Unemployment-claims data signal job gains are near (What we have been waiting for!!!)

[Peacetrain]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100107/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer Christopher S. Rugaber, Ap Economics Writer – 24 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A government report Thursday on claims for unemployment aid signaled that layoffs are easing and that the economy could be on the verge of posting the first monthly gain in jobs in two years.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits for the first time barely rose last week, after two weeks of sharp drops. But the four-week average of claims, which smooths fluctuations, fell for the 18th straight week to 450,250. That figure is nearing the roughly 425,000 that many economists say would be a sign the economy will start creating jobs.


Edit to add this from yesterday.. things are on the right track!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7410029

[Kahuna]

1. Yeah, Baby, Yeah!!!!

[Peacetrain]

5. It has been turning around..but going positive.. whew.. that will be great

[Clio the Leo]

2. And I cant wait for the revised November numbers to come out...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=433&topic_id=42688

[Peacetrain]

3. I am thinking that also.. !

[Clio the Leo]

7. lol and THEN what will we do?

.... ah well, there's always Afghanistan I guess. ;)

[Peacetrain]

8. I am feeling we have turned the corner on unemployment..now the repubs.. will be terror, terror,

terror.. 24/7..that is all they have left..

[Clio the Leo]

11. Well, I'm about to ask my three bubba GOP members of Congress...

.... why they aren't doing anything about this?

http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/01/06/south-is-first-u-s-region-with-majority-low-income-and-minority-students/?cxntfid=blogs_get_schooled_blog

[Peacetrain]

17. Wow..that needs some attending to for sure..

[Clio the Leo]

4. And here is another good article I didn't think was worthy of an OP...

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6060VR20100107

[jaxx]

6. Good news!

I think we are on our way.

[Peacetrain]

9. Yep.. such a relief to see that..

[jpak]

10. This is terrible news!1111

for doomers and haters

:evilgrin:

[Peacetrain]

13. ...

:)

[Better Today]

12. Bullshit, it just means more people aren't being laid off and

businesses may not be closing. It will be months to years before people are hiring and wages (for the same types of jobs, here at least) have fallen $10K in the past 18 months. Jobs that were paying 8.50 -10./hr are now $7.50.

Controllers and other accounting staff requiring BA, 5 years, and preferred CPA have dropped from 45-65K to 30K-40K, no that's not a joke, well yeah it is a joke, but I'm not kidding.

[Peacetrain]

14. It will for sure, not be equally dispersed.. I know that, because we have been hiring

locally.. help wanted signs out.. and other parts of the country people are reporting in that they are not seeing that yet.

We have not had a wage gain in 10 years and have fallen backwards..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7410029

[DisgustedInMN]

15. Oh really?

Does that mean I'll actually get a callback from one of the hundreds and hundreds of apps and resumes I've sent out?

Will it be from McDonalds or Walmart?

Sorry, please excuse me if I don't hold my breath while waiting.

[Peacetrain]

16. I hope you get your callbacks soon.. I hope Minnesota bounces back fast

[DisgustedInMN]

18. Thanks for the kind thoughts.

Being someone who has worked my entire adult life, over 4 decades, my self-esteem is really taking a hit, even though my brain tells me it's the economy making it happen. I see zero REAL help coming out of DC for people like me, just empty rhetoric and false promises. I had SO much hope a year ago...

[Peacetrain]

19. I was just reading the City Pages..and the job outlook for Minnesota is miserable

(My husband was born in Mpls).. the only good news was a link to a story on Bachmann.. which I put up as an op just a second ago.. she is short funds :)

[phleshdef]

21. Maybe if you didn't have such a shit governor, trying to deny stimulus funds and threatening...

...to turn Minnesota into its own country, your situation might be better.

[DisgustedInMN]

23. What's your point?

Do you think I approve of that fucking piece of shit? Do you think I voted for the dickhead?

My "rep" in the House is batshit crazy Bachmann, am I also responsible for her wacko crapola?

Get a grip pal, I was heavily involved in the last election, and it sure as hell wasn't for Pawlenty.

[CitizenLeft]

25. unemployment does horrible damage to your self-esteem

...especially the 1st time it happens, especially if it takes a long time to find a job, and especially if you've worked most of your life. The 1st time it happened to me, I remember not being able to look up at people. Try to do things - inexpensive things, preferably - to keep your spirits up. It's hard, but please don't let it get you too down. I know it's hard to stay upbeat, but sometimes it shows in your body language and on your face during interviewing, and you don't want that. Hang in there. :hug:

[DisgustedInMN]

26. If only I'd get ..

.. an interview. I don't even get a reply beyond a form acknowledgment.

