November unemployment rates will be released on Friday. Some of the figures will be distorted by factors such as Hurricane Sandy, holiday retail job additions and layoffs at troubled companies from Web 2.0 firms…
Eurostat reports that unemployment in the euro area has risen again: The euro area (EA17) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 11.7% in October 2012, up from 11.6% in September. The EU271 unemployment rate was 10.7%…
The U.S. Labor Department is out with its weekly jobless claims. This should be the last report that we would expect any real impact from Hurricane Sandy, as things are getting back to normal.…
Unemployment benefits have cost the federal and state governments $520 billion over the past five years, another indication that the cost to create jobs may be less than to sustain incomes for those who…
The strike by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) workers that occurred off and on over the Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend did not put a dent in the sales of the world’s largest retailer, according to…
During the Great Recession, the U.S. unemployment rate reached double digits, triggering government aid programs to help those seriously affected. The labor market has much improved, and the unemployment rate fell to 7.9% in…
ThinkstockA stalled French economy continues to bleed jobs as another 45,100 job seekers joined the nearly 3.1 million French citizens already looking for work in October. The total number of unemployed French workers now…
ThinkstockThe National Employment Law Project claims that: If Congress fails to reauthorize the EUC program, two million workers now collecting federal unemployment benefits will be cut off after payment for the week ending December…
courtesy Wal-Mart Stores Inc.Walkouts and protests, notwithstanding, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) said that today’s Black Friday shopping numbers are the retailer’s “best ever.” From 8:00 p.m. through midnight last night, Walmart said it…
ThinkstockThe Labor Department released its weekly jobless claims a day earlier than normal due to the Thanksgiving holiday being on Thursday. Last week was a very large surprise gain, but it appeared to be…
courtesy of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said last night that it was unlikely that the agency will reach a decision in the labor complaint filed by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:…
ThinkstockCliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF), a major producer of iron ore from mines in North America, Brazil, and Australia, has idled some of its North American ore production and will delay completion of…
courtesy of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.The litany of complaints of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) workers who plan to walk off their jobs this week include objections to low pay, the company’s roadblocks against unionization and the…
courtesy of XeroxTwo old tech companies, both in trouble, have announced layoffs. Their actions might be attributed to a bad economy or to the fiscal cliff. But making that assumption would be a mistake.…
Texas Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: TXN), elbowed out of much of the mobile and consumer electronics chip industry by Samsung, ARM and Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM), fired 1,700 people today, as the demand for much…