Retail Will Grow Dramatically First Half of 2021

"The supply chain slowdown we usually see after the holiday season never really happened this winter, and imports are already starting to grow again," said Jonathan Gold, of National Retail Federation. MH&L Staff MAR 09, 2021 As increased vaccination and continued in-store safety measures enable additional shopping options, imports at the nation’s largest retail containerRead More

US wages rise by 4% in fourth quarter, but loss of low-wage jobs affects average

Released on January 27, 2021 US workers’ wages rose by 4.4% in the fourth quarter with the average wage rising by $1.27 to $30.19 per hour, according to the ADP Research Institute’s Workforce Vitality report. But a look behind the number tells a different story. Average wage growth is higher than expected because of significantRead More

76% of US companies say hiring demand will return to pre-pandemic levels this year: Study

Released on January 21, 2021 Hiring demand will approach, return to or exceed pre-pandemic levels this year, according to the 2021 Future of Recruiting Study published by CareerArc, a provider of a social recruiting platform. Of companies surveyed, 76% believe hiring demand will return this year. CareerArc’s survey also discovered that companies are most concernedRead More

Bah Humbug on the ‘Doom and Gloomers’

Posted by Alan Beaulieu on Dec 23, 2020 10:40:23 AM Here Are Two Reasons Why The headlines trumpeted that Retail Sales fell in November, a move that many did not see coming. For the record, Retail Sales are on track with our forecast. The concern raised by others regarding November’s drop is that consumers have pulled back,Read More

BLS Employment Situation Report: December 2020

Total nonfarm payroll employment in December declined by 140,000 in December, well below the consensus forecast of a job gain of 45,000. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.7 percent or 10.7 million unemployed persons. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) noted in today’s release that both unemployment measures are much lower than their AprilRead More

Economists Predict Sharp Slowdown Before Outlook Brightens Considerably

BY EMEL AKAN January 14, 2021 Updated: January 14, 2021 WASHINGTON—Economists are forecasting a strong recovery this year but warn of a sharp drop in economic activity in the first quarter before it builds momentum following the winter. The U.S. economy will grow at 3.9 percent over the four quarters of 2021, according to the latest estimates by theRead More

US adds jobs in November at slowest rate since July: ADP

Released on December 2, 2020 The US added 307,000 private-sector jobs in November when compared to October, according to the ADP National Employment Report released today. It was the lowest month-over-month gain since July. “While November saw employment gains, the pace continues to slow,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, VP and co-head of the ADP Research Institute.Read More

Forecast for US GDP gets downgrade, but jobs projections improve

Released on November 16, 2020 Economists downgraded their forecast for growth in US gross domestic product for the remainder of this year and the first nine months of 2021, according to the Philadelphia Federal Reserve’s Survey of Professional Forecasters for the fourth quarter. However, they don’t believe the US unemployment rate will be as highRead More