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Weekly jobless claims edge up - CBS NewsApplications have trended lower in the past two months, indicating companies are laying off fewer workers and hiring is picking up. When applications fall consistently below 375,000, it generally suggests hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate.
How nice... From the link: The U.S. may drive off a "fiscal cliff" at the end of this year as well. That's when a slate of tax cuts expire and big spending cuts are scheduled to kick in. If those changes aren't altered or delayed, recession is a very real possibility.
How nice... From the link: The U.S. may drive off a "fiscal cliff" at the end of this year as well. That's when a slate of tax cuts expire and big spending cuts are scheduled to kick in. If those changes aren't altered or delayed, recession is a very real possibility.
This recession thing did it ever really end? they said it did in 2009 but I don't see it.
I thought unemployment was raised and lowered by the answers from people who were surveyed. But CBS seems to think that's not how it's done.
Weekly jobless claims edge up - CBS NewsApplications have trended lower in the past two months, indicating companies are laying off fewer workers and hiring is picking up. When applications fall consistently below 375,000, it generally suggests hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate.
it rises or is lowered by the answers from the survey right?
[/CENTER]Sadly, some employers and recruiters stigmatize job seekers who've been out of work for a while, assuming that something must be wrong with them and that they're not as desirable as employed candidates. Here's how to level the playing field and overcome the stigma of long-term unemployment:
1. Recognize Your Own Worth
Yes, your self-esteem probably took a beating when you were laid off. And yes, it's hard to stay upbeat when you've been unemployed awhile. But no, you absolutely, positively won't get a new job if you wear your dejection on your sleeve. "Just because you're not employed right now for another person does not make you worthless," says Rebecca K. Weingarten, a career coach and co-founder of New York City-based DLC Executive Coaching and Consulting. "You have to get into that mind-set." Job seekers who've been unemployed for a long period can "psyche themselves out" with unfounded self-doubt that is unattractive to a potential employer, adds Vicki Salemi, a former recruiter who is now a career expert and author of Big Career in the Big City. "Your insecurities will definitely shine through if you don't come in with a positive outlook," she says. "You should go into an interview thinking, 'Why wouldn't they want to hire me? I'm an amazing candidate.'"
Great Depression unemployment line
2. Fill Your Time (and Resume) with Meaningful Activities
Getting laid off is a huge blow, but the sooner you start filling your time productively, the better. If you have glaring resume gaps, employers may wonder why you're still on the market, Salemi says. "Instead, bolster your resume with things you've been doing since that time," she suggests. Did you consult? Create a Web site? Join Toastmasters? Earn a professional certification? "Anything that's professional and relevant should be included," Salemi says.
3. Look and Act the Part at the Interview
Donna Maurillo, who has been unemployed for several months a few different times, always kept her hair trimmed and nails done between jobs. "I didn't want to go to an interview looking like I was on my last dime," says Maurillo, now director of communications and special projects for Mineta Transportation Institute in San Jose, California. "It cost me, but I always wanted to look like I already had a job, not that I was floundering." Good posture and a firm handshake are important, so practice these skills with a friend if you've been out of work for a while, Salemi says. "Go in with your head held high," she says. "If your desperation shows through, it's almost like 'game over.' Visualize your unemployment as in the past and focus on the present and moving forward." Maurillo never approached an interview as if she were unemployed. "I acted as if I were also interviewing them and that I was particular about who I worked for," she says.
4. Be Ready for the Tough Interview Questions
The largest unemployment rate decreases were in Alabama and Tennessee (-0.4 percentage point each). The other eight states with lower jobless rates were Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Massachusetts had the only rate increase (+0.3 percentage point). The remaining 39 states and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a month earlier.
Colorado had the lowest unemployment rate in April, at 2.3 percent, followed by Hawaii and North Dakota, at 2.7 percent each. The rates in Arkansas (3.5 percent), Colorado (2.3 percent), and Oregon (3.7 percent) set new state lows in April. New Mexico and Alaska had the highest jobless rates, 6.7 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively.
In total, 19 states had jobless rates lower than the national April unemployment rate of 4.4 percent, 7 states and the District of Columbia had higher rates, and 24 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. In April 2017, nine states had month-to-month increases in nonfarm payroll jobs and one state had a decrease.
Texas added the most jobs in April (+30,400), followed by Minnesota (+15,100) and Wisconsin (+14,800). In percentage terms, the largest increase occurred in Nevada (+0.9 percent), followed by Hawaii and North Dakota (+0.6 percent each). Indiana had the only over-the-month job loss (-11,300, or -0.4 percent).
Massachusetts Was the Only State to See Unemployment Rate Increase in April
Nationwide, about 1 in 6 jobholders (17.02 percent) was foreign born, according to BLS. The nationwide unemployment rate for foreign born workers in 2016 was 4.3 percent. For native-born workers it was 5.0 percent. The BLS counts as foreign born any person living in the United States, who was born overseas to parents who were foreign nationals. It counts as native born people who were born inside the United States or, if born abroad, had at least one parent who was a U.S. citizen. The BLS employment data on foreign-born workers does not distinguish between people who are in the country legally and those it calls “undocumented immigrants.” The numbers the BLS published today are annual averages for calendar year 2016 based on the Census Bureau’s monthly Current Population Survey.
In 2016, according to the Table 1 in the survey data, there were approximately 151,436,000 people employed on average. Of these, 125,657,000 (or 82.98 percent) were native born and 25,779,000 (or 17.02 percent) were foreign born. In the West (which includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming), according to Table 6 in the survey data, there were approximately 35,661,000 jobholders, on average, in 2016. These included 27,042,000 native born jobholders (or 75.83 percent) and 8,619,000 foreign born jobholders (or 24.17 percent). In the Northeast (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania), there were approximately 27,158,000 jobholders. These included 21,870,000 native born jobholders (or 80.53 percent) and 5,288,000 foreign born jobholders (or 19.47 percent).
In the South (Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas), there were approximately 55,378,000 jobholders. These included 46,381,000 native born jobholders (or 83.75 percent) and 8,997,000 foreign born jobholders (or 16.25 percent). In the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota), there were approximately 33,239,000 jobholders. These included 30,364,000 native born jobholders (or 91.35 percent) and 2,875,000 foreign born jobholders (or 8.65 percent).
According to the BLS, foreign born workers were more likely to be employed in service and production jobs, and native born workers had higher average earnings. “In 2016, foreign-born workers were more likely than native-born workers to be employed in service occupations (23.5 percent versus 16.5 percent); in production, transportation, and material moving occupations (14.8 percent versus 11.1 percent); and in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (13.6 percent versus 8.3 percent),” said the BLS release on the data. “Native-born workers were more likely than foreign-born workers to be employed in management, professional, and related occupations (40.7 percent versus 32.2 percent) and in sales and office occupations (23.4 percent versus 15.9 percent),” said BLS. “In 2016, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers ($715) were 83.1 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($860),” said BLS. “The earnings of both foreign-born and native-born workers increase with education,” said BLS. “In 2016, foreign born workers age 25 and over with less than a high school education earned $489 per week, while those with a bachelor’s degree and higher earned about 2.7 times as much—$1,311 per week. Among the native born, those with a bachelor’s degree and higher earned about 2.4 times as much as those with less than a high school education—$1,253 versus $525 per week”.
24% Jobholders in Western U.S. Foreign Born
