Vision Payroll

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 151,000 in October, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.6%, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Since December 2009, nonfarm payroll employment has risen by 874,000.

The number of unemployed persons, at 14.8 million, was little changed in October. The unemployment rate remained at 9.6% and has been essentially unchanged since May.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.7%), adult women (8.1%), teenagers (27.1%), whites (8.8%), blacks (15.7%), and Hispanics (12.6%) showed little change in October. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.1%, not seasonally adjusted.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was about unchanged over the month at 6.2 million. In October, 41.8% of unemployed persons had been jobless for 27 weeks or more.

Both the civilian labor force participation rate, at 64.5%, and the employment-population ratio, at 58.3%, edged down over the month.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) fell by 318,000 over the month to 9.2 million, partially offsetting large increases in the prior 2 months. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in October, up from 2.4 million a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.2 million discouraged workers in October, an increase of 411,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.4 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 457,000, an increase of 20,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 437,000. The 4-week moving average was 456,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 454,000.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Decreases

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.4% for the week ending October 23, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the prior week’s unrevised rate of 3.5%.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Decreases

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending October 23 was 4,340,000, a decrease of 42,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 4,382,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,410,750, a decrease of 42,750 from the preceding week’s revised average of 4,453,500.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 434,000, a decrease of 21,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 455,000. The 4-week moving average was 453,250, a decrease of 5,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 458,750.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Decreases

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.5% for the week ending October 16, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the prior week’s revised rate of 3.6%.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Decreases

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending October 16 was 4,356,000, a decrease of 122,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 4,478,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,447,250, a decrease of 38,500 from the preceding week’s revised average of 4,485,750.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 452,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 475,000. The 4-week moving average was 458,000, a decrease of 4,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 462,250.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Remains Unchanged

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.5% for the week ending October 9, unchanged from the prior week’s unrevised rate of 3.5%.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Decreases

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending October 9 was 4,441,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 4,450,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,478,000, a decrease of 23,250 from the preceding week’s revised average of 4,501,250.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 462,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 449,000. The 4-week moving average was 459,000, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 456,750.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Decreases

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.5% for the week ending October 2, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the prior week’s revised rate of 3.6%.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Decreases

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending October 2 was 4,399,000, a decrease of 112,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 4,511,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,488,500, a decrease of 34,500 from the preceding week’s revised average of 4,523,000.

Nonfarm payroll employment edged down (-95,000) in September, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.6 percent, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Government employment declined (-159,000), reflecting both a drop in the number of temporary jobs for Census 2010 and job losses in local government. Private-sector payroll employment continued to trend up modestly (+64,000).

The number of unemployed persons, at 14.8 million, was essentially unchanged in September, and the unemployment rate held at 9.6%

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.8%), adult women (8.0%), teenagers (26.0%), whites (8.7%), blacks (16.1%), and Hispanics (12.4%) showed little or no change in September. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.4%, not seasonally adjusted.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over), at 6.1 million, was little changed over the month but was down by 640,000 since a series high of 6.8 million in May. In September, 41.7% of unemployed persons had been jobless for 27 weeks or more.

In September, both the civilian labor force participation rate, at 64.7%, and the employment-population ratio, at 58.5%, were unchanged.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) rose by 612,000 over the month to 9.5 million. Over the past 2 months, the number of such workers has increased by 943,000. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in September, up from 2.2 million a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.2 million discouraged workers in September, an increase of 503,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.3 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 445,000, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 456,000. The 4-week moving average was 455,750, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 458,750.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Decreases

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.5% for the week ending September 25, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the prior week’s revised rate of 3.6%.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Decreases

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 25 was 4,462,000, a decrease of 48,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 4,510,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,510,750, a decrease of 27,750 from the preceding week’s revised average of 4,538,500.

Recently, the Wage & Hour Division (WHD) of the US Department of Labor (DOL) has increased its enforcement and audit efforts with employers. The WHD wants to ensure workers are fairly paid and employers uphold the law. Unfortunately, businesses that have violated wage and hour laws can face heavy fines and penalties. Many employers often assume a low likelihood of being audited, but they can be targeted, and the likelihood of an audit has been increasing.

Audit Selection Can Be Announced or Unannounced

Find out what makes your business more likely to be audited and what the impact is for targeted industries.

Non-Compliant Businesses Are at a Higher Risk

Certain employers may be high on the DOL watch list, especially for repeat violations. Learn which violations can be especially troublesome.

Be Ready if a DOL Representative Visits Your Business to Conduct an Audit

Know the appropriate actions to take if the DOL visits your workplace for a wage and hour audit.

Find Out More About the Implications of Wage and Hour Audits for Employers Now

For more information on each of these topics, be sure to read the featured article by the HR pros at MyHRSupportCenter, The Implications of Wage and Hour Audits for Employers. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending September 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 453,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 469,000. The 4-week moving average was 458,000, a decrease of 6,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 464,250.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Rate Decreases

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.5% for the week ending September 18, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the prior week’s revised rate of 3.6%.

Advance Seasonally Adjusted Insured Unemployment Decreases

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 18 was 4,457,000, a decrease of 83,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 4,540,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,526,750, a decrease of 5,500 from the preceding week’s revised average of 4,532,250.

An organization’s workforce is its most valuable asset. And when an employee can’t work due to illness or injury, it impacts not only an organization’s productivity, but also its morale.

The Return-to-Work Toolkit Provides Valuable Resources

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) in the US Department of Labor created its new online Return-to-Work Toolkit to help employers and employees understand the return-to-work process and provide resources to assist in getting employees back on the job quickly and smoothly.

Effective Return Helps Employers and Employees

Effective return-to-work approaches can protect an employee’s earning power and boost an organization’s output as the employee adds value while still recuperating. Furthermore, in many instances, work itself plays an important role in the recovery process.

Employees Can Benefit from the Toolkit

With effective accommodations and a clear understanding of the return-to-work process, employees can be back on the job sooner and retain their income. Employees can use this toolkit to get started.

Employers Can Also Benefit from the Toolkit

Strategies to return employees to work as quickly and smoothly as possible benefit everyone. Employers can use this toolkit to learn about the tools and resources available to assist you with the return-to-work process.

A World with Unlimited Employment Opportunities

Vision Payroll salutes the ODEP in its quest for a world in which people with disabilities have unlimited employment opportunities.