Friday, March 29, 2024
47.3 F
Oxnard
More

    Latest Posts

    The Road to Tyranny by Don Jans

    Weekly Jobless Claims Edge Down to Lowest Level Since March

    BY TOM OZIMEK

    The number of U.S. workers seeking unemployment benefits last week ticked down by 7,000 to its lowest level since March, when the outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus threw the economy into a tailspin.

    A report from the Labor Department on Thursday (pdf) showed 751,000 people filed for state unemployment benefits in the week ending Oct. 31, a drop from last week’s revised level of 758,000. Weekly jobless claims hit a record 6.867 million in March and, aside from several upticks, have fallen ever since, although at a slowing rate.

    “The U.S. economy continues to mount a slower recovery compared to the stronger restoration of employment seen earlier this year,” Bankrate.com Senior Economic Analyst Mark Hamrick said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

    While at their lowest level since March, weekly jobless filings remain above their 665,000 peak seen during the 2007-2009 Great Recession.

    “Even as employers add or restore jobs, there is still ongoing job loss reflecting the depth and duration of the downturn now in its 33rd week,” Hamrick added.

    The Labor Department figures also showed that the total number of Americans receiving some form of unemployment benefit dropped by more than a million to a still elevated 21.5 million. By comparison, the corresponding week in 2019 saw 1.4 million workers receiving unemployment assistance.

    In the meantime, new confirmed cases of the CCP virus in the United States reached an all-time high of more than 86,000 a day, on average, casting a shadow of uncertainty on the economy and labor market recovery in the period ahead.

    Data firm Womply reported that more businesses are shuttering in the face of a resurgence of the virus, noting that 21 percent of small businesses were closed as November began, up from 20 percent in October, 19 percent in September, and 17 percent in August. It also found that sales growth is slowing at the companies that are open.

    “Accelerating cases are an ever-present threat during winter, and a virus surge means economic uncertainty for businesses,” said AnnElizabeth Konkel, an economist at Indeed. “Until that uncertainty is eliminated, the labor market will struggle to return to what it used to be.”

    Another cloud of uncertainty over the economy is the prospect of a contested presidential election, which could undermine business investment and delay further pandemic relief.

    With a swift fiscal package unlikely as politics take center-stage, the focus will shift to the Federal Reserve to pump more money into the economy. The U.S. central bank is expected to keep interest rates near zero when policymakers conclude a two-day policy meeting later on Thursday.

    Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Follow Tom on Twitter: @OZImekTOM

    Republished with Permission The Epoch Times    SUBSCRIBE


    Get Citizensjournal.us Headlines free  SUBSCRIPTION. Keep us publishing – DONATE

    - Advertisement -
    0 0 votes
    Article Rating
    Subscribe
    Notify of
    guest

    0 Comments
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments

    Latest Posts

    advertisement

    Don't Miss

    Subscribe

    To receive the news in your inbox

    0
    Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
    ()
    x