Mike: Thursday’s much anticipated Jobless Claims report shows that fewer layoffs occurred last week. My 602,000 jobless claims estimate from yesterday’s post was fairly close to the reported number. Since I work on this quite a bit each day, I start to see some trends on occasion.

As a cautionary note to this week’s improved number is that the revised numbers are continually higher. So it is worth waiting for the revised number before counting this as a watershed week of job loss improvement. Also, the economy needs to create 120,000 jobs a month just to break even, so the economy is far from breaking even in the job creation area, but it is improving slightly each of the past three weeks, which we can all be thankful for. 

I somewhat discount the continuing claims number, since there have been so many state and federal unemployment extensions that it only makes sense that this number would keep increasing. Once those extensions are exhausted, the number on continuing claims will fall. It does indicate that companies aren’t in a giddy hiring mood yet, which is what is needed to put an end to this recession.

May 7 (Bloomberg) — The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment insurance unexpectedly fell last week to the lowest level in three months, a sign the worst of the job cuts may be over.

Initial jobless claims decreased by 34,000 to 601,000 in the week ended May 2, the fewest since late January, from a revised 635,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said today in Washington. The number of people collecting benefits climbed to 6.35 million the prior week, the 14th consecutive record, showing companies are still not hiring even as staff reductions abate.

via U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Fell to Lowest Level in 3 Months – Bloomberg.com.

 

-However, the Labor Department also reported Thursday that the level of ongoing claims for jobless benefits continues to tally record highs, with a gain of 56,000 to reach 6.35 million in the week ended April 25. The four-week moving average of continuing claims also hit yet another record high, rising 125,250 to 6.21 million.

via Initial jobless claims fall; record ongoing claims – MarketWatch .

 

Mike: The link below sums up today’s job data:

– According to the latest data, there were 3 million job openings in February and 12.5 million unemployed people — more than four applicants for every job, the highest on record.

 

 

David Horsey - May 7

David Horsey - May 7

 

Mike: If any of you would like to get this blog sent to you on a weekly basis, send me a note at mike@layofflist.org and I’ll put you on my mailing list. I would do this daily, but it could be a lot of work. If I get enough requests to do a daily, I’ll go ahead and allot the time. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

 

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Today’s quote: A recession is when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your own
Harry S. Truman

* Larger layoff announcements and important economic reports:
US/Canada
International:

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

 

msft6– In-game ads may be the wave of the future, but it seems that the industry isn’t immune to layoffs. According to Venture Beat, Microsoft has extended its cuts to its recently purchased in-game advertising firm.

General Economic News

 

Productivity and Costs
[Report][djStar]
8:30 AM ET

-May 7 (Bloomberg) — U.S. worker productivity rose in the first quarter as the worst recession in at least half a century prompted companies to lower expenses by squeezing more from remaining staff.

Productivity, a measure of employee output per hour, rose at a 0.8 percent annual rate, more than forecast, after a 0.6 percent decline in the fourth quarter, the Labor Department said today. Labor costs increased 3.3 percent after climbing 5.7 percent at the end of 2008.

via U.S. First-Quarter Productivity Rises 0.8%; Labor Costs Up 3.3% – Bloomberg.com.

 

Monster Employment Index 

• Index rises by two points reflecting slight seasonal increase in online job opportunities

• Year-over-year, the Index is now down 31 percent, indicating no major change in the annual pace of decline between March and April

via Monster Employment Index Rises 2 Points In April .

 

 

Bruce Beattie - May 7

Bruce Beattie - May 7

 

gm3– DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Corp. lost $6 billion in the first quarter and its revenue was cut nearly in half as car buyers feared the wounded auto giant would enter bankruptcy and no longer honor its warranties.

The Detroit-based company also said it spent $10.2 billion more cash than it took in from January through March, mainly because revenue dropped by a staggering $20 billion, or 47 percent.

via GM posts $6B 1Q loss, spends $10.2B in cash – Yahoo! Finance.

 

gm5– May 7 (Bloomberg) — General Motors Corp., already intending to slash salaried jobs by 14 percent globally, is planning a new set of cuts this month that may be similar in severity in some units, people familiar with the talks said.

