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February 7, 2025 This past week we learned about wild swings in employment the past three months combined with a steady decline in the workweek which does not seem to make a lot of sense. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the wildfires in California and the...
Payroll Employment
February 7, 2025 Payroll employment climbed by 143 thousand in January after having risen by 307 thousand in December and 261 thousand in November. The December gain was revised upwards by 51 thousand while November was revised upwards by 49 thousand. In the...
Private Employment
February 7, 2025 Private sector employment climbed by 111 thousand in January after having risen by 273 thousand in December and 244 thousand in November. In the past three months the average increase has been 209 thousand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said,...
Unemployment Rate
February 7, 2025 The unemployment rate declined 0.1% in January to 4.0% after declining 0.1% in December. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that after adjustment for revision to population, civilian employment rose 234 thousand in January. This compares to an...
Nonfarm Workweek
February 7, 2025 In any given month employers can boost output by either additional hiring workers or by lengthening the number of hours that their employees work. Payroll employment climbed by 143 thousand in January. The December gain was revised upwards by 51...
Average Hourly Earnings
February 7, 2025 Average hourly earnings rose 0.5% in January to $35.87 after having gained 0.3% in December. Earnings growth in the past year has been 4.1%. While nominal earnings have risen 4.1% in the past year, inflation has risen fairly quickly and real or...
Average Duration of Unemployment
February 7, 2025 The average duration of unemployment fell 1.7 weeks to 22.0 in January after increasing 0.1 week in December, It appears that unemployment workers are having a somewhat more difficult time becoming reemployed than they were six months or so ago....
Nonfarm Productivity
February 6, 2025 Non-farm productivity 1.2% in the fourth quarter after climbing 2.3% in the third quarter and 2.1% in the second quarter. The fourth quarter increase consisted of a 2.3% increase in output combined with a 1.0% increase in hours worked. Hence, a...
Unit Labor Costs
February 6, 2025 Unit labor costs might be a term that is not familiar to you. Unit labor costs represent the increase in compensation adjusted for the gains in productivity. You might think that if labor costs are rising that would put upward pressure on...
Hourly Compensation
February 6, 2025 The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that hourly compensation rose 4.2% in the fourth quarter after climbing by 2.9% in the third quarter. In the past year compensation has risen 4.3%. Growth in hourly compensation is a good thing, but that...
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