Latest U.S. Department of Labor News
Kentucky awards contract to replace unemployment insurance system that struggled during the pandemic
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky has awarded a long-awaited contract to replace its decades-old unemployment insurance system, which showed its shortcomings during the COVID-19 pandemic when a record surge of jobless claims resulted in processing backlogs, the state said Friday. The...
US applications for jobless benefits fall as labor market continues to thrive
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week as layoffs remained historically low despite the Federal Reserve's efforts to loosen the labor market. Jobless claims for the week ending May 18 fell by 8,000 to 215,000, down from 223,000 the week before, the...
US applications for jobless benefits come back down after last week's 9-month high
Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remain at historically low levels even as other signs that the labor market is cooling have surfaced. Jobless claims for the week ending May 11 fell by 10,000 to 222,000, down from 232,000 the week before, the...
Wholesale price increases accelerated in April as inflation remains sticky
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices rose sharply last month, a sign that inflation pressures remain stubbornly high after three elevated readings in consumer prices to start the year. The Labor Department said Tuesday that its producer price index — which tracks price...
This Week: Producer prices, inflation check, April retail sales
Inflation foresight The Labor Department releases producer price data for April on Tuesday. The producer price index measures inflation at the wholesale level, before businesses pass costs on to consumers. Wholesale inflation jumped in March, the latest sign that...
US weekly jobless claims hit highest level since August of 2023, though job market is still hot
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits jumped to its highest level in more than eight months last week, another indication that the red hot U.S. labor market may be softening. Unemployment claims for the week ending May 4 rose by 22,000 to 231,000, up from...
A US company is fined $650,000 for illegally hiring children to clean meat processing plants
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Tennessee-based sanitation company has agreed to pay more than half a million dollars after a federal investigation found it illegally hired at least two dozen children to clean dangerous meat processing facilities in Iowa and Virginia. The U.S. Department...
Number of Americans applying for jobless claims remains historically low
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week and remains historically low as the labor market continues to show resiliency in the face of high interest rates and elevated inflation. The Labor Department reported Thursday that unemployment claims...
US job openings fall to 8.5 million in March, the lowest level in more than 3 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. jobs openings slid in March to the lowest level in more than three years, but stayed at historically high levels in a sign that the job market remains resilient in the face of higher interest rates. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that employers...
Temporary farmworkers get more protections against retaliation and other abuses under new rule
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Temporary farmworkers will have more legal protections against employer retaliation, unsafe working conditions, illegal recruitment practices and other abuses under a Labor Department rule announced Friday. Each year about 300,000 immigrants, mostly from...
