Job cuts: Fewest in 2 years

[denem]

Source: CNN Money

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- In some welcome news on the job front, the pace of U.S. job losses eased in December, according to two reports released Wednesday.

Automatic Data Processing (ADP, Fortune 500), a payroll-processing firm, said private-sector employers cut 84,000 jobs in December, the fewest since March 2008.

It was the ninth straight month that job losses narrowed from the previous month. The number of cuts in November was revised down to 145,000 from the previously reported 169,000.

Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a loss of 75,000 jobs in December.

Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/06/news/economy/job_cuts/

---

Quarterly Planned Job Cuts fall to 9-year low
Source: MarketWatch

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Planned job reductions fell in the fourth quarter to the lowest level in more than nine years, according to a tally kept by outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas.

Big U.S. companies announced 45,094 job reductions in December, the fewest since the recession began two years ago. December's total was down 10% from November's 50,349 and down 73% from December 2008.

In the fourth quarter, companies announced just 151,121 job reductions, the fewest since early 2000 and down 67% from the fourth quarter of 2008, Challenger said Wednesday.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/quarterly-planned-job-cuts-fall-to-9-year-low-2010-01-06

[LiberalEsto]

1. There's almost nothing left to cut

That's the only possible explanation I can see.

[Lerkfish]

2. exactly what I was going to say

its beyond the bone already

[denem]

5. US Manufacturing Output grows in December?

"The overall economy also grew last month for the eighth consecutive month as indexes for production, employment, prices and more continued to rise. New orders increased for the sixth month in a row, up to 65.5 from 60.3 in November."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/01/us-manufacturing-grows-in-december.html

After - it's not happening, I guess doomsayers go move on to 'it's a bubble'.

[customerserviceguy]

4. Yep, they've already gotten rid of the "expendables"

What's left are the relatives of the bosses, and those few who were the only ones who actually got any work done.

[fasttense]

3. No new jobs created in 10 years.

And after almost a year of Democratic (supposed liberal) government we get not more jobs, just fewer job losses.

There are absolutely no plans, being discussed or proposed or even a green shoot of a plan to create 13 million new jobs (which is simply the increase in the civilian work force since 2000).

At this rate, it will take at least another 4 to 8 years before any new jobs are created.

[doc03]

6. How does the government create jobs? n/t

[dysfunctional press]

8. by spending money on things like infrastructure.

fdr found a way.

[doc03]

10. Try getting that through Congress, the Republicans want

the Stimulus spending stopped now.

[dysfunctional press]

11. it doesn't chnge the fact that it's how governments can create jobs.

and that was your question.

[doc03]

12. I think we should build a high speed rail system

but how do we pay for it. GWB and the Republicans strategy was to starve the beast. They were quite successful, they have made it impossible for any such project.

[dysfunctional press]

14. that will have to be done incrementally, over a long time span.

probably starting with regional systems that eventually connect into a national network.
just getting the right-of-way for the tracks will be very expensive and time-consuming.

i'd be surprised if it happens in my lifetime. we made a decision awhile back to concentrate our efforts on cars and airplanes to move ourselves around the country.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

31. Run them between, above or besides existing roads.

:think:

[dysfunctional press]

33. the real estate/right of ways would still have to be obtained...

and except perhaps for nebraska- most roads have too many curves for a 'high-speed rail' to be effective if it were to follow their existing paths. plus- even if it were feasible, it would also mean closing down the roads for long stretches during construction.

[jpak]

18. They all voted against it the first time - and it got through

sorry to inform you

[Igel]

26. Look on the bright side.

We're starting the '10s at the bottom of the employment trough. It would be pretty hard, without spectacular intervening growth, for the current employment numbers to much outstrip those from 1/1/00. After all, we started the '00s at near the peak for employment for the '90s.

On the other hand, it's pretty unlikely that we'll be at the bottom of another trough on 1/1/20. So even with pretty unspectacular jobs growth the numbers for '10-'19 should look pretty good. And if we're at or near a peak for employment on 1/1/20 even with fairly dismal overall growth it'll look pretty impressive.

[proudohioan]

7. I am SO SICK of hearing that the slowing of job loss is GOOD NEWS!

Like the other posters, there are only so many jobs left to cut! Also note that "Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a loss of 75,000 jobs in December." So the job losses are still greater than economists had forecast.

Media Rah Rah bullshit!

[dysfunctional press]

9. it is good news.

job losses have to slow down before job gains can be made.

[earthside]

13. No, it's just 'less bad' news.

84,000 folks losing jobs last month is bad news.

And whether this slowing down of the rate of job cuts means that the trend is in the right direction ... that remains to be seen. There are a lot of serious economists/analysts out there predicting that the economy in 2010 may very well stagnate or decline.

[dysfunctional press]

16. the fact that less people are losing their jobs is good news.

but if it makes you feel better less bad to put a pessimistic spin on it, that's certainly your prerogative.

[flyarm]

17. this is good news? what planet are you on?

I guess it is good news..if you have your job..but if you can't feed your family and can't pay your bills or mortgage..it fucking sucks..

