WASHINGTON—The U.S. economy added a robust 288,000 new jobs last month—the fifth straight month in which the United States has added more than 200,000 jobs. The unemployment rate now stands at 6.1 percent, the lowest since September 2008.
"Happy Days Are Here Again” was a popular song back in the 1930s. Assemblers in many industries have been singing an updated version of the tune lately, because the new golden age of American manufacturing has begun.
DETROIT—If you hope to get a raise that finally feels like one, it helps to work in the right industry. Historically, at this stage in the economy’s recovery, pay would be rising in most sectors. But five years after the Great Recession officially ended, raises remain sharply uneven across industries.
ROLLING MEADOWS, IL—The Association for Manufacturing Excellence has created an on-line manufacturing job board on its Web site as a resource for both job seekers and employers across the country.
WASHINGTON—New factory orders rose for the third straight month, up 0.7 percent in April. This extended the 1.7 percent and 1.5 percent gains seen in February and March, respectively, and it was largely a sign that manufacturers have begun to recover from significant weather-related softness in December and January.
WASHINGTON—The fewest Americans in seven years filed applications for unemployment benefits and consumer prices rose by the most in 10 months, adding to signs the economy is gaining momentum. Jobless claims dropped by 24,000 to 297,000 in the week ended May 10, the least since May 2007.
BOSTON—A new ranking of the competitiveness of the world’s top 25 exporting countries says the United States is once again a “rising star” of global manufacturing thanks to falling domestic natural gas prices, rising worker productivity and a lack of upward wage pressure.
WASHINGTON—Fewer Americans filed applications for unemployment benefits last week than at any time since before the last recession, indicating bigger gains in hiring will soon follow. Jobless claims decreased by 32,000 to 300,000 in the week ended April 5, the least since May 2007.
WASHINGTON—U.S. employers added jobs at a solid pace in March and hired more in January and February than previously thought. The economy gained 192,000 jobs in March, the Labor Department said Friday, slightly below February’s revised total of 197,000. Employers added a combined 37,000 more jobs in January and February than previously estimated.
WASHINGTON—U.S. factory orders rose in February after two straight months of declines. New orders for manufactured goods rose 1.6 percent from January to $488.8 billion, the Commerce Department said.
