News
Market Watch | Jobless claims plunge to four-year low
The number of U.S. workers who filed new applications for unemployment benefits dropped sharply, by 30,000, last week to 339,000, the lowest level in more than four years, the Labor Department reported Thursday in what may have been the result of a statistical fluke.
Washington Times | Economy Briefs: Job openings dipped in August from July
U.S. employers advertised slightly fewer jobs in August than in July, while they filled the most positions in three months, offering a mixed signal on the job market.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Real Clear Markets | New BLS Data Add to Bad Labor Market Story
New employment data released Wednesday threw yet another grenade into the explosive controversy following last week's report on September unemployment numbers.
Blogs
Library of Economics | ACA: turning full-time jobs into part-time jobs
The owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants is putting more workers on part-time status in a test aimed at limiting the impact of looming health coverage requirements.
AEI | New government report casts even more doubt on the September jobs data
According to the Labor Department’s just-released Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey, there were 3.6 million job openings on the last business day of August, “essentially unchanged from July.”
Political Calculations | Updated: Using Gas Prices to Forecast Unemployment
Say, do you remember when we said you should enjoy it while you can as the average price of gasoline in the U.S. dropped below $3.50 per gallon back in June?
AEI | The unemployment rate has dropped by 0.3% or more 9 times since 1990. But none looked anything like last month’s decline
Sam Ro over at Business Insider notes that a 0.3% or greater decline in the unemployment rate in a single month has occurred nine times since 1990 and four times since 2000, including last month.