Gee, sounds a lot like the response I get from the pols I worked to get in office...


Ever feel all used up?

[mkultra]

27. so your blaming who exactly?

because only a fool doesn't know where to put his anger.

[DisgustedInMN]

29. I'm going to refrain ..

.. from telling you exactly what you can do with your snarky answer.

Go hump someone else's leg, please.

[mkultra]

30. Im thinking the same thing of you

Go hump someone else's leg.

[DisgustedInMN]

31. Getting ...

... crowded down here under the bus, but at least the company isn't two-faced.

Have a nice day.

[mkultra]

37. If i could only find the damn keys

id solve all your problems.

[Dulcinea]

34. Yes.

I haven't worked in almost a year. I worked for the same company for almost two decades. I live in GA, where unemployment is over 10%.

I've had three interviews in that time.

It will be a year on Feb. 23.

[CitizenLeft]

38. I know, the least they could do is respond.

Very disheartening. Chin up. It will happen, it will. Just keep plugging away.

[DevonRex]

32. My thoughts are with you. Prayers too, if you don't mind them. nt

[DisgustedInMN]

33. Not a religious man myself..

.. but I don't oppose you're being so. I appreciate the warm sentiment, which I see isn't shared by all around here. Cripes, some of these posters sound exactly like Republicans to me.

[impik]

20. Oh crap!

;)

[jefferson_dem]

22. Whatever.

My friend's uncle's neighbor's gardener is out of work so the economy still sucks! :evilgrin:

[cherokeeprogressive]

24. You post would be funny if the friend, his uncle, the uncle's neighbor, and the neighbor's gardener

weren't ALL out of work.

New claims for unemployment benefits are going down because we're finally reaching the point where nearly everyone that CAN be laid of HAS been laid off. I wish you guys would stop trying to micro-manage confidence by jumping on each and every single piece of "news" as evidence that happy days are here (or near) again. That shit was old months ago.

[mkultra]

28. my ear keeps hearing new job after new job

people are going back to work. Things are at the corner.

[backscatter712]

35. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Can't you see this contradicts the doom narrative?!!

How are people supposed to be able to shit on Obama if we have good news?!

Where's some gloom and doom when we need it?

:sarcasm:

[Peacetrain]

36. Do you want that D&G with butter or sour cream?

That was pretty funny

[tranche]

39. No! No! No! Everything sucks! My entire internet existence depends on it!

[ShortnFiery]

40. Big Brother says that we can all look forward to additional chocolate rations this week.

:eyes:

[Clio the Leo]

41. POTUS to Address Friday's Unemployment Figures Tomorrow at 2:40pm...

.... is this a good sign? Would he be addressing the press if the numbers were shown to be the same or worse? I tend to think not.

We shall see......

[Cali_Democrat]

42. Look....the economy is still in the shitter

Is it turning around? Yes, but very slowly.

Remember that we need to create 150,000 jobs a month just to keep up with population growth. Add that to the fact we've lost millions of jobs over the last few years and you can see the dilemma we're in. It will take many years just to get back to where we were.

This is good news, but there's no denying that the economy still sucks ASS and people are suffering.

[WT Fuheck]

43. bwahahahahahahahaha!

:rofl:

That's a good one!

Did you hear the one about Santa Clause and Tiger Woods?

[last1standing]

44. This is good news for most of the nation, but probably not for Michigan.

There just isn't anything here to start a new job creation cycle. The auto companies are still laying off Michigan workers to bring on new ones in India and China and there really isn't much else here. I was reading an article yesterday in which a columnist was talking about our possibly bright future in farming vast tracts of Detroit. Yes, our only hope in some people's eyes is to create an agricultural society in the middle of a major US city.

It was our own fault, really. We let our auto companies crush any other real industry or source of income and then we let them get too big to fail. Then they failed anyway. We also elected ineffective Democrats and ideological republicans who made sure that nothing would ever get better. Now it looks like its too late. Of course, trying to rig the election and coming out on the wrong side didn't help a whole lot, either.

Still, enjoy your recovery, America. We'll root you on from the sidelines.

[harkadog]

45. How are those numberws working out for you?

85,000 jobs lost and the "underemployment" rate goes up to 17.3%. That is right -- always just around the corner.

[Peacetrain]

47. So you are happy about this? Sweet Mother, what will you not celebrate?

How is that working for you?

[harkadog]

48. I am not celebrating anything.

But I am not turning a blind eye to policies which are failing.

[uponit7771]

46. Did the BLS take workers out of the sample pool again? TIA