Top CEOs Expect to Cut More Jobs

(NEWSER) - Nonfarm payrolls plunged 598,000 in January, the Labor Department announced today, bringing the total job losses to 3.6 million since the recession began in December 2007. The drop was significantly worse than analysts anticipated, and the worst since December 1974, the Wall Street Journal reports. The jobless rate jumped to 7.6% for the month, a 16-year high. Included in the report were revisions showing that the US lost about 3 million jobs last year, up from the 2.6 million previously estimated. More»

Mounting layoffs lead to surprise jump in claims, report says

(AP) - The number of newly laid off Americans signing up for jobless benefits last week unexpectedly climbed to its highest point in more than 6 years as the faltering US economy forced companies to cut back. The Labor Department reported today that new applications filed for unemployment rose by 7,000 to 455,000, their highest level since late March 2002. More»

It was a surprise drop, notes Bloomberg

(NEWSER) - Unexpected visit from the in-laws: bad news. Unexpected drop in jobless claims: very good news. Though Bloomberg reports that economists anticipated that the number of Americans filing first-time jobless claims would hold steady around 390,000, it instead dropped by 19,000 last week, to 366,000. The last time it was that low? May 2008, a long-ago era when Jennifer Aniston was dating John Mayer and Newser thought "twittering" was an appropriate verb. Reuters notes that the number is approaching the 350,000 mark, one that analysts consider a sign of "more sustained improvement in the job market." Stocks rose on the news, notes Marketwatch . More»

Employers shed 36,000 jobs, fewer than expected

(AP) - The unemployment rate held at 9.7% in February as employers shed fewer jobs than expected. The Labor Department said employers cut 36,000 jobs, below analysts' estimates of 50,000. They had predicted the jobless rate would rise to 9.8%. The severe snowstorms that hammered the East Coast last month may have skewed the numbers, but the department wouldn't quantify the impact. More»

Employers cut 85,000 jobs in December, more than expected

(AP) - The economy lost more jobs in December and the unemployment rate was unchanged, signs that a sluggish economic recovery has yet to revive hiring. The Labor Department says employers cut 85,000 jobs last month, worse than the 8,000 drop analysts expected. A sharp drop in the labor force, a sign more of the jobless are giving up on their search for work, kept the unemployment rate at 10%, the same as in November. More»