According to the ADP Employer Services Report, the private sector added 201,000 new jobs in March, basically in-line with 203,000 new jobs that analysts had been expecting to see.

February's figures were revised downwards to 208,000 from a previously estimated 216,000 new jobs.

March's employment gains bring the four-month average of new jobs to 211,000, more than enough to keep the labor track on path. Analysts estimate that the economy needs to add 125,000 new jobs each month in order to keep up with population growth, so any jobs over that figure result in a lower unemployment figures.

Continue reading Labor Market Continues to Show Signs of Improvement

Labor Market Continues to Show Signs of Improvement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Home Depot Hiring 60,000 Employees

Home Depot Hiring 60,000 Employees originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading MySpace Cuts Workforce by 47%

MySpace Cuts Workforce by 47% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In another sign that auto industry has bright day ahead of it, Ford Motor Company (F) announced today that it planned to hire an additional 7,000 employees over the next 2 years.

While this is definitely good news, the figures are still way down from where they were before the auto crisis ravished the industry. Ford currently has 42,000 compared to 103,000 just ten years ago.

Continue reading Ford Planning to Hire More Employees

Ford Planning to Hire More Employees originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The dismal jobs front got a bit more good news, following the release of a report showing the nation's employers last year cut the fewest number of workers in more than a decade. Further, the findings showed 2010 ended on a high note, with December recording the lowest number of monthly cuts since 2000.

The slowdown in cuts follows an uptick in activity in 2009 when downsizing reached a seven-year high, according to the 2010 year-end job-cut report, released Wednesday by job-services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Last year, employers announced plans to eliminate 529,973 positions, the lowest number since 1997.

Continue reading Job Cuts in 2010 Tumble to Lowest Level in More Than a Decade

Job Cuts in 2010 Tumble to Lowest Level in More Than a Decade originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Yahoo! Lays Off 600 Employees

Yahoo! Lays Off 600 Employees originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of international shipping giant FedEx Corp. (FDX) are selling off in early morning trading after the company posted fiscal first quarter results that were a bit shy of analyst estimates.

As we noted in our FedEx earnings preview, analysts had been expecting to see the company report earnings of $1.21 for the quarter, but actual results came in a bit lower at $1.20.

Continue reading FedEx Earnings Come Up a Little Short

FedEx Earnings Come Up a Little Short originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It has been a long time since a state other than Michigan had the honor of claiming the highest unemployment rate in country. The May unemployment numbers show that it is Nevada, not Michigan, that now has the highest rate of unemployment.

Michigan has held the title for highest unemployment since April 2006, when the automotive industry took a nose dive. But Nevada jumped into the lead by posting a 14% unemployment rate in May. In comparison, Michigan's unemployment level is currently sitting at 13.6%.

Continue reading Michigan No Longer Boasts Highest Unemployment Rate

Michigan No Longer Boasts Highest Unemployment Rate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Google Trading Lower Despite Better Than Expected Earnings

Google Trading Lower Despite Better Than Expected Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although some members of his administration don't hold Fox News in too high of regard, President Barack Obama did sit down with the news outlet to discuss the economy. In the interview, President Obama offered what some are calling his "sternest warning" about containing deficits. President Obama believes that a further compilation of government debt could lead to a double-dip recession.

The president believes that his administration faces a "delicate balance of trying to boost the economy and spur job creation," but the administration has to set the economy on "a path toward long-term deficit reduction." He noted that it is important "to recognize ... that at some point, people could lose confidence in the U.S. economy in a way that could actually lead to a double-dip recession."

Continue reading President Obama cautions against double-dip recession

President Obama cautions against double-dip recession originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Caterpillar announces plans to rehire 550 workers

Caterpillar announces plans to rehire 550 workers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Job losses continued to mount in September. Unfortunately, the numbers are even worse than expected.

According to the ADP National Employment Report, employers shed 254,000 jobs in September. Analysts had been expecting to see the number of job losses at 200,000 in the month.

Continue reading September job cuts steeper than expected

September job cuts steeper than expected originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A report today in The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) states that Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is on the verge of a major hiring push. Sources close to the bank holding company said that Morgan Stanley is planning to expand its ranks by as many as 400 new positions in the trading and sales departments, with the hires to be evenly split between the two areas.

Reportedly, Morgan Stanley is embarking on the hiring spree as it attempts to rebuild its position in fixed-income trading, emerging markets, and foreign exchange. So far this year, the banking issue has added approximately 200 employees to its payroll.

Continue reading Morgan Stanley set to hire up to 400 traders, sales staff

Morgan Stanley set to hire up to 400 traders, sales staff originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading General Motors to boost output

General Motors to boost output originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Has the sharp increase in layoffs finally peaked?

Has the sharp increase in layoffs finally peaked? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 May 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Does a shorter workweek beat unemployment?

Does a shorter workweek beat unemployment? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading UBS AG (UBS) fourth quarter earnings preview

UBS AG (UBS) fourth quarter earnings preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Nissan (NSANY) job cuts run deep

Nissan (NSANY) job cuts run deep originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of the biggest complaints of the public equity markets is the incredibly short-term focus of participants. Management teams for publicly traded entities face severe consequences from a market short on patience.

Decisions tend to be focused on delivering short-term results. The "beat the number" game has become standard operating procedure. Such is the cost of accessing capital while providing shareholders liquidity.

But is worth it? I'm not so sure.

Investors want the company to make as much money as possible in the short term. As a result, if a company is not profitable in a given quarter, there is extreme pressure to cut costs and to do so immediately -- no matter the longer-term expense of such action.

In many cases cutting costs are exactly the right tonic to rejuvenate profits, but in some instances, those short-term cuts can do more damage than good.

This past week, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) dropped a big bomb on the market by releasing its quarterly earnings earlier than expected. Lost in the headline of the lower revenue and earnings number was the announcement that the company would be cutting 5,000 jobs from its rolls.

For the first time in its history, MSFT is laying off employees. My question is, why bother?

Continue reading What the heck was Microsoft thinking?

What the heck was Microsoft thinking? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Employees of General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) got the bad news today that there are going to be another 2,000 layoffs coming at three of the company's car factories.

The struggling auto maker announced today that layoffs will be coming to its plants in Lordstown, Ohio; Orion Township, Mich.; and Oshawa, Ontario. The planned layoffs are scheduled to begin sometime in February.

It is no secret the company has been going through some tough times, and recently appealed to the government for some bailout assistance, and the root cause of these current layoffs is, of course, the slowing demand for the company's vehicles.

This is not the first time this year that GM has been forced to announce layoffs, and adds to the 11,000 factory jobs that were eliminated earlier in the year. The current 2,000 jobs represent 2.4% of the company's total North American blue-collar work force, which is currently employing 84,000 people. The Lordstown, Ohio news comes just one month after an announced layoff of 1,100 other jobs.

Continue reading General Motors to layoff 2,000 more employees

General Motors to layoff 2,000 more employees originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.