U.S. jobless claims decline to 444,000, a new pandemic low
The latest numbers show Hoosiers filed 7,149 initial unemployment claims during the week ended May 15, a drop of 637 from the previous week.
Unemployment
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Indiana to drop out of federal unemployment programs, end $300 supplemental benefit
The move will also end benefits for people who did not qualify for unemployment benefits before the pandemic, including gig-economy workers, independent contractors and self-employed workers.
More than 1.9 million people could see severe cuts in unemployment aid as Republicans seek to curb assistance
Indiana is not among the states cutting workers off from federal benefits. But on Thursday, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., encouraged states to “pull the plug” on the benefits.
U.S. unemployment claims drop to 473,000, a new pandemic low
The number of weekly jobless claims—a rough measure of the pace of layoffs—has fallen significantly from a peak of 900,000 in January.
Holcomb signs order restoring work-search rule for jobless benefits
Indiana is joining several other states creating more requirements for people to stay on unemployment, with many businesses blaming the ease of obtaining the weekly jobless benefits with making it more difficult to fill job openings.
Job openings surge to a record high 8.12 million
Many employers say they are unable to fill positions because of ongoing fears of catching the coronavirus, child-care responsibilities and generous unemployment benefits.
White House to work with states on reimposing work-search requirements
States waived their work requirements for unemployment benefits at the start of the pandemic, but about 30 of them have reimposed or are planning to reimpose them. Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Friday that Indiana would do the same.
Explainer: Did U.S. hiring slow in April because of a ‘labor shortage’?
To nearly everyone’s surprise, employers in April added a comparatively paltry 266,000 jobs, down drastically from a gain of 770,000 in March, which itself was revised down from an initially much higher figure of 916,000.
GOP governors slash jobless aid to try to force more Americans to return to work
An unexpected slowdown in hiring nationwide has prompted some Republican governors to start slashing jobless benefits. On Friday, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said he would consider whether the state should continue to participate in federal pandemic unemployment programs.
Holcomb to reinstate job-seeking rule for unemployed, study whether to ax federal benefit
Unemployed Hoosiers are currently receiving $300 per week from the federal government in addition to state benefits. The federal program also expanded who is eligible for unemployment.
U.S. wages, benefits jump as economy reopens
The figures suggest that as the economy rapidly reopens, businesses are already providing higher pay and benefits to pull workers back into the job market.
U.S. jobless claims fall to pandemic-low 547,000
Weekly jobless claims are down sharply from a peak of 900,000 in early January, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Indiana unemployment rate drops below 4% for first time since pandemic
The state’s unemployment rate has been doggedly retracing its steps over the last year from its latest spike, falling from 16.9% in April 2020 to 3.9% last month.
From child care to COVID, rising job market faces obstacles
The most optimistic economists predict the nation could produce as many as 10 million more jobs this year and restore the labor market to its pre-pandemic level. Yet, even in normal times, it would be hard to regain all those jobs so quickly. And these aren’t normal times.
Indiana unemployment rate closing in on pre-pandemic level
The state’s unemployment rate has been doggedly retracing its steps over the last year from its latest spike, falling from 16.9% in April to 4% in February.
U.S. jobless claims rise to 770,000 with layoffs still high
Despite the weekly increase, the four-week average of claims, which smooths out weekly variations, dropped to 746,000, the lowest since late November.
U.S. jobless claims fall to 712,000 as pace of layoffs eases
Counting supplemental federal unemployment programs that were established to soften the economic damage from the virus, an estimated 20.1 million people are collecting some form of jobless aid.
U.S. jobless claims tick up to 745,000 as layoffs remain high
Counting supplemental federal unemployment programs that were established to soften the economic damage from the virus, an estimated 18 million people are collecting some form of jobless aid.
America’s jobless owe thousands of dollars in taxes on their unemployment
For tax purposes, weekly unemployment payments count as income just like wages from a job. But few people realize the money they get from the government is actually taxable.
Fraud overwhelms pandemic-related unemployment programs
In Indiana, Kentucky and Maryland, officials have said that for certain weeks in the new year, at least two-thirds of the claims they received were classified as suspicious due to problems verifying identities.