by sslifer | Mar 7, 2025 | Employment, NumberNomics Notes
March 7, 2025 The average duration of unemployment fell 0.7 week in February to 21.3 weeks after falling 1.7 weeks in January and increasing 0.1 week in December, It appears that unemployed workers are having a somewhat more difficult time becoming reemployed than...
by sslifer | Mar 6, 2025 | NumberNomics Notes, Productivity
March 6, 2025 Non-farm productivity 1.5% in the fourth quarter after climbing 2.0% in the third quarter and 2.1% in the second quarter. The fourth quarter increase consisted of a 2.4% increase in output combined with a 0.8% increase in hours worked. Hence, a 1.5%...
by sslifer | Mar 6, 2025 | NumberNomics Notes, Productivity
March 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...
by sslifer | Mar 6, 2025 | NumberNomics Notes, Productivity
March 6, 2025 The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that hourly compensation rose 3.8% in the fourth quarter after climbing by 1.3% in the third quarter. In the past year compensation has risen 4.0%. Growth in hourly compensation is a good thing, but that...
by sslifer | Mar 6, 2025 | Miscellaneous, NumberNomics Notes
March 6, 2025 The trade deficit widened by an astonishing $33.3 billion in January to $131.4 billion after having widened by $19.8 billion in December. Firms have been racing to import goods prior to the imposition of tariffs. Exports rose $3.3 billion or 1.2% in...
by sslifer | Mar 5, 2025 | NumberNomics Notes, Purchasing Managers Index
March 5, 2025 The Institute for Supply Management not only publishes an index of manufacturing activity each month, they publish two days later a survey of service sector firms. The business activity index declined 0.1 point in February to 54.4 after having fallen...
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