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Employment

Employment
US job market steady amid global tensions
New applications for United States unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, signalling continued labour market resilience even as escalating geopolitical tensions and rising energy costs weigh on business sentiment. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped by 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 207,000 in the week ended 11 April, according to the U.S. Labor Department. The figure came in below economists’ expectations of around 215,000 and remains at the lower end of this year’s 201,000–230,000 range, a level consistent with historically low layoffs. The data underscores a labour market that remains stable in the near term, but economists and policymakers warn that risks are building beneath the surface as the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict intensifies. Firms are holding back on hiring, while higher oil prices and inflation threaten to dampen consumer spending and, in turn, employment. A recent survey from the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book found that businesses across several districts are increasingly relying on temporary or contract workers rather than committing to permanent hires. The report, based on information collected in early April, identified the conflict involv
Employment
Aus unemployment rate stable; full-time work up
Australia’s unemployment rate remained at 4.3% in March as full-time employment rebounded, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said today. The unemployment rate matched Westpac estimates. The total number of employed Australians climbed to 14,762,800 during the month. “The number of employed people rose by 18,000 and the number of unemployed people fell by 4,000 in March,” said ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick. Westpac analysts had projected an increase of 20,000 employed people. The participation rate was unchanged from February at 66.8%. The underemployment rate was also stable at 5.9%. “Growth in employment was driven by full-time workers, which rose by 53,000 people in March. This was partly offset by a fall in part-time employment of 35,000 people,” said Crick. Full-time employment rose by 29,000 people among men and by 24,000 among women, the ABS said. In February, overall full-time employment fell by 30,000. March’s drop in part-time employment follows a surge of 79,000 people in February, particularly driven by workers aged 65 and over. Hours worked rose by 0.5% in March, representing 9.2 million additional hours. Full-time hours were up 7.1 million due to the rise in full-time employment
Employment
US job growth rebounds to beat forecasts in March
The United States labour market added 178,000 jobs in March, far more than expected, rebounding from February’s major losses. March’s nonfarm payrolls increase was more than three times the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 59,000. The U.S. had lost 133,000 jobs in February. “In March, job gains occurred in health care, in construction, and in transportation and warehousing. Federal government employment continued to decline,” wrote the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The healthcare sector continued to add jobs during the month, with gains of 76,000. This was driven by an increase of 54,000 in ambulatory healthcare services employment, which the BLS credited to physicians’ office workers returning from a strike. Construction employment was up by 26,000 jobs. The transportation and warehousing industry added 21,000 jobs due to a 20,000 surge among couriers and messengers. While February’s reading was revised down by 41,000 to a loss of 133,000, January’s number was revised upwards by 34,000 to a gain of 160,000. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3%, per the BLS, down slightly from February’s 4.4%. The percentage of working-age Americans in the labour force dropped to 61.9%, the lowest since November 2021. Averag
Employment
Unemployment suggests steady job market
Unemployment claims in the United States increased slightly in the week ending 21 March, suggesting a stable labour market. According to a Department of Labour report, the number of claims rose 5,000 week-over-week to 210,000. The figure for insured unemployment for the week ending 14 March was 1.819 million, which was a 32,000 decrease from the previous week. This was also the lowest level since 25 March 2024, when it was 1.804 million. However, the lower figure was likely due to people exhausting their eligibility aid, which is limited to 26 weeks in most states. This comes as many economists have downgraded their forecasts for the U.S. economy this year and boosted projections for unemployment, amid a surge in oil prices driven by the war in Iran. Many high-profile companies, like Meta and Paramount, have announced job cuts. According to JPMorgan Chase & Co economist Abiel Reinhart, the decline in continuing claims could be a good sign for upcoming job reports. “The number of unemployed on permanent layoff had kept rising through February in the employment report, but continuing claims are one sign that you could soon see the unemployment rate level off or decline,” Reinhart said in a note following the
Employment
Dimon warns AI could lead to job displacement
