New Claims for Unemployment Benefits Rise

[spinbaby]

WASHINGTON - New claims for unemployment benefits increased last week following three straight weeks of declines, the Labor Department said Thursday.

New applications filed for unemployment insurance rose to 353,000, an increase of 14,000 for the week ending Jan. 3. That compared to 339,000 new applications in the previous week, when claims were at their lowest level since President Bush (news - web sites)'s inauguration day, Jan. 20, 2001.

Economists said last week's rise in claims probably was because of the holidays, including less time for people to file for unemployment benefits the week of Christmas and layoffs from temporary holiday jobs that ended.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=668&e=16&u=/ap/jobless_claims

[GainesT1958]

1. Here come those laid-off Holiday temp workers...

Along with those newly-laid-off permanent workers!:eyes:

What's Snow going to call the First Quarter of this year? The "New Jobless Recovery"? x(

B-)

[Warren Stuart]

5. Not if they didn't work 20 weeks

They may not be counted at all.

[yellowcanine]

2. Not to worry, our economy is strong and we are also "safer"

now that Saddam is in custody. Dubya said it - that makes it true, right? Happy faces everyone!

[Cocoa]

11. and attacks in Iraq are decreasing

the generals said it, it must be true!

[rustydog]

3. well, no duh!

The employment increases started in November...usually when part-time holiday help are hired (they ahve to be trained before manning registers and stocking shelves)for the christmas rush.

When the holidays are over...first weekend after 01-01-04...the thousands upon thousands will be laid off....

where is the surprise? what sucks is the major media kept reporting the employment increases yet failed to attribute them to holiday help who would be released after the holidays.

[RebelOne]

4. That's a no-brainer.

I knew that would happen after the holidays.

[Frodo]

6. Knew what would happen?

Everyone is talking about a few thousand change (statistical noise) as if it validates some theory.

350k is a very solid number and the new four-week average (the number everyone cares about) FELL several thousand to a new low for shrub's term.

This is not news that you can say "I knew it was going to go up". An average of 350k new filings is associated with measurable job GROWTH, not some post-holiday layoff scenario.

[Sideways]

7. statistical noise must ring loudly in the ears of the unemployed

How very kind of you to point this out. I'm sure those folks out of work and those under employed are happy to hear from you dear.

[Frodo]

18. Please see Post #17

Sorry. I posted to you on the wrong reply.

[Yavin4]

10. Mr. Frodo, May I Ask You A Question

Where are all these jobs in this wonderful economy that you continually praise? What industry? What part of the country? Where are they? What are they?

[tom_paine]

15. Oh, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for Mr. Frodo's reply

Perhaps care of the ring should be entrusted to Samwise.

I know Gandalf would approve.

[Frodo]

16. Food; Electronic Components & Equipment; and Fabricated Metals..

..Transportation & Equipment;
Miscellaneous*;
Instruments & Photographic Equipment;
Printing & Publishing;
Industrial & Commercial Equipment & Computers;
Furniture;
Entertainment;
Retail Trade;
Other Services*;
Communication;
and Finance & Banking

[Frodo]

17. Yes. We're all sure you're a compassionate person.

EDIT - Sorry, this was intended as a response to post #7.


Look, even in the BEST economic times (which these are NOT) there are still hundreds of thousands of people filing for first time benefits every week. Any number consistently under 400,000 is considered a "good" number (obviously the lower the better, Clinton had quite a few as low as the 270,000-300,000 range, which we aren't going to see any time soon). Every one of them is a real person deserving of respect... BUT it doesn't change the fact that 250,000 is a REALLY good number. So, yes, you can CHEER a number like that.

THIS happens not to be that good a number, but the response here was essentially "see, this proves jobs aren't getting any better" when it proves the opposite, so it makes DU look ignorant. The other response was "this is just laying off all the xmas temporary labor" which also misstates the facts. These numbers are seasonally adjusted, so the holiday layoffs (AND the temporary hiring that led to them) are already normed out.

Spin it any way you want. This is now a full 100,000/wk lower than what Bush ran for his first couple years and DOES represent an improving employment picture. Is it dramatic? Not particularly (Clinton's BAD months were often this good), but why misstate the facts?

[lovedems]

8. By not extending the federal unemployment extension

their numbers probably look better than the actual truth. There were probably thousands of people who just dropped off the radar becasue their federal extension just ran out but they still don't have jobs. So the real number of unemployed is probably worse then the numbers they are showing right now.

[tritsofme]

13. This if for first time claims.

Not continuing claims, so the people who will be booted off the rolls haven't been in this count since the first time they claimed.

[grasswire]

9. it's worse than the projection

The prediction I saw last night was 11,000 over. It's 14,000. So I guess it's worse than even the shapeshifters thought.

[tritsofme]

14. Its 3,000 worse than projection,

thats harldy a disaster.

[David Zephyr]

12. Kick.

n/t

[cthrumatrix]

19. job less rises and they want illegal immigrants to flood the us job market

[Frodo]

20. Yes and no.

"job less" did not "rise".

But yes, he does want to flood the US job market with illegal immigrants.

Presumably, many/most of them already HAVE jobs, but their employers aren't paying taxes on them properly. They'll just be legitimate jobs now.

[pinniped]

21. Any questions?

"Economists said last week's rise in claims probably was because of the holidays, including less time for people to file for unemployment benefits the week of Christmas and layoffs from temporary holiday jobs that ended."