The Detroit automaker won’t make final decisions on the number of non-union jobs until near the end of this month, said the people, who asked not to be named because the plans are preliminary. Managers were asked to start reviewing their workforces to determine possible personnel reductions, the people said.

via General Motors Said to Prepare for New Salaried Cuts (Update1) – Bloomberg.com.

 

– WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer borrowing plunged in March at the fastest pace in 18 years as Americans put away their credit cards and hoarded cash amid the worst recession in decades.

The Federal Reserve says consumer borrowing dropped 5.2 percent in March, the biggest decline since an 8.1 percent fall in December 1990.

In dollar terms, consumer borrowing plunged by $11.1 billion. That’s the largest dollar amount on records dating to 1943, and more than three times the $3.5 billion drop that economists expected

via Consumer credit falls at fastest pace in 18 years – Yahoo! Finance.

 

 

Government Layoff News

 

The City of Boise has been forced to layoff nine more employees due to budget concerns. Mayor Dave Bieter says the positions were eliminated as part of a review of city services.

via KBOI News/Talk 670 – Boise, Idaho.

 

– County Extension director positions, including that of Winneshiek County Extension Education Director Brenda Ranum, are being eliminated as part of a plan to deal with a $4.15 million cut to the Iowa State University (ISU) Extension budget.

via Decorah Newspapers.

 

– The School Committee approved a $74.6 million budget proposal Monday that would force the layoffs of 20 employees.

via Schools budget to force 20 layoffs – Plymouth, MA – Wicked Local Plymouth.

 

– The Alisal Union School District board of trustees voted to cut 16 non-teaching staff positions at its regular meeting Wednesday night.

via Alisal board cuts 16 nonteaching jobs | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian.

 

– Memphis, TN- 100 Shelby County workers are facing job cuts and public safety is on the line.

via 100 Jobs To Be Cut In Shelby County|myEyewitnessNews.com, Memphis News, Entertainment, Videos, Business Search and Shopping .

 

– The school board Wednesday night approved laying off eight elementary teachers for next school year. They join other teacher cuts approved last week to bring the total impact to about 12.5 fewer teachers in the district next year. There are 135 teachers in the district today.

 

 

US and some Canada Layoff News

 

 

dupont-NEW YORK (AP) — DuPont will cut 2,000 jobs as the chemical company wrestles with falling sales.

The Wilmington, Del.-based company said Thursday it would take a charge of between $340 million and $390 million in the second quarter, about 40 percent of it non-cash.

via The Associated Press: DuPont to lay off 2,000 workers.

 

dupont1– DuPont Beaumont’s elastomers unit will cease operations June 30, eliminating 86 jobs.

 

severstal– The company announced Thursday it will suspend cold-rolling and coating operations within the Wheeling division “while the company balances production with orders across its business.” Wheeling’s steelmaking and hot-rolling lines are already idled, essentially leaving only its coke plant — located in Follansbee — still in production, albeit at a lower level.

via Severstal to Lay Off 1,900 at Wheeling Plant – WTRF-TV – WTRF.com.

 

gm4– Thousands of General Motors Corp. workers across the country are also learning that they’ll have a much longer summer break than expected.

GM says it will temporarily close 23 facilities. That affects 1,000 workers at Saginaw’s Metal Castings and Bay City Powertrain.

via General Motors workers may have longer-than-expected summer break – 5/07/09 – Flint News and Saginaw News – abc12.com.

 

chrysler9– -Chrysler said Wednesday it plans to close its Dodge Ram plant in Fenton in the third quarter of this year.

 

– Northshore is currently in a 6-week shutdown, that started the beginning of April.  120 people were laid off then, but this extension will increase those layoffs to a total of 400 workers. 

via WDIO.com – Northshore Mining Extends Shutdown , 280 More Layoffs.

 

– Beginning May 17, workers at the two Greenville plants will be furloughed for four weeks while employees at a plant in Auburn Hills will be laid off for three weeks.

via United Solar temporarily closing Mich. plants – Forbes.com.

 

us-steel1– U S Steel is temporarily shutting down its Fairfield Works steelmaking facility.  Hundreds of workers, it appears, will be out of work.

via U .S. Steel temporarily closing Fairfield plant | NBC13.com.

