Initial claims for unemployment benefits have now risen in three of the last four weeks and are close to their high point
for the year of 490,000, reached in late January.
The disappointing jobs data magnifies worries that slowing growth could end up leading the country back into recession during
the second half of the year.
Initial requests for jobless benefits rose last week to their highest level since April, a sign that hiring remains weak and
some companies are still cutting workers.
The sharp increase comes after claims fell steeply two weeks ago to their lowest level since August 2008. But much of that
drop was driven by temporary seasonal factors and not an improving job market.
June figure hits 10.1 percent, up a tick from April and May, marking the third straight month Indiana’s unemployment rate
has been in double digits.
The bleeding seems to have stopped where job loss is concerned, but it’s not time to pat ourselves on the back.
Claims have fluctuated wildly in the past several weeks and have not dropped below January levels. Elevated unemployment claims,
along with last month’s weak jobs report and a struggling housing market, have economists worried the recovery is slowing.
Virtually all the job creation in May came from the hiring of 411,000 census workers. Job creation by private companies grew
at the slowest pace since the start of the year.
A couple of Hoosier entrepreneurs think they can take their career information web site national.
SynCare LLC’s expansion hinges on city approval of property tax abatement. The Metropolitan Development Commission is set
to vote on the request Wednesday.
Indiana unemployment figure hits double digits in April for the first time since September, showing how volatile the job market
remains.
Applications for unemployment benefits rose to 471,000 last week, up by 25,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department
said Thursday. It was the first increase in five weeks and the biggest jump since a gain of 40,000 in February.
Arcadia Resources Inc. is planning a $3.9 million expansion of its Indianapolis headquarters and pharmacy operations, the
company said Thursday morning, confirming that it plans to add as many as 930 jobs by 2013.
Employers, encouraged by a recovering economy, are hiring again. But they are not doing it at the level needed to reduce the
jobless rate.
The number of jobs in Indiana rose by 16,600, marking the largest month-to-month increase since September 2005, the Department
of Workforce Development said.
The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims increased by 18,000 in the week ending April 3, to a seasonally
adjusted 460,000.
Buoyed by good news on the jobs front, the White House claimed credit Sunday for reversing the downward economic spiral while
bracing out-of-work Americans for a slow recovery.
Edy's Grand Ice Cream expects to fill 120 full-time production positions — paying about $13 an hour — at its
Fort Wayne plant in the next three months because of demand for its popular Nestle Drumsticks.
The state’s jobless rate has been either 9.8 percent or 9.7 percent the past four months.
New claims for unemployment benefits fell more than anticipated last week—partially due to changes in the calculations—as
layoffs ease and hiring slowly recovers.
