Last week, 217,000 people filed new claims for unemployment insurance. Back in the summer and early fall, that number spiked as high as 260,000.

Layoff announcements at big companies –like Cisco, this week–can seem at odds with low unemployment claim numbers and positive monthly job reports.

The labor market is still pretty tight, even after the last year and a half of rate hikes loosened things a bit.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover report for April showed that the quits rate has dropped back to average levels in 2019.

The four-week moving average of unemployment benefits claims is at the highest level since late 2021. Is this more evidence of a slowly cooling economy?

Continuing claims for benefits fell by 37,000 for the week, according to the latest data from the Labor Department.

The job market is still tight, so many who’ve lost jobs rejoin the workforce fast. Others aren’t eager to deal with the unemployment insurance system.

About 225,000 filed unemployment claims last week. The public soured on the Fed the last time it jacked up interest rates to quell inflation.

Rising orders for things like cars and dishwashers point to big improvements in global supply chains and few shortages, one economist says.

Cuts to construction may mean job losses for Latinos. But a younger, more educated workforce means Latinos could fare better in a downturn than in the past.