Employment News Jan. 24 - 28

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News
FRIDAY
Spain's jobless rate surges to 20.33%
Spain announced Friday its jobless rate surged to a 13-year record above 20 percent at the end of 2010, the highest level in the industrialized world, as the economy struggled for air.
Long-term unemployment rate still sky-high
The number of Americans suffering through long-term unemployment remains stubbornly high, according to a study released Thursday.
Workers saw 2 percent rise in wages and benefits
Workers saw their wages and benefits rise slightly faster in 2010 than 2009 but the gain was still the second lowest increase in nearly three decades.
Orders for U.S. Factory Goods Fell; Jobless Claims Rose
New claims for jobless benefits surged last week as snowstorms in some parts of the United States kept workers at home, but the underlying trend pointed to a gradual labor market improvement.
Geithner Says Growth Still Too Weak to Cut Unemployment
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said the U.S. economic expansion is still too weak to slash unemployment or a budget deficit headed for $1.5 trillion.

THURSDAY
Initial Jobless Claims Rose in US to 454,000
More Americans than forecast filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance payments last week, indicating it will take time for the labor market to mend.
Jobless Claims pushed higher by wintry weather
Snow and cold in four Souther states caused some companies to shut down.

WEDNESDAY
Jobless Rise in 20 States as Workers Still Laid Off
The unemployment rate rose in 20 states last month as employers in most states shed jobs.
Jobs: What Does It Cost to Add a Worker?
Politicians Shout About Creating Jobs, But Here's Surprising Truth About What It Takes
Obama Calls for Bipartisan Effort to Fight for U.S. Jobs
President Obama challenged Americans on Tuesday night to unleash their creative spirit, set aside their partisan differences and come together around a common goal of outcompeting other nations in a rapidly shifting global economy.
Lowe's cuts managers, plans lots more part-timers
Lowe's Cos., the No. 2 home improvement retail chain, is cutting 1,700 managerial jobs while adding up to 10,000 part-time workers in order to better staff its stores for weekend shoppers.
Unemployment rates by state, at a glance
The unemployment rate rose in 20 states last month, fresh evidence the job market is still struggling even as the economy improves. The Labor Department said Tuesday that the unemployment rate fell in 15 states and was unchanged in another 15. Meanwhile, hiring is still slow: The number of jobs on employer payrolls dropped in 35 states in December, while rising in only 15.

TUESDAY
Government Unions Build Ranks, Court TSA for Membership
Thousands of airport security screeners could choose a union to represent them as early as March, marking the latest expansion of union influence in the public sector, which now has more labor union members than the private sector.
GM adding 750 jobs
General Motors is adding a third-shift at its Flint, Mich., assembly plant. The shift addition will allow the company to hire back 750 workers to build its heavy-duty pickups, the company announced Monday.
They're hiring!
These 25 Best Companies to Work For have at least 700 openings each, totaling nearly 137,000 available jobs. What are they looking for? See what their recruiters say.
Business Economists Expect Substantial Hiring
More than four in 10 firms polled plans net addition of jobs in the next six months.

MONDAY
U.S. businesses' hiring plans top layoffs by most in 12 years
Survey of business economists finds them more hopeful about growth.
Economists see more hiring on the way
In another sign of a strengthening economy, U.S. companies say they are planning to hire more workers, and expect economic growth to pick up in the first months of 2011, according to a survey released Monday.
Americans Still Pessimistic About Job Market
But they're a bit more confident about finding a quality job than this time a year ago.

Economist Comments
WEDNESDAY
Uncertainty Continues To Depress Jobs
President Obama, in his State of the Union address, promised to focus on job-creation this year. But robust new hiring is unlikely when so much uncertainty — created by the same White House now promising jobs — hangs over the economy.
Comparative Advantage and American Jobs
U.S. workers win when industries are free to invest where they are the most productive.

MONDAY
What Will Stimulate America's Job Market?
Here, a look at four recommendations for how the US Congress can stimulate job growth, and why things may not always be as they seem

Blogs
FRIDAY
99ers More Likely to Be Older, Married, Minority
People who have been out of a job for well over a year are more likely to be older, married and a member of a minority group than other unemployed workers.

WEDNESDAY
Michigan Unemployment Rate Drop Doesn’t Mean Jobs Growth
While Michigan’s jobless rate fell at the fastest pace in the nation in December, the state isn’t celebrating yet.
Some States Saw Significant Jobs Progress
Follow the change in unemployment from the end of the recent recession. Below, the state-by-state unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, seasonally adjusted.

TUESDAY
Are underwater homeowners anchored to joblessness?
As America's jobless rate remains high, economists and pundits continue to raise the possibility of structural unemployment. And one of the mechanisms they cite is the anchoring effect of underwater mortgages. The argument is that many households now owe more on their homes than those homes are worth, which means that they can't afford to sell. Those households may then opt to stay in a location with high unemployment, even if a member of the household lacks a job and could find one elsewhere.

MONDAY
How NOT To Create Jobs: Spend More Money
Word is that President Obama will focus on jobs in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday. No surprise there: jobs are the American people's top public policy concern. Obama reportedly will propose new and expanded federal spending programs as the means of job creation. No surprise there either: what else do liberals have to offer?
No, That is Not Evidence That Obamacare Has Created Jobs
The simple fact that job creation has occurred since it was passed is not evidence that it had anything to do with health care. And there's a strong indication that the recovery in employment was due to a strengthening macroeconomy, not a health care deus ex machina.

Reports
FRIDAY
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: Where Do Jobs Come From
So where do jobs come from? Real jobs that can be sustained by normal economic activity? Is there a role for government in the process? How do government policies enhance or reduce the long-run pace of job creation?