Global Steel Demand Recovering in 2021

The World Steel Assn. forecasts steel demand growing by 5.8% to 1.87 billion metric tons this year, after a slight decrease in 2020, with an automotive sector rebound among the leading factors. APR 18, 2021 The World Steel Association forecasts that global steel demand will rise 5.8% this year to 1.87 billion metric tons, thenRead More

With China Policy in Tatters, OEMs Best Expect More Shortages

It's not just semiconductors; the US is at least a generation away from any kind of self-sufficiency in too many important areas. Paul Ericksen Eamon McKinney APR 14, 2021 Opinion/Analysis To say the recent America-China summit in Alaska didn’t go well would be a monumental understatement. It was no surprise to the Chinese contingent thatRead More

US jobless claims plunge to 576,000, lowest since pandemic

Elyse Russo APR 15, 2021 / 08:02 AM CDT The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits tumbled last week to 576,000, a post-COVID low and a hopeful sign that layoffs are easing as the economy recovers from the pandemic recession. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications plummeted by 193,000 from a revised 769,000 a weekRead More

Industrial Production Returns to Growth After February’s Storms Subside

U.S. manufacturing output rose 2.7% in March after falling almost 4% in February. IW Staff APR 15, 2021 The Federal Reserve reported on April 15 that industrial production in March rose 1.4%, returning to growth after an unseasonably stormy February knocked it down 2.6%. The report shows total industrial production rose 2.5% at an annualizedRead More

The economy is on the cusp of a major boom and economists believe it could last

PUBLISHED FRI, APR 9 2021 Patti Domm@IN/PATTI-DOMM-9224884/@PATTIDOMM The economy has entered a period of supercharged growth, and instead of fizzling, it could potentially remain stronger than it was during the pre-pandemic era into 2023. Economists now expect the second quarter to grow at a pace of 10%, and growth for 2021 is expected to be north of 6.5%.Read More

Is Your Future Talent Hidden in Plain Sight?

There are 28 million hidden workers according to the Harvard Business Project on Managing the Future of Work. Adrienne Selko APR 05, 2021 If you are like me, you struggle with understanding how so many jobs are going unfilled, and yet there are so many people out of work. Joseph Fuller, who is a co-chairRead More

March Manufacturing More than Doubles February’s Pace for New Hires

Manufacturers hired 53,000 more people in March as employment recovery picks up steam. APR 02, 2021 The Department of Labor’s most recent employment report reveals that the nonfarm economy added 916,000 jobs last month while manufacturing more than doubled the amount of jobs it gained in February. Manufacturing added 53,000 jobs in March after addingRead More

In Like a Lion: Manufacturing in March Grew for a Tenth Straight Month

Surveyed manufacturing executives are increasingly optimistic despite supply chain and talent struggles. Ryan Secard APR 02, 2021 March was a good month for manufacturing, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The ISM’s manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index rose 3.9 points from February to reach 64.7%, making March the tenth month of an expanding industrial economyRead More

March jobs report is expected to be strong and show the beginning of a hiring surge

PUBLISHED THU, APR 1 20212:22 PM EDT Patti Domm@IN/PATTI-DOMM-9224884/@PATTIDOMM Americans are beginning to return to the workforce in big numbers, and that is likely to show up in the March employment report. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect to see 675,000 jobs added in March as the economy reopened more broadly, and the number ofRead More

Weekly jobless claims higher than expected despite signs of labor market improvement

PUBLISHED THU, APR 1 20218:30 AM Jeff Cox@JEFF.COX.7528@JEFFCOXCNBCCOM First-time claims for jobless benefits were higher than expected last week, with 719,000 more workers heading to the unemployment line, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The total compared with the 675,000 estimate from Dow Jones and was above last week’s downwardly revised 658,000. While the number ofRead More