• Connecticut Maximum Weekly Unemployment Benefit is $598 Beginning — 04 October 2015

The annual revision to Connecticut’s Unemployment Insurance benefit rate will result in claimants receiving a maximum amount of $598 per week effective October 4, 2015.

The revised rate is four dollars more than the current $594 weekly maximum rate, and will apply to claims filed for the benefit year starting on and after October 4, 2015. Those who filed a claim prior to October 4 and have been collecting unemployment benefits are unaffected by this revision. The weekly dependency allowance for each dependent of $15 with a maximum of $75 remains unchanged.

The annual revision of the maximum weekly unemployment benefit is based on average manufacturing wages for the year ending June 30, 2015. The increase is limited by law to $18 per year, or 60 percent of the average, whichever is less.

For the 12 months ending August 31, 2015, regular benefits averaged $326 per week and claimants received an average of 17.9 weeks of compensation. The prior year shows weekly benefit payments averaging $319 for an average of 18 weeks.

State unemployment benefits are funded by an assessment paid by approximately 98,000 Connecticut employers. The assessment is based on the first $15,000 of each worker’s annual wage.

Source: CTDOL

NOTE: This report is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in providing legal, financial, accounting or other professional advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Furthermore, while we do our best to ensure that these data are accurate, we suggest that any entity making decisions based on these numbers should verify the data at their source prior to making such decisions.

© 2015 Connecticut Human Resource Reports, LLC

URL: http://connecticuthumanresources.blogspot.com/

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• Connecticut Drops To 45th In Ranking Of Best States For Business

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Connecticut is one of the worst states in the nation for business, according to a new survey by Chief Executive magazine. The Nutmeg State ranked 45th out of all 50 states in the 2015 “Best and Worst States for Business” survey, the Greenwich-based publication said Friday in a news release….” Please visit this link to read the full report: ChiefExecutive.net NOTE: This report is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in providing legal, financial, accounting or other professional advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Furthermore, while we do our best to ensure that these data are accurate, we suggest that any entity making decisions based on these numbers should verify the data at their source prior to making such decisions. © 2015 Connecticut Human Resource Reports, LLC URL: http://connecticuthumanresources.blogspot.com/

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• U.S. Holiday: The Fourth of July – Independence Day

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On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country. In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation was 2.5 million. The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth: 316.2 million All about the 4th of July: USDOC-Census

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• U.S. Existing Home Sales – May 2013

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”Existing-Home Sales Rise in May with Strong Price Increases: ”Existing-home sales improved in May and remain solidly above a year ago, while the median price continued to rise by double-digit rates from a year earlier….” See the complete report at this link: Realtor.org

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• U.S. Time Use Survey - 2012

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On days they worked, 23% of employed do some or all of their work at home in 2012 06/20/2013. In 2012, on days they worked, 23 percent of employed persons spent some time working at home. Among workers age 25 and over, those with a bachelor's degree or higher were more likely to perform work from home than were persons with less education. See the complete report at this link: USDOL-BLS

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• U.S. DOL-BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey

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The Consumer Expenditure Survey Update page contains new information of interest to users of data from the BLS Consumer Expenditure program. See the complete report at this link: USDOL-BLS

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• U.S. Real Average Earnings – May 2013 (Wages, pay, inflation)

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Real average hourly earnings fell 0.2 percent in May, seasonally adjusted. Average hourly earnings was unchanged and the CPI-U rose 0.1 percent. Real average weekly earnings fell 0.1 percent over the month. See the complete report at this link: USDOL-BLS

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• U.S. New Residential Construction - May 2013 (Housing starts, building permits)

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Privately-owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 914,000. This is 6.8 percent (±10.1%)* above the revised April estimate of 856,000 and is 28.6 percent (±14.4%) above the May 2012 rate of 711,000. Single-family housing starts in May were at a rate of 599,000; this is 0.3 percent (±8.7%)* above the revised April figure of 597,000. The May rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 306,000. See the complete report at this link: USDOC-Census

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• U.S. Consumer Price Index – May 2013

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On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.1 percent in May after decreasing 0.4 percent in April. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in May after increasing 0.1 percent in April. See the complete report at this link: USDOL-BLS

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• U.S. Treasury Statement – May 2013

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Monthly Treasury Statement of Receipts and Outlays of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2013 Through May 31, 2013. Link to the Statement: United States Treasury

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• U.S. Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization – May 2013

