Butting factoids on
unemployment today:
The outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas says planned layoffs as of the end of August were the lowest they have been since June 2000. Here's the company's report [pdf]. Here is Reuters' coverage:
The number of planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell 17 percent in August from the prior month and hit the lowest level in 10 years, a report on Wednesday showed.
Employers announced 34,768 planned job cuts last month, down from 41,676 in July, outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. said.
It was the first month-on-month decline since April, when planned job losses had hit a seven-year low, and the lowest level since June 2000.
Not sure what "planned layoffs" are? A Challenger spokesman says that 34,768 figure captures all layoffs that occured in August, plus layoffs that have been announced through the next few months, as gleaned from news stories and press releases.
Meanwhile, Automatic Data Processing's National Employment Report says these here United States shed 10,000 productive-sector jobs from July to August. ADP's report [pdf] says the numbers might look even worse when the non-productive sector gets counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday:
Private sector employment decreased by 10,000 from July to August on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report® released today. The estimated change of employment from June to July was revised down slightly, from the previously reported increase of 42,000 to an increase of 37,000.
The decline in private employment in August confirms a pause in the recovery already evident in other economic data. The deceleration in employment was evident in the major sectors and by size of business. This month’s decline in employment followed six monthly increases from February through July. Over those six months the average monthly gain in employment was 37,000 with no evidence of acceleration.
Unlike the estimate of total establishment employment to be released on Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), today’s figure does not include the effects of federal hiring — and now firing — for the 2010 Census. Hiring for the census peaked in May. For this reason, Friday’s figure for the change in nonfarm total employment reported by the BLS might be weaker than today’s estimate for nonfarm private employment in the ADP National Employment Report.
ADP's figures -- for nonfarm jobs -- are drawn from an anonymous subset of more than 340,000 U.S. businesses with more than 21 million U.S. employees working "in all private industrial sectors."
Don't know what conclusions we can draw for Average American. Maybe: If you're looking for a job you're more screwed than ever, but if you've already got a job your chances of keeping it look slightly better.
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Max|9.1.10 @ 4:33PM|#
I wish you were looking for a job, Cavanaugh--a real one. Don't you sometimes feel ahsamed of pontificating about stuff you don't really know shit about?
Max|9.1.10 @ 4:46PM|#
ARFARFARFARFARFARFARFARFARF!!!!!!
Hockey Guy|9.1.10 @ 4:49PM|#
Lighten up I Pad. I'm sure Tim is earning what he's worth, that's the free market.
Old Mexican|9.1.10 @ 6:12PM|#
Re: Max,
For instance? Oh, and government jobs are not real, by any HONEST stretch of the word.
Max|9.1.10 @ 4:39PM|#
I can suck myself!
Barely Suppressed Rage|9.1.10 @ 4:45PM|#
I don't want to talk about my flair.
Fist of Etiquette|9.1.10 @ 4:50PM|#
I got a gray Challenger for Christmas one year. Damn near put my eye out.
|9.1.10 @ 4:54PM|#
"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that."
|9.1.10 @ 5:37PM|#
Wrong movie, douchewinger.
|9.1.10 @ 5:53PM|#
I know, fucknuts, I was trying to not quote the highly overrated Office Space. I succeeded.
|9.1.10 @ 5:55PM|#
Oh yeah, good save, zippy.
No homo.
|9.1.10 @ 5:59PM|#
Really. Why do people like that fucking movie so much? I like Mike Judge, but I'm always underwhelmed by everything he's done since Beavis & Butthead, including Idiocracy.
|9.1.10 @ 6:03PM|#
Never saw Idiocracy. I think the best part of Office Space was Lundberg. He nailed that role. Other than that, meh. Anniston looked pretty cute.
I have good memories of watching B&B...sort of.
|9.1.10 @ 6:14PM|#
I'm pleased that I don't have any memories of watching B&B, because I was either stoned or drunk or both. Also, Ren & Stimpy.
|9.1.10 @ 6:22PM|#
Yeeeeah. That was quality TV.
|9.2.10 @ 8:57AM|#
Yeah, both Office Space and Idiocracy were ok, but both also had the potential to be hilariously funny and were not.
Fatty Bolger|9.2.10 @ 9:05AM|#
They're similar movies. Neither is laugh out loud funny most of the time. But they have their moments when they ring absolutely true, and that makes them memorable.
mr simple|9.1.10 @ 4:56PM|#
Maybe: If you're looking for a job you're more screwed than ever, but if you've already got a job your chances of keeping it look slightly better.
Unless you work at Discovery Channel.
Ohhhh!
Seriously, though, I hope everyone gets out of there ok.
Left Wingers|9.1.10 @ 5:49PM|#
The hostage-taker at the Discovery Channel was just doing Gaia's work.
|9.1.10 @ 5:53PM|#
WTF? STUPIDITY!
Gilbert Martin|9.1.10 @ 5:03PM|#
But it weren't for the stimulus bill, we would be losing at least 6 gazillion jobs a month!!!!!
|9.1.10 @ 5:40PM|#
And to think it only cost us $285,814.61 per job to save them.
Barack Obama|9.1.10 @ 5:50PM|#
It is now "lives touched" by the stimulus.
I am such a genius.
Left Wingers|9.1.10 @ 5:50PM|#
*slobber*
Prosecuting Attorney|9.1.10 @ 5:51PM|#
Show us where the stimulus touched you on this doll...
|9.1.10 @ 5:51PM|#
Nice.
Ron L|9.1.10 @ 9:03PM|#
Barack Obama|9.1.10 @ 5:50PM|#
"It is now "lives touched" by the stimulus.'
Uh, you mean taxpayers?
Richard Nous|9.1.10 @ 9:25PM|#
Obama is a genus alright, genus what though?
I'm going with genus-Narcissus.