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 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.

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 Pre-Market Outlook: U.S. Futures Higher on Strong China Production Data

Pre-Market Outlook: U.S. Futures Higher on Strong China Production Data originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Applied Materials to Cut 500 Jobs

Applied Materials to Cut 500 Jobs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wells Fargo (WFC) announced Wednesday that it will lay off 3,800 employees during the next year as the bank attempts to restructure its consumer finance unit. Wells Fargo Financial will be integrated into the company's community banking network -- closing 638 independent consumer finance offices in the process. The firm added that it is no longer going to deal with non-prime mortgage loans.

Reportedly, roughly 27% of the financial firm's Wells Fargo Financial employees will be laid off. In the next two months, 2,800 employees will be sent packing, while 1,000 more will be jettisoned in the next year. According to WFC, these changes will not affect WFC and Wachovia banks across the United States.

Continue reading Wells Fargo to Cut 3,800 Jobs in Restructuring

Wells Fargo to Cut 3,800 Jobs in Restructuring originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pfizer Inc. (PFE), in a move which was not unanticipated, has announced that it intends to reduce it's workforce by as much as 18% over the next 18 months to five years. This announcement comes as the lead-in to important moves the company must make to remain competitive and profitable in the coming years.

Continue reading Pfizer Beefs Up the Balance Sheet

Pfizer Beefs Up the Balance Sheet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 May 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GlaxoSmithKline Benefits from the Flu During the Fourth Quarter

GlaxoSmithKline Benefits from the Flu During the Fourth Quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Planned job cuts fell to 50,349 in November, the lowest level in nearly two years. The 9.6% decline from October, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, is the fourth month in a row in which layoffs fell. Also, from November 2008 to November 2009, planned reductions plunged 72% from 181,671. November was the worst month of 2008.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas sees companies slowing down the axe-swinging, a trend that has continued through the back half of 2009. Since July 1, 2009, employers have cut an average of 69,252 jobs each month. Through the end of June, the average was 149,446. The aggressive layoff pace in the first two quarters of 2009 have pushed this year's total ahead of 2008, with the year-to-date planned reduction total reaching 1,242,936 last month. That beats the 2008 full-year total of 1,223,993 and tops the November 2008 amount of 1,057,645 by 17.5%.

Continue reading Layoffs slowing down, but that doesn't mean hiring

Layoffs slowing down, but that doesn't mean hiring originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Employers are planning to cut fewer jobs for the third month in a row, according to a new report that Challenger, Gray & Christmas has supplied to BloggingStocks.

The executive outplacement firm says that the number of planned reductions fell 16% in October to 55,679 positions -- from 66,404 in September. Last month's level was the lowest seen since March 2008, when 53,579 layoffs were planned. And, it's 51% lower than October 2008's 112,884 result. Planned staff reductions have fallen in eight of the past 10 months.

Continue reading Layoffs slowing down, but upturn isn't coming yet

Layoffs slowing down, but upturn isn't coming yet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some of the jobs that have disappeared through this recession are gone forever, it seems. Even when the market turns, and even gains momentum, we could be stuck with a fairly weak employment market for a while. The recovery will take longer than we'd like, putting more distance between now and the top of the next market run. We've lost 7.2 million jobs since December 2007, and the predictions of some economists that we'll get them back by 2014 may actually seem optimistic.

Why is the recovery going to be such a grind? Check out the four major reasons after the jump.

Continue reading Four reasons we're stuck with high unemployment for a while

Four reasons we're stuck with high unemployment for a while originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Unemployment is at its highest level since 1983, hitting 9.8% last month. The Department of Labor announced that 263,000 jobs were lost. This follows a revised loss of 201,000 jobs in August (lower than first reported). Nobody expected the August unemployment reprieve to last, and the increase suggests that the forecasted 10.3% unemployment rate for early next year will be realized.

