News
Bloomberg | Jobless Claims in U.S. Decreased 20,000 Last Week
Jobless claims dropped by 20,000 to 331,000 in the period ended Feb. 1, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a decrease to 335,000.
National Journal | How Michigan Has Flipped the Job Switch
Gov. Rick Snyder explains how a partnership with firms in four embattled cities have provided mentoring, literacy support, financial literacy guidance, and jobs to help turn around the state's economy.
CNN: Money | Stormy weather weighs on job growth
The private sector added 175,000 jobs in January, marking the weakest month for hiring since August. ADP said 227,000 jobs were added In December.
Bloomberg | Increase in U.S. Productivity Helps to Restrain Labor Costs
The measure of employee output per hour increased at a 3.2 percent annualized rate, after a revised 3.6 percent gain in the prior three months that was more than initially reported.
Econ Comments & Analysis
WSJ | ObamaCare's New Theory of Employment
Supposedly this shrinking labor force development is great news because "this is a choice on the part of workers," as White House chief economist Jason Furman put it. If businesses shed jobs in response to ObamaCare, he said, that would be bad because people who wanted work would have a harder time finding it.
Blogs
WSJ: Real Time Economics | Unemployment Tumbling in New Jersey as Many Leave Labor Force
The unemployment rate in parts of southern New Jersey dropped the sharpest in the country over the course of 2013, though it was likely because more people dropped out of the workforce rather than found new work.
