The economy added significantly more jobs in the month of February than most economists had predicted – a total of 678,000 new jobs, while the unemployment rate dropped close to levels not seen since the pandemic struck two years ago almost to the day. The unemployment rate came in at an impressive 3.9%, however that’s…
Read More »Consumer prices grew much faster than expected in October, according to data released this week by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.9 percent last month and was 6.2 percent higher that it was in October 2020, the largest annual increase in 30 years! Generally speaking, analysts were expecting…
Read More »According to new employment data released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the leisure and hospitality industry boosted economy-wide employment gains by adding 74,000 jobs in the month of September. Specifically, food service and drinking places gained 29,000 new staff, helping to drop the sector unemployment rate by 1.4 points to 7.7…
Read More »Notwithstanding the expanding spread of the COVID Delta variant and the ongoing difficulties with getting the economy completely opened up again – let alone the continuing labor shortage – first-time unemployment claims dropped last week to 340,000, the lowest level since the pandemic hit in March of 2020. This Department of Labor (DOL) report comes…
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When you stop and think about it, the amount of change we have endured over the last 15 months is astonishing. Without warning, virtually every aspect of our lives changed. But, at the same time, certain fundamental principles remained the same. Among those, that franchise owners have to protect themselves from uncertainty and unfair practices.…
Read More »In a notice released yesterday morning, the Department of Labor Employment and Training Division reported that the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits jumped again last week to 885,000, the highest weekly total since September. Claims were 23,000 higher than the previous week’s figures and come as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the…
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It was never easy running a quick-service franchise. But over the past few months, the lives of Dunkin’ franchise owners have gotten infinitely more complicated. Franchisees already had their hands full before the coronavirus crisis hit keeping customers happy, keeping employees satisfied, and keeping bottom lines healthy—all while negotiating the challenges posed by various federal,…
Read More »This week’s unemployment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was released yesterday with new jobless claims setting an all-time record. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic shutting businesses down across the country, the BLS reported a seasonally-adjusted total of just under 3.3 million individuals filed new claims for the week ending March 21,…
Read More »According to numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last week, there were almost 900,000 job openings in the leisure and hospitality industry as of the end of August, a reduction of almost 100,000 from the same time last year. That said however, there was also other very good news on the average…
Read More »In what could undoubtedly be an expensive ruling for Kentucky businesses, the Kentucky Court of Appeals has tossed out a longstanding law allowing a non-lawyer to represent an employer at administrative unemployment hearings. In its April 26 decision, the court found the law an unconstitutional encroachment on the state judicial branch’s executive authority to regulate…
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