(I got this off someone else's post yesterday..sorry i don't know who's post it was to give them credit..but it struck me and made me feel sick ..so i copied it to keep it in my files..I thank the person who posted it even though i can not credit them.)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There has been zero net job creation since December 1999. No previous decade going back to the 1940s had job growth of less than 20 percent. Economic output rose at its slowest rate of any decade since the 1930s as well. ----Washington Post, January 2, 2010





.....

About six million Americans receiving food stamps report they have no other income...

One in eight Americans now receives food stamps, including one in four children.

Here in Florida, the number of people with no income beyond food stamps has doubled in two years and has more than tripled along once-thriving parts of the southwest coast. ----NY Times, January 2, 2010

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

calling this "good news" makes me vomit!:puke: :puke: :puke:

[jpak]

20. Thanks to Bush there was no net job gowth

n/t

[flyarm]

23. and what is being done now?????? watch this and tell me ..is it only ok because you have a job?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cIRQMT1lkI&feature=player_embedded#

Is the voice of the middle class becoming more violent?


Thank you Thom Hartman.........

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

and thank you Bob Herbert for some damn truth!
...........................

This is a society in deep, deep trouble and the fixes currently in the works are in no way adequate to the enormous challenges we’re facing. For example, an end to the mantra of monthly job losses would undoubtedly be welcomed. But even if the economy manages to create a few hundred thousand new jobs a month, it would do little to haul us from the unemployment pit dug for us by the Great Recession. We need to create more than 10 million new jobs just to get us back to where we were when the recession began in December 2007.



Op-Ed Columnist
An Uneasy Feeling
By BOB HERBERT
January 4, 2010

Please read the full article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/opinion/05herbert.htm...

[jpak]

28. The Congressional Oversight panel reported that TARP saved the US financial system from collapse

CBO reported that Obama's stimulus bill saved or created 0.6-1.6 million jobs.

Nearly all economic indices indicate that the recovery is underway and will reduce unemployment in 2010.

Obama saved our collective bacon - we ran the REAL risk of a Great Depression, and experienced the worst recession since the 1930's - but unemployment did not reach the levels of the Reagan Recession of the early '80's - 10.8% (unemployment peaked at 10.2% last fall)

When Obama took the Oath - the US economy was losing 600-700,000 jobs each month. Obama's economic policies have reduced those losses to 84,000 in December - but all people do around here is screech that the recovery isn't happening overnight. And blame Obama for BUSH's fucked up economic policies that lead us into this shithole.

ugh

[dysfunctional press]

24. so- you'd rather have MORE job losses?

:shrug:

if you don't think that falling job loss numbers is a good thing- there is something seriously wrong with you.

[flyarm]

25. we need 10 million jobs just to get back to 2007 numbers..sorry i don't applaud

bullshit!


This is a society in deep, deep trouble and the fixes currently in the works are in no way adequate to the enormous challenges we’re facing. For example, an end to the mantra of monthly job losses would undoubtedly be welcomed. But even if the economy manages to create a few hundred thousand new jobs a month, it would do little to haul us from the unemployment pit dug for us by the Great Recession. We need to create more than 10 million new jobs just to get us back to where we were when the recession began in December 2007.



Op-Ed Columnist
An Uneasy Feeling
By BOB HERBERT
January 4, 2010

Please read the full article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/opinion/05herbert.htm...

[jpak]

29. How do you expect **anyone** to do this overnight?

Obama - Palin - anyone??

Sorry - there is no magic spell available to create 10 million jobs next month.

If you have one - please share.

ugh

[dysfunctional press]

32. those numbers appear overnight- things have to get less worse before they can get better.

or is that fact lost on you?

[jpak]

19. Yes, we want job losses to *grow * - now that would be good news!

:rofl:

[Javaman]

21. no kidding. It's like saying well, you may have blown off your right foot, but

last time you lost your whole left leg!!

Yeah, so much better. :banghead:

the desperation of the positive spin.

[jefferson_dem]

15. Progress.

Good. Let's hope it continues.

[zogofzorkon]

22. for those who think its good news

think about this. If job losses were cut in half every year how long would it take till there was job growth?

[Igel]

27. For those who think it's bad news,

how wonderful would it be if there was no improvement over November's numbers?

Oh. That's bad news, too. For me, good and bad are a bit less absolute, as long as there's a definite goal in mind reaching intermediate goals isn't to be sneered at. Journey, thousand miles, one step, yada-yada -- but the journey also depends on the 5th, the 15th, and the 1500th steps.

10% job growth would be great. So would 5%. 0% would show a big improvement. Even a small decline is a big improvement.

If you need to get your car going forward and it's moving backwards at 30 mph, slowing down to 5 mph is a good thing. Until it gets to 0 you really can't move forward. Same with job losses.

[Endangered Specie]

30. Boy, lots of glass-half-empty types in this thread...

aside from this, you need to remember that when they say 75000 jobs lost, it usually means, like 875,000 were lost, and 800,000 were created.

I've learned that in a job search, the best thing you can do is keep a good attitude.

[Bonobo]

34. Cut a pig's throat and the bleeding will eventually slow. But it ain't coming back to life.

I don't see how a 'slowing' of job loss can be taken as good news. It is an inevitable result of running out of jobs (blood) that CAN be lost.