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Industrial production was unchanged in May after having decreased 0.4 percent in April. In May, manufacturing production rose 0.1 percent after falling in each of the previous two months, and the output at mines increased 0.7 percent. The gains in manufacturing and mining were offset by a decrease of 1.8 percent in the output of utilities. At 98.7 percent of its 2007 average, total industrial production in May was 1.6 percent above its year-earlier level. The rate of capacity utilization for total industry edged down 0.1 percentage point to 77.6 percent, a rate 0.2 percentage point below its level of a year earlier and 2.6 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2012) average. Source: Federal Reserve

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• U.S. Producer Price Index - May 2013

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The Producer Price Index for finished goods rose 0.5 percent in May, seasonally adjusted. Prices for finished goods fell 0.7 percent in April and 0.6 percent in March. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods declined 0.1 percent in May, and the crude goods index advanced 2.2 percent. On an unadjusted basis, prices for finished goods moved up 1.7 percent for the 12 months ended May 2013. Source: USDOL-BLS

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• U.S. Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales - April 2013

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Sales. The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for April, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,267.9 billion, down 0.1 percent (±0.2) from March 2013, but were up 1.5 percent (±1.1) from April 2012. Inventories. Manufacturers’ and trade inventories, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of $1,657.2 billion, up 0.3 percent (±0.1) from March 2013 and up 4.2 percent (±1.5) from April 2012. Inventories/Sales Ratio. The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of April was 1.31. The April 2012 ratio was 1.27. Source: USDOC-Census

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• U.S. Sales of Retail and Food Services - May 2013

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U.S. retail and food services sales for May, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $421.1 billion, an increase of 0.6 percent (±0.5%) from the previous month, and 4.3 percent (±0.7%) above May 2012. Total sales for the March through May 2013 period were up 3.7 percent (±0.5%) from the same period a year ago. The March to April 2013 percent change was unrevised from 0.1 percent (±0.3%). Source: USDOC-Census

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• U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes - May 2013

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Prices for U.S. imports declined 0.6 percent in May, after a 0.7 percent drop the previous month. Falling fuel and nonfuel prices contributed to the decreases in both months. U.S. export prices fell 0.5 percent in May following declines of 0.7 percent in April and 0.5 percent in March. Source: USDOL-BLS

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• U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Down 12k [Jobless]

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In the week ending June 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 334,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 346,000 and down 12.8% from the same week a year ago. The 4-week moving average was 345,250, a decrease of 7,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 352,500. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending June 1, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending May 25 were in Puerto Rico (4.6), Alaska (4.5), New Mexico (3.2), New Jersey (3.1), Connecticut (3.0), California (2.9), Pennsylvania (2.9), Nevada (2.8), Oregon (2.7), and Illinois (2.6). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending June 1 were in Tennessee (+1,280), New York (+1,001), Oregon (+851), Montana (+501), and North Carolina (+302), while the largest decreases were in California (-8,796), Florida (-3,250), Pennsylvania (-1,923), Texas (-1,876), and Missouri (-1,704). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. Source: USDOL-BLS

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• U.S. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – March 2013

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Employer costs for employee compensation averaged $31.09 per hour worked in March 2013, up 1.3% from the same quarter a year ago. Wages and salaries averaged $21.50 per hour worked and accounted for 69.1 percent of these costs, while benefits averaged $9.59 and accounted for the remaining 30.9 percent. Total employer compensation costs for private industry workers averaged $29.13 per hour worked in March 2013, up 1.2% from Q1 2012. Total employer compensation costs for state and local government workers averaged $42.12 per hour worked in March 2013, up 2.3%. Source: USDOL-BLS

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• Persons With A Disability: U.S. Labor Force Characteristics -- 2012

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In 2012, 17.8 percent of persons with a disability were employed. In contrast, the employment-population ratio for persons without a disability was 63.9 percent. The employment-population ratio for persons with a disability was unchanged from 2011 to 2012, while the ratio for persons without a disability increased. The unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 13.4 percent in 2012, higher than the rate for persons with no disability (7.9 percent). Source: USDOL-BLS

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• NOAA Predicts Active 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season

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Era of high activity for Atlantic hurricanes continues.... In its 2013 Atlantic hurricane season outlook, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting an active or extremely active season this year. Read the full article at this link: NOAA

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• U.S. Real Personal Income for States and Metropolitan Areas, 2007-2011

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The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis has released experimental real, or inflation-adjusted, estimates of personal income for states and metropolitan areas. The inflation-adjustments are based in part on regional price parities (RPPs) that provide a measure of differences in price levels across each state and region relative to the national price level for each of the years, 2007-2011. When RPPs are applied in conjunction with BEA’s national Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, which measures price changes over time, personal income comparisons can be made across regions and time periods. These prototype statistics are being released for evaluation and comment by data users. Source: USDOC-BEA

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