Tag: Labor Department

April 9, 2024

The Labor Department has a new “transformation plan” to shore up the unemployment insurance system for the next crisis after the pandemic exposed its weaknesses. It says it will need the help of Capitol Hill to sufficiently fund the program, […]

October 10, 2023

The Labor Department awarded the last $204 million of grant money for unemployment insurance modernization late last month to 18 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands to move to the cloud and more modular technology that’s adaptable to change. Of […]

April 14, 2022

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits ticked up last week but remained at a historically low level, reflecting a robust U.S. labor market with near record-high job openings and few layoffs. Jobless claims rose by 18,000 to 185,000, the […]

March 31, 2022

The Biden administration is looking for $3.4 billion to “modernize, protect and strengthen” the unemployment insurance system in its budget request for fiscal year 2023 as part of the 18% increase for the Labor Department overall from the 2021 enacted […]

February 4, 2022

Last month’s huge wave of omicron infections is thought to have weakened hiring in January, though the pullback is considered all but sure to prove a temporary one. Economists have forecast that the Labor Department will report Friday that employers […]

January 20, 2022

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to the highest level in three months as the fast-spreading omicron variant disrupted the job market. Jobless claims rose for the third straight week — by 55,000 to 286,000, highest since […]

January 7, 2022

U.S. employers added a modest 199,000 jobs last month while the unemployment rate fell sharply, at a time when businesses are struggling to fill jobs with many Americans remaining reluctant to return to the workforce. At the same time, Friday’s […]

November 29, 2021

The Labor Department’s new initiative to modernize the technology that underlies the country’s approach to delivering unemployment insurance is far from your typical IT project. Labor has 50-plus customers, each at varying stages of development and with varying types of […]

June 24, 2021

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped last week, a sign that layoffs declined and the job market is improving. The Labor Department said Thursday that jobless claims declined just 7,000 from the previous week to 411,000. The […]

May 7, 2021

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is calling for Washington to immediately stop paying out-of-work Americans an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits, saying the boost in government aid is giving some recipients less incentive to look for work. The […]

April 22, 2021

The U.S. jobs market recovery accelerated its pace last week as fewer Americans headed to the unemployment line, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 547,000, well below the Dow Jones estimate for 603,000 and a […]

March 11, 2021

Weekly jobless claims rose less than expected last week, but remained above pre-pandemic levels, as the U.S. economy tried to shake off impacts from Covid-19 and employers waited to see if President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus would become law. […]

February 25, 2021

Jobless claims fell sharply last week despite severe winter storms that swept across Texas and other parts of the South, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time filings for unemployment insurance totaled 730,000 for the week ended Feb. 20, well below […]

February 4, 2021

New claims for jobless benefits came in a bit less than expected last week though U.S. employment gains remain sluggish. First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 779,000 for the week ended Jan. 30, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That was […]

September 17, 2020

First-time claims for unemployment insurance beat Wall Street estimates last week as the U.S. economy enters a critical new stage. Filings totaled 860,000 for the week ended Sept. 12, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had […]

January 24, 2020

The Labor Department is consolidating its procurement services into one office this quarter, after making headway streamlining human resources and information technology support, the department’s No. 2 official said on Friday. This is part of a push from the Trump […]