• NOAA Raises Hurricane Season Prediction

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This year’s Atlantic hurricane season got off to a busy start, with 6 named storms to date, and may have a busy second half, according to the updated hurricane season outlook issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The updated outlook still indicates a 50 percent chance of a near-normal season, but increases the chance of an above-normal season to 35 percent and decreases the chance of a below-normal season to only 15 percent from the initial outlook issued in May. SOURCE: NOAA News

• Connecticut Employers Conducted 16 Mass Layoffs in Q2

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Connecticut: Employers in the private nonfarm sector in our state initiated 16 mass layoff events in the second quarter of 2012 that resulted in the separation of 2,160 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days. This is up from seven layoffs and 762 separations in the first quarter. As compared to Q2 2011, total extended mass layoff events and associated worker separations were down from 27 and 5,202, respectively. Nationally: Employers in the private nonfarm sector initiated 1,476 mass layoff events in the second quarter of 2012 that resulted in the separation of 262,848 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days. Over the year, total extended mass layoff events and associated worker separations were down from 1,810 and 317,546, respectively. In 2012, U.S. total events reached their lowest second quarter level since 2007, while manufacturing sector events declined to their lowest level for any quarter in program history (with data available back to 1995). The completion of seasonal work accounted for 44 percent of the total extended mass layoff events during the quarter. SOURCE: USDOL-BLS

• OSHA Cites Charter Oak Health Center In Hartford for Failing To Effectively Safeguard Employees Against Tuberculosis

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”The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Charter Oak Health Center Inc. in Hartford for three alleged serious violations of workplace health standards involving inadequate safeguards for employees exposed to tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. ”OSHA's Hartford Area Office opened an inspection in February after receiving a complaint that employees had been exposed to a patient with tuberculosis and that the center's management failed to take appropriate action to protect workers. Proposed fines total $17,600. ”Charter Oak Health Center Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.” SOURCE: USDOL-OSHA

• U.S. Labor Turnover – June 2012

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June Total Turnover: U.S. employers experienced the loss of 4.430 million workers during June; this included 2.295 million quits, 1.721 million layoffs and discharges, and 0.414 million “other” separations. June’s turnover was higher than that of the prior month, 4.202 million, and of the same month a year ago, 4.217 million. This yielded a monthly turnover level of 3.3% [the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment] which, if maintained at the same level for the next twelve months would result in an annual turnover rate of 39.6%. June Quits: The monthly quit rate in June was 1.7% or 20.4% if projected for a year. This is the same as for the prior month, but up from 1.6% and 19.2% in June 2011. For the Past 12 Months: Total turnover is actually 37.0%, up from 36.9% in May and 35.9% a year ago. The quit rate on annual basis for the last year is 18.5%, up from 18.4% last month and 17.0% a year ago. Quits: …which composed only 43.3% of total turnover two years ago…now account for 51.8% of total separations. SOURCE: USDOL-BLS

• U.S. Job Openings and Hires – June 2012

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Job Openings: There were 3.723 million jobs open in the U.S. on the last business day of June 2012 [nsa]. This is up 17.9% from 3.158 million openings in the same month a year ago. Hires: U.S. employers hired 5.057 million workers in June, up 3.9% from 4.869 million the same month last year. SOURCE: USDOL-BLS

• U.S. Productivity and Labor Costs – Q2 2012

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Productivity: Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased at a 1.6 percent annual rate during the second quarter of 2012. The increase in productivity reflects increases of 2.0 percent in output and 0.4 percent in hours worked. (Percent changes are seasonally adjusted annual rates.) From the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012, productivity increased 1.1 percent as output and hours worked rose 2.9 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively. Labor Costs: Unit labor costs in nonfarm businesses increased 1.7 percent in the second quarter of 2012, while hourly compensation increased 3.3 percent. Unit labor costs rose 0.8 percent over the last four quarters. SOURCE: USDOL-BLS

• U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Down 6K

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In the week ending August 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 361,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 367,000 and down 9.5% from the same week a year ago. The 4-week moving average was 368,250, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average of 366,000. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending July 28, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending July 21 were in Puerto Rico (4.3), theVirgin Islands (4.1), New Jersey (3.8), Pennsylvania (3.8), Alaska (3.6), Connecticut (3.6), California (3.5), Rhode Island (3.4), New York (3.2), and Nevada (3.1). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending July 28 were in New York (+3,250), Washington (+485), Nebraska (+136), Mississippi (+111), and Connecticut (+46), while the largest decreases were in Kentucky (-4,884), California (-4,738), Georgia (-2,206), Florida (-1,840), and Ohio (-1,810). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. Source: USDOL-BLS