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warns that artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to mass job displacement in the United States and that a solution requires action from both government and business. This comes as the White House grapples with how to regulate AI without stifling innovation as companies race to deploy automation tools that could reshape millions of jobs. ″[If] all of a sudden it creates unemployment, that’s a big problem for society,” Dimon said. Dimon said that while he doesn’t know the answer, it would involve collaboration from government and business. “But the government could create a system of incentives that business does the right thing to retrain people, early retirement, moving people ... if we have the right system in place, we can accommodate much quicker.” He also warned that economic changes from AI will happen rapidly and that it may occur faster than other recent technological developments that disrupted the economy and workforce, like the internet. “This one may be quicker ... so therefore, can we accommodate the people if they lose their jobs quick enough?” Dimon said. Dimon’s warnings come as he has taken steps at JPMorgan Chase to shift employees into new roles as automation

Employment
Australia's unemployment rate up unexpectedly in Feb
Australia’s unemployment rate rose unexpectedly in February, though total employment also climbed as more people moved into part-time work. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate grew by 0.2 percentage points to 4.3% last month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said. This represents an increase of 35,000 people and surpassed Westpac forecasts of 4.1%. “This month we saw fewer people who were unemployed and waiting to start a job in January move into employment in February, compared to recent Februarys,” said ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick. “We also saw more people remaining unemployed this month compared to recent Februarys.” Despite the rise in unemployment, the labour force participation rate increased from 66.7% to 66.9%, and total employment climbed by 48,900 to 14,748,700 people. This was largely due to growth in part-time employment, which was up 79,000 to 4,631,800 people. “This month we saw more people move into part-time employment, particularly those aged 65 and over,” said Crick. “Additionally, this month we saw that fewer people are leaving jobs to retire compared to a year ago.” Hours worked also dropped by 0.2% to 2.007 billion in February as the number of Australians in par
Employment
US job openings sluggish; consumer sentiment falls
United States job openings reached almost 7 million for January 2026, marking a sluggish rise from the month prior. The 6.9 million job postings were higher than analysts' expectations but were only a small jump from December’s 6.6 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hires remained unchanged at 5.3 million. The number of layoffs fell slightly, and the number of Americans quitting their jobs dipped slightly. Layoffs totalled 1.6 million in January, down from 1.7 million last month, and the number of people quitting their jobs totalled 3.1 million, down from December's 3.2 million. This follows employers cutting 92,000 jobs last month. They also added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month in 2025, marking the weakest hiring outside recession years since 2002. This appears to be impacted by President Donald Trump’s policies, the lingering effects of high interest rates, and the increasing use of artificial intelligence, which appear to be weighing on the labour market. Despite this, the American economy has remained resilient in the face of Trump’s import taxes and deportations. However, the Commerce Department reported that economic growth has slowed sharply in the past three months of 2025 to
Employment
US payrolls fall by 92k; unemployment rises to 4.4%
The United States labour market showed unexpected signs of weakness in February after the economy lost jobs and the unemployment rate edged higher, raising questions about the strength of employment conditions and complicating the outlook for monetary policy. Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 92,000 during the month, while the unemployment rate increased to 4.4%, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The result came as a surprise, with markets expecting payrolls to rise by 59,000 following a downwardly revised increase of 126,000 in January. The unemployment rate had been forecast to remain steady at 4.3%. The February payroll decline marked the sixth contraction since January 2025 and the second-largest drop over that period, a sign that the labour market may be losing momentum after several years of strong job creation. Part of the weakness reflected temporary factors amid a strike involving healthcare workers, as well as severe winter weather that disrupted employment in sectors including construction and leisure and hospitality. Analysts from ING noted: “February was filled with winter storms, impacting construction the other way and hurting leisure and hospitality as peop
Employment
Unemployment filings, company layoffs hit historic lows
United States filings for unemployment benefits and company layoffs reach historic lows. Filings for jobless aid for the week ending 28 February matched the previous week’s 213,000, according to the Department of Labor. Analysts from FaceSheet expected this week’s level to reach 215,000. This comes after the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added a surprisingly strong 130,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.2% to 4.4%. However, government revisions cut 2024-2025 U.S. payrolls by hundreds of thousands, reducing the number of jobs created last year to just 181,000. That’s about one-third of the previously reported 584,000, and the weakest since the pandemic year of 2020. According to data released by Challenger, Grey & Christmas, U.S.-based layoffs dropped 56%, from 108,435 in January to 48,307 in February. This also marks a 72% from the 172,017 reported in the same month last year. In total, employers have announced 156,742 during the first months of the year, which is the lowest January-to-February total since 2022. However, Challenger, Gray & Christmas chief revenue officer Andy Challenger said that the change could be temporary. He said rising economic and geopoliti