too bad no one cares because everyone is working...
 By
JeffryBartash
Reporter
 Getty Images
It seems every company’s got a job for you. Job openings have hit a record high and layoffs at a nearly 50-year low. The numbers: The number of Americans losing their jobs and applying for unemployment benefits each week remained near a 49-year low in mid-October, suggesting no visible deterioration in a U.S. labor market.
Initial jobless claims, one measure of layoffs, dropped by 5,000 to 210,000 in the seven days ended Oct. 13. That matched the average forecast of economists polled by MarketWatch.
The monthly average of new claims edged up by 2,000 to 211,750, the government said Thursday.
What happened: The number of new applications for unemployment benefits tapered off in the Carolinas and returned to more normal levels as the cleanup from Hurricane Florence hit a crescendo.
New jobless claims have been under 220,000 since early July, a remarkable stretch last duplicated almost a half-century ago.
The number of people already collecting unemployment benefits, meanwhile, fell by 13,000 to 1.64 million. These “continuing” claims touched the lowest level since Aug. 4, 1973.
Big picture: It can’t get a whole lot better in the U.S. job market. Openings just hit a record high, the U.S. unemployment rate has fallen to a 48-year low of 3.7% and hiring remains robust. |