Originally, the forecasted unemployment drop for September was 175,000, according to Bloomberg News, with individual economists surveyed reporting in a range of 100,000 to 260,000.

Continue reading Unemployment rate hits 9.8%

Unemployment rate hits 9.8% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lincoln, Neb., is the best place in the country for job-hunters. A new survey by headhunting firm Manpower (NYSE: MAN) reports that 21% of employers there plan to add employees in the next quarter, with only 4% looking to cut. That 17% spread (which Manpower calls the "net employment outlook") is tops in the United States.

Flint, Mich., on the other hand, is at the other end of the spectrum: 26% of employers are planning to chop jobs, while only 9% are forecasting new positions.

Continue reading Need a job? Consider a move to Nebraska

Need a job? Consider a move to Nebraska originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As we saw this morning, companies cut 298,000 jobs in August, according to ADP. The forecast was for 250,000 jobs lost. The report also revised last month's decline to 360,000.

Well, the Labor Department's report is due out in two days, and it may show a loss of 225,000 jobs, according to a Bloomberg News survey.

Continue reading Job cuts continue to be a drag on economic recovery

Job cuts continue to be a drag on economic recovery originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bloomberg reports that 15,000 more Americans filed claims for unemployment last week, bringing the total to 576,000. Economists had predicted a drop in claims to 550,000.

The four-week moving average rose to 570,000 from 565,750.

Thirty-six states reported an increase, with Tennessee and North Carolina showing the biggest increases. California showed the biggest decrease as employment in construction jobs kicked in.

Continue reading U.S. jobless claims unexpectedly rise by 15,000

U.S. jobless claims unexpectedly rise by 15,000 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A survey of U.S. private equity executives and professionals conducted by advisory firms RSM Bentley Jennison and RSM McGladrey concluded that slashing jobs was the most common approach to cost-cutting among private equity firms.

Nine out of ten respondents said they have cut jobs at their portfolio companies in an attempt to rein in costs during the economic downturn.

Continue reading Private equity firms employ job cuts, salary freezes to get by

Private equity firms employ job cuts, salary freezes to get by originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earlier this morning, Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) announced that it will cut 1,700 jobs, along with raising fees for checking luggage. CAL tagged this news along with its quarterly earnings report, in which it reported a loss of $1.72 per share. In the same quarter a year ago CAL lost a nickel per share. Excluding one-time items, CAL lost $1.36 per share compared to estimates for a loss of $1.35 per share. Quarterly revenue slipped 22.7% to $3.13 billion in the quarter, just shy of the consensus estimate.

Continue reading Continental releases earnings, announces job cuts

Continental releases earnings, announces job cuts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I would think that all of the diapers the latest FightBaby goes through may have helped Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) a bit, but that was not the case.

The home of Kleenex and Huggies announced yesterday that it will cut 1,600 jobs, roughly 3% of its total workforce. A majority of the cuts will come from salaried and nonproduction workers; the company does not plan to close any plants. The company believes that these cuts will save roughly $150 million a year, or 25 cents per share. These results will be reflected the most in the second quarter, when the company will record $110 million of the costs.

Continue reading Kimberly-Clark cuts 3% of its staff

Kimberly-Clark cuts 3% of its staff originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) pleasantly surprised the Street with a stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit. This morning, the company reported quarterly net income of $694 million, or $1.25 per share, besting analysts' expectations for a profit of $1.18 per share. Net sales arrived at $3.2 billion, down 11% from the year-ago period.

Additionally, Monsanto said it will create a separate division for its herbicides business, in order to "better align spending and working capital needs." The firm will also undergo a restructuring that will result in 900 lost jobs, or less than 4% of its global workforce. The change will translate to a fourth-quarter charge of roughly $350 million, or 41 cents to 47 cents per share.

Continue reading Monsanto tops 3Q profit estimates, warns on Roundup earnings

Monsanto tops 3Q profit estimates, warns on Roundup earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Job losses slowed during May

Job losses slowed during May originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.