A hiring sign is seen outside of a barber shop in Northbrook, Ill., Tuesday, March 12, 2024. On Thursday, March 28, 2024, the Labor Department issues the latest weekly report on first-time applications for unemployment benefits. –
Applications for unemployment benefits are viewed as a proxy for layoffs and a sign of where the job market is headed. Despite job cuts at Stellantis Electronic Arts, Unilever and elsewhere, overall layoffs remain below pre-pandemic levels. Thehas come in under 4% for 25 straight months, longest such streak since the 1960s.
The Commerce Department’s revised measure of the nation’s gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — confirmed that the economy decelerated from its sizzling 4.9% rate of expansion in the July-September quarter.