 

– ATTLEBORO – Teknor Color Company plans to halt manufacturing at its Hebronville plant and lay off about 50 employees when it completes the sale of its PVC colorant business to a New Jersey firm.

via Teknor Apex closing Attleboro plant – The Sun Chronicle Online – News Update.

 

hospital2– LORAIN — Community Regional Medical Center in Lorain today laid off 35 employees and cut the hours of 51 more to remain financially healthy this year as fewer people seek medical treatment because of the recession, according to CHP President Ed Oley. The job cuts will save the hospital about $2.1 million this year.

via Lorain hospital lays off 35, cuts hours of 51 Morning Journal: Serving Lorain, Erie, Huron and western Cuyahoga counties.

 

– XPAC announced Tuesday that it will likely close its Bartonville plant as a result of two significant Caterpillar Inc. contract cancellations.

The majority of the last 275 employees at that plant will likely be laid off, though XPAC officials will be talking with those employees to determine which are willing to relocate to another plant or are interested in different positions, said Jennifer Ruggles, vice president of human relations.

via XPAC plant likely to close – Pekin, IL – Pekin Daily Times.

 

– Forty-four people will be laid off when an Upper Macungie Township pet food manufacturing facility stops production, officials announced Wednesday.

via Upper Macungie pet food company to close plant, lay off 44 employees –– themorningcall.com.

 

– BELLINGHAM, Wash. — State budget cuts are forcing WesternWashingtonn University to cut about 164 jobs before the next academic year.

via WWU to cut about 164 jobs to balance budget.

 

newspaper3– It’s rumored that 20 newsroom-based Media Workers Guild employees at the San Francisco Chronicle will be involuntarily laid off today.

via Chronicle Layoffs Today – SFist: San Francisco.

 

hospital3– LORAIN — Thirty-five employees of Community Health Partners were laid off Wednesday, and another 51 had their hours reduced in an effort by the hospital system to stave off financial problems.

via The Chronicle-Telegram – Lorain County’s leading news source.

 

– CHATHAM — More than half the employees at Wheels Inn will be laid off when the regional tourist attraction is converted to a Holiday Inn Express and Suites.

via London Free Press – Local News- Wheels Inn to shed up to 174 employees.

 

– CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Consol Energy has told West Virginia it’s eliminating 54 jobs and closing two operations in the state’s southern coalfields.

via Consol plans to close 2 WVa operations | AP | 05/07/2009.

 

cub-cadet– The company that manufactures Cub Cadet lawn mowers is closing its Brownsville plant, eliminating 200 full-time jobs and an additional 280 seasonal jobs, according to company officials.

MTD Consumer Products announced Wednesday that it will permanently close its plant at 1620

via Plant to close in July, eliminating 480 jobs | jacksonsun.com | .

 

-Two area employers are cutting 327 jobs in the Richmond area.

Capital One Financial Corp., one of the largest employers here, is eliminating 66 jobs in its U.S. credit-card customer operations at its offices in Goochland County.

via AdvantaStaff, Capital One plan 327 layoffs | Richmond Times-Dispatch.

 

schneider-electric– Schneider Electric announced Thursday that two assembly areas will move out of Seneca by the end of 2010.

The moving of the motor control assembly areas will mean a loss of work for approximately 90 hourly and salaried positions at the company’s Seneca facilities.

via Schneider Electric Cuts Nearly 90 Jobs in Seneca | WSPA.

 

– The Pebble Beach Co. announced Wednesday it is laying off 47 employees, including 14 management employees. The company eliminated 29 jobs in November, including 24 management positions.

via Pebble Beach Co. slashes 47 more jobs – MontereyHerald.com :.

 

– Chester-based staffing services company AdvantaStaff Inc. plans to cut 261 jobs next month because of the loss of a production contract.

via AdvantaStaff in Chester to cut 261 jobs | Richmond Times-Dispatch.

 

– The company also said Tuesday it is closing its Berryville, Va., facility and would idle a plant in Tahlequah, Okla., until conditions improve.

via WCBC 1270 AM Online – The Pulse of Cumberland – American Woodmark Closing Plants.

 

– NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) – A local Portuguese sausage shop is shutting its doors after 88 years in the business.

