Since 1980 initial claims have only fallen under 300,000 about 5.7% of the time.

More at link.

[acptulsa]

At this point, the percentage of workers could be at an all-time high and the total number of layoffs could still be quite low.

And when we get to the point where there are only twelve people employed in the private sector, the layoff rate could be 100% for the following quarter and it would still only throw twelve more people out of work.

'Meanwhile, in Death Valley, we are in the fourteenth straight year without rain and 97% of the water holes are dry. But the government says not to worry, as rates of water loss due to evaporation are at historic lows. Propaganda at ten.'

Stalin himself couldn't have said it better. 'Some of you have complained that our farm policies cut production to the point where we could barely feed a population twenty million people smaller than the population we had. Well, I am a humanitarian with your best interests at heart, so I killed the first twenty million comrades I heard complain. That solves the problem.

'At least in the short term. Most of those complainers were farmers, but we won't have to worry about that until next year. If then--I'm so determined to see to your welfare that I haven't slowed down on killing you at all. So, if you survive the year, you'll find there's enough food even then...'

[TheCount]

...

[puppetmaster]

Don't have to lay off part times workers.....just work them less.

[LibForestPaul]

How many restructurings? A layoff has specific legal requirements and requires reporting.

[2young2vote]

It costs time and $$$ to lay people off or fire them. Especially when you know they are going to be collecting unemployment for a year or more and that your unemployment insurance is going to go up. My dad put off firing an employee for years because he knew she would begin collecting unemployment for as long as she could which would increase our unemployment insurance by a large amount. It ended up costing us thousands over the past year just to fire her.

[Origanalist]

I heard this pap on the radio and thought, I bet Zippy posts this.

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

You're going to have a permanent layoff from this forum. Get your ass back here and finish the deal. You won't do it because you won't risk your paid trolling gig.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Always VET the source... many of these financial sites are full of Progressive Keynesian Kooks, esp MarketWatch. The only I follow over at MW is Cody Willard.

[Chester Copperpot]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-...ars-2014-10-02



More at link.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

how much do you get paid to talk about these untruths and who pays you?