Labor Department

When James Reidy worked at the Labor Department in the 1980s, processing worker compensation claims from asbestos exposure in shipyards, he found that many of the cases stalled over the question of causation. The workers had been exposed to asbestos... Read More

The U.S. added a solid 916,000 jobs last month -- far surpassing an expected increase of 675,000 jobs -- and the unemployment rate fell to 6 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday. The new numbers come after the economy added... Read More

WASHINGTON - If 94% of individuals completing a Registered Apprenticeship program through the Department of Labor are retained by their employers, U.S. Navy Officer Michael Pruitt asked yesterday, why are there not more veterans or transitioning military service members taking... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Department of Labor’s apprenticeship programs benefit individuals seeking to master skills while gainfully employed, and provides employers with the talent needed to fill the current workforce shortage, according to two Congressmen yesterday. Apprenticeships differ from paid internships... Read More

WASHINGTON — The number of unemployment claims filed last week fell to 900,000, a number that remains historically high and suggests the economy still has a long way to go before it fully recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. The Labor... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers shed jobs last month for the first time since April, cutting 140,00 positions, clear evidence that the economy is faltering as the viral pandemic tightens its grip on consumers and businesses. At the same time,... Read More

Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped to the highest level in three months, suggesting the labor market’s recovery is faltering amid the surge in COVID-19 cases and widening business restrictions. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs rose... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers scaled back their hiring last month as the viral pandemic accelerated across the country, adding 245,000 jobs, the fewest since April and the fifth straight monthly slowdown. At the same time, the unemployment rate to... Read More

WASHINGTON - Employers added 638,000 jobs in the month of October, pushing the national unemployment rate down to 6.9%, the Labor Department reported Friday. But Congressional Democrats noted the pace of renewed hiring isn't nearly enough to quickly get the... Read More

Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped last week to the highest since August and Americans increasingly moved to longer-term jobless aid. Both are troubling signs for a labor market whose recovery from the pandemic was already slowing. Initial jobless claims... Read More

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits were little changed last week, contrasting with estimates for a decline and highlighting an economic recovery that’s coming in fits and starts. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs increased by 4,000 to 870,000 in... Read More

Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits failed to decline as expected last week, a sign extensive job losses are persisting as the nation continues to struggle to control the coronavirus. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs were unchanged at... Read More

U.S. unemployment claims figures gave a mixed picture of the labor market amid government changes to seasonal adjustments to account for distortions from the pandemic. Initial jobless claims in state programs totaled 881,000 in the week ended Aug. 29, according... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. unemployment rate fell sharply in August to 8.4% from 10.2% even as hiring slowed, with employers adding the fewest jobs since the pandemic began. Employers added 1.4 million jobs, the Labor Department said, down from... Read More

WASHINGTON — Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week to the lowest since March, offering a ray of hope for an economy still battered by the pandemic. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs fell by 249,000 to... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired. The Labor Department’s report... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 32.9% in the second quarter -- the worst quarterly decline ever -- amid a coronavirus pandemic that shuttered businesses and threw millions out of work. The Commerce Department's estimate... Read More

WASHINGTON - More than 1.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a pace that suggests employers continue to lay people off in the face of a resurgent coronavirus. The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of jobless... Read More

WASHINGTON - Employers added 4.8 million jobs in June, pushing the nation's unemployment rate down to 11.1%, down from a peak of 14.7% in April, the Labor Department said Thursday. June was the second month in a row of payroll... Read More

A higher-than-expected number of Americans sought unemployment benefits for a second week, signaling a slowdown in U.S. labor market improvement. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs fell by 60,000 to 1.48 million last week from an upwardly revised figure... Read More

Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell less than forecast last week, showing only gradual improvement from the worst of the pandemic-related layoffs even as states re-open more of their economies. Initial jobless claims for regular state programs totaled... Read More

WASHINGTON - U.S. employers added 2.5 million jobs in May as businesses began to reopen following months of closures ordered at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic. The uptick in hiring dropped the unemployment rate to 13.3%, the Labor Department... Read More

WASHINGTON - The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits in the nine weeks since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic reached 38.6 million last week, just as states across the nation began to take decisive steps to reopen their... Read More

WASHINGTON - Nearly 3 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total job losses since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in mid-February to roughly 36 million, the Labor Department said Thursday. An additional 842,000 people applied... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 3.8 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the U.S. economy slid further into a crisis that is becoming the most devastating since the 1930s. Roughly 30.3 million people have now filed... Read More

WASHINGTON - Just over 4.4 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to tame it continue to batter the U.S. economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that 4,427,000 Americans applied for benefits... Read More

WASHINGTON - More than 6.6 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, shattering the record number for the second week in a row, the Labor Department announced Thursday. Last week, 3.3 million people filed jobless claims, meaning... Read More

WASHINGTON — Businesses across the U.S. cut back in the number of new job openings they advertised in December, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The pullback, following a similar decline in November is seen by some economists as a sign... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an amendment championed by the New Democrat Coalition aimed at modernizing how the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor trends and surveys people in non-traditional work arrangements. The amendment, sponsored by... Read More