 

 

International Layoff News

 

msft5– Microsoft is to cut 5% of its UK workforce, about 150 jobs, in the latest stage of the technology giant’s plan to slash 5,000 posts worldwide in the first radical cutbacks in the company’s 34-year history.

via Microsoft to cut 150 jobs in UK | Technology | guardian.co.uk .

 

freescale– Bangalore: In a bid to lower the operation cost, Texas-based computer chip-maker Freescale Semiconductor is laying off over 250 professionals at its Bangalore centre.

via Freescale to lay off 250 at Bangalore centre.

 

dhl– DHL Express (DPWGn.DE) will cut 320 jobs in Ireland and close a number of depots after a downturn in its domestic delivery business, the SIPTU trade union representing the workers said on Thursday.

via DHL Express to cut 320 jobs in Ireland | Industries | Industrials, Materials & Utilities | Reuters .

 

– Africa’s biggest gas and welding firm African Oxygen Limited (AFXJ.J) plan to cut 200 million rand ($23.95 million) in costs and reduce its workforce by up to 15 percent in the third quarter.

via UPDATE 1-Afrox to cut costs, reduce jobs by up to 15 pct in Q3 | Industries | Industrials, Materials & Utilities | Reuters .

 

– Kuwait’s Mobile Telecommunications Co (ZAIN.KW) (Zain) said on Thursday it would cut 300 jobs and outsource 450 others in Nigeria, reducing its headcount in Africa’s biggest mobile phone market by more than a third.

 

Hiring News and News You Can Use

 

 

-Efforts to conduct the 2010 national Census are gearing up, and Montgomery County officials are encouraging residents to apply for jobs in the census office that will open in Rockville in the fall. Once the office is staffed and operational, the recruitment of census takers and other personnel will begin.

via Montgomery County Residents Urged to Apply for Census Jobs – washingtonpost.com.

 

– Following is the first set of answers from Nancy E. Dunphy, the deputy commissioner for employment security for the state’s Department of Labor. This week she is answering selected readers’ questions about unemployment insurance benefits in New York City: how to apply, what to do if your benefits run out, historical trends, fraud, how the agency is coping with the volume of applicants and others.

via Answers About Unemployment Benefits – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com.

 

– Baltimore-based Dejana Truck & Utility Equipment Co. is expected to announce Friday that it is adding 25 new jobs to its cargo and van body operation.

via Dejana Truck & Utility to add 25 new jobs –– baltimoresun.com.

 

– The Irvine office of Verizon Wireless is beefing up its on-site customer service center and has 70 job openings. This is in addition to the 100 openings from early April, which, by the way, had an “overwhelming number of applicants,” said spokesman Ken Muche.

via 70 more job openings at Verizon Wireless’ Irvine office – Alt+Save with the Gadgetress – OCRegister.com.

 

– ConServe, a Perinton-based company that specializes in collecting student loans, said Wednesday it expects to add at least 150 jobs over the next two years because of a contract it has won with the U.S. Department of Education.

via Perinton debt collecting company adding 150 jobs | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle.

 

– Eaton Compressor & Fabrication, Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of industrial air compressors, is expanding in Englewood, OH.

The new factory, currently under construction, will be 60,000 Sq. Ft. with a 10,000 Sq. Ft. office/showroom. The expansion is expected to be completed later this year and will provide up to 40 new jobs in Englewood.

via Eaton Compressor to Build New Factory and Add Jobs.

 

– Changing jobs and changing careers are expected to become increasingly commonplace, reflecting both increased turnover in the workplace and the aging of baby boomers.

 

 

Mike: More news later..…………………….

Mike: If any of you would like to get this blog sent to you on a weekly basis, send me a note at mike@layofflist.org and I’ll put you on my mailing list. I would do this daily, but it could be a lot of work. If I get enough requests to do a daily, I’ll go ahead and allot the time. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

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Lisa Benson - May 7

Lisa Benson - May 7

 

 

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One Comment to “May 7 – Jobless claims fall to 601,000 – Record continuing unemployment claims at 6.35 million – DuPont to lay off 2000 – Severstal to cut 1900 – Cub Cadet eliminating 480 – GM preparing for new job cuts”

  1. Alam says:

    Great Information on Jobs, Unemplyment! Thanks, May Almighty Allah save us from the curse of UNEMPLOYMENT.

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