Department of Labor
June 2015: unemployment rate down to 5.3 percent for first time in years
release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has dropped 0.2 points down to 5.3 percent, the lowest the unemployment rate has been since April 2008. Last month, 223,000 new non-farming jobs were created, dropping the number of unemployed people down to 8.3 million. The majority of the new positions were available…
Read MoreGovernment agencies to send aid to drought-stricken states on west coast
Seven states on the west coast — including California, Oregon and Washington — are set to receive aid from various federal agencies due to extreme drought conditions. The Obama administration has already earmarked $110 million for the relief efforts, to be distributed through various federal agencies with varying goals for the funds. The U.S. Department…
Read MoreObama administration proposes expansion to employee overtime pay
could be raised to as high as $52,000. Under the current threshold, any salaried, white-collar employee who earns more than $23,660 per year does not qualify for overtime pay. Only about 12 percent of the workforce is eligible for overtime pay under this threshold, which falls below the poverty line. (Some estimate that fewer than…
Read MoreMay 2015 employment: new jobs in hospitality, but mining industry takes another hit
release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. saw an increase of 280,000 jobs in May, though the rate of unemployment remained steady at 5.5 percent. The mining industry continued to see a decline in available jobs, though available jobs in professional and business services increased, as did positions within the health care and…
Read MoreApril 2015 employment: surge in business, health care jobs
a release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 223,000 new jobs were added to the U.S. workforce in April, primarily in business, health care and construction. The unemployment rate remained steady between March and April, hovering around 5.4 percent of the population (about 8.5 million people). Of the new positions available, 62,000 of them are…
Read MoreMarch 2015: unemployment rate steady
According to a news release from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has not changed since February, continuing to hold steady at 5.5 percent, or 8.6 million unemployed individuals. In March, 126,000 new jobs were added to the workforce, way down from the previous monthly average of 269,000 new jobs…
Read MoreFebruary 2015: mining industry sees decrease in jobs, unemployment rate continues to drop
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has decreased slightly since January. The unemployment rate is now 5.5 percent, leaving 8.7 million people out of work. In February, 295,000 new jobs were added across several fields, including healthcare, food and drinking establishments and business services. Only an average of 266,000 jobs were created per…
Read MoreJanuary 2015: unemployment rate holds strong, new jobs created
December’s numbers, according to a news release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The only demographic that saw an increase in its unemployment rate was teen workers. While the unemployment rate remained steady overall at about 5.7 percent, January saw 257,000 new jobs added. Those 257,000 jobs include positions in retail, health care, financial services…
Read MoreDecember 2014 employment: A strong finish to a good economic year
5.8 percent in November. An estimated 8.7 million people remain unemployed, though the number of unemployed people declined by 383,000 between November and December. The Bureau’s demographic information showed that it was adult women that saw the biggest surge in employment opportunities in December. Employment for the other demographics remained stable compared to previous months.…
Read MoreFinal Rule prohibits sexual orientation, gender identity discrimination
President Obama signed an Executive Order that would prevent federal contractors from discriminating against potential employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, in addition to the characteristics that are already protected by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Earlier this month, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs finally released information outlining how…
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