According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending November 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 481,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 485,000. The 4-week moving average was 477,000, unchanged from the previous week’s revised average of 477,000.
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 479,000, unchanged from the previous week’s revised figure of 479,000. The 4-week moving average was 475,500, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 480,500.
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 478,000, an increase of 15,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 463,000. It is estimated that the effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas added approximately 12,000 claims to the total. The 4-week moving average was 480,250, a decrease of 4,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 484,750.
This week’s question comes from Roseanne, a payroll manager. When will the 2009 Social Security wage base be announced? Answer: The US Department of Labor has just announced that the 2009 Social Security Wage Base will increase by $4,800 to $106,800. Since wages are taxed at a rate of 6.2%, the maximum tax to be paid by each employee will therefore increase to $6,621.60 or an increase of $297.60. The increase impacts about 7% of workers who pay Social Security Tax. Vision Payroll will automatically update its system for 2009 to reflect the higher wage base.
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 461,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 477,000. It is estimated that the effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas added approximately 12,000 claims to the total. The 4-week moving average was 483,250, an increase of 750 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 482,500.
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 478,000, a decrease of 20,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 498,000. It is estimated that the effects of Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana and the effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas added approximately 17,000 claims to the total. The 4-week moving average was 482,500, an increase of 8,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 474,250.
Nonfarm payroll employment declined by 159,000 in September, and the unemployment rate held at 6.1 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported recently. Employment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade, while mining and health care continued to add jobs.
The unemployment rate (6.1 percent) was unchanged in September, following a 0.4 percentage point rise in August. The number of unemployed persons was little changed at 9.5 million. Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by 2.2 million and the unemployment rate has risen by 1.4 percentage points.
The unemployment rates for adult men (6.1 percent) and blacks (11.4 percent) rose in September. The jobless rates for teenagers (19.1 percent), whites (5.4 percent), and Hispanics (7.8 percent) were essentially unchanged. The unemployment rate for adult women declined to 4.9 percent, partly offsetting an increase in August. The unemployment rate for Asians in September was 3.8 percent, not seasonally adjusted.
Among the unemployed, the number of persons who lost a job rose by 347,000 to 5.2 million in September, with increases occurring both for those on temporary layoff and for those who do not expect to be recalled to work.
In September, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) rose by 167,000 to 2.0 million, an increase of 728,000 over the past 12 months. The long-term unemployed accounted for 21.1 percent of total unemployment in September.
Following an investigation, the US Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $5 million in underpaid overtime. The suit was filed against CEMEX, Inc., a Houston-based provider of cement and concrete products. Employees in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas were allegedly underpaid overtime hours for piece rate and incentive bonus pay. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that employees eligible for overtime be paid at one and one-half times their regular rate of pay, which should include most commissions, bonuses, and incentive pay. Vision Payroll provides a continuing series on the FLSA, but you should contact your labor attorney with specific questions on overtime hours and pay rates.
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending September 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 497,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 496,000. It is estimated that the effects of Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana and the effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas added approximately 45,000 claims to the total. The 4-week moving average was 474,000, an increase of 11,500 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 462,500.
According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending September 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 493,000, an increase of 32,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 461,000. It is estimated that the effects of Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana and the effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas added approximately 50,000 claims to the total. The 4-week moving average was 462,500, an increase of 16,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 446,500.
Vision Payroll