| In the week ending April 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 324,000, a decrease of 18,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 342,000 and down 12.7% from the same week a year ago. The 4-week moving average was 342,250, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's revised average of 358,250. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending April 20, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 13 were in Alaska (5.1), Puerto Rico (4.2), New Jersey (3.6), Wisconsin (3.6), California (3.4), Connecticut (3.3), Pennsylvania (3.3), Illinois (3.2), New Mexico (3.2), and Oregon (3.1). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 20 were in Michigan (+6,172), Massachusetts (+4,101), Connecticut (+2,452), Rhode Island (+1,427), and Nevada (+535), while the largest decreases were in California (-16,681), New York (-6,443), Pennsylvania (-3,646), Texas (-3,070), and Indiana (-1,637). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. Source: USDOL-BLS |
02 May 2013
• U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Down 18k
[Jobless]
• U.S. Productivity and Labor Costs - Q1 2013
| Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased at a 0.7 percent annual
rate during the first quarter of 2013. The increase in productivity reflects increases of 2.5 percent
in output and 1.8 percent in hours worked. (All quarterly percent changes in
this release are seasonally adjusted annual rates.) From the first quarter of 2012 to the first quarter of 2013, productivity increased 0.9 percent as output and hours worked increased 2.5 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. Unit labor costs in nonfarm businesses increased 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2013, as an increase in hourly compensation was greater than the increase in productivity. Unit labor costs rose 0.6 percent over the last four quarters. Source: USDOL-BLS |
• U.S. Balance of Trade – March 2013
(Imports, exports)
| Total March exports of $184.3 billion and imports of $223.1
billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $38.8 billion, down from $43.6 billion in
February, revised. March exports were $1.7 billion less than February exports of $186.0
billion. March imports were $6.5 billion less than February imports of $229.6 billion.
In March, the goods deficit decreased $4.6 billion from February to $56.1 billion, and the services surplus increased $0.2 billion from February to $17.3 billion. Exports of goods decreased $1.8 billion to $130.3 billion, and imports of goods decreased $6.4 billion to $186.5 billion. Exports of services increased $0.1 billion to $53.9 billion, and imports of services decreased $0.1 billion to $36.6 billion. The goods and services deficit decreased $12.9 billion from March 2012 to March 2013. Exports were down $0.4 billion, or 0.2 percent, and imports were down $13.3 billion, or 5.6 percent. Source: USDOC-BEA |
01 May 2013
• U.S. Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment – March 2013
| Jobless rates were lower in March than a year earlier in 306 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 44, and unchanged in 22.
Nonfarm payroll employment was up in 287 metropolitan areas over the year, down in 80, and unchanged in 5. Source: USDOL-BLS |
• U.S. Review of Business Dynamics – Q3 2012
| From June 2012 to September 2012 gross job gains from opening and expanding private sector establishments fell to 6.8 million.
Gross job losses from closing and contracting private sector establishments increased to 6.6 million. Source: USDOL-BLS |
• U.S. Purchasing Managers’ Manufacturing Report – April 2013
| “Manufacturing expanded in April as the PMI™ registered 50.7 percent, a decrease of 0.6 percentage point when compared to March's reading of 51.3 percent. This month's reading reflects the fifth consecutive month of growth in the manufacturing sector.
”A reading above 50 percent indicates that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding; below 50 percent indicates that it is generally contracting.” Source: Institute for Supply Management |
• Branford, CT Employer to Lay Off 60
| The CTDOL reports that 454 Life Sciences Corp. of Branford will lay off 60 workers on or about 6/28/13; the organization is apparently not closing down completely.
Source: CTDOL |