U.S. gains 148,000 jobs; jobless rate, 7.2%, By Paul Davidson, October 22, 2013, USA Today: “Employers added a disappointing 148,000 jobs in September, extending a summer slowdown in payroll growth.The unemployment rate fell to 7.2% from 7.3%, the Labor Department said Tuesday.The closely-watched survey was scheduled to be released Oct. 4, but was delayed by the federal government shutdown.Economists’ consensus forecast had estimated that 180,000 jobs were added last month. Businesses added just 126,000 jobs, while federal, state and local governments added 22,000…”
Delayed Jobs Report Finds U.S. Adding Only 148,000 Jobs, By Catherine Rampell, October 22, 2013, New York Times: “American employers added 148,000 jobs in September, according to a delayed report released Tuesday by the Labor Department. The pace of growth was somewhat slower than what economists had been expecting. The unemployment rate ticked down to 7.2 percent from 7.3 percent the previous month. Federal Reserve officials and economists are closely watching the report for any signs of weakness. But the numbers may not offer the most current picture of the economy…”
Unemployment drops to 5-year low, but job growth disappoints, By Don Lee, October 22, 2013, Los Angeles Times: “The nation’s unemployment rate dropped to a five-year low of 7.2% in September, the government reported Tuesday, but employers continued to show reluctance in hiring as they added a moderate 148,000 jobs over the month. The Labor Department report, delayed 2 1/2 weeks because of the partial federal government shutdown, reflected an economy growing at a lackluster rate. The latest job gains matched the pace since the start of summer but came in below Wall Street’s forecast for an increase of about 175,000 jobs. The disappointing growth is likely to reinforce the hesitance of Federal Reserve officials to begin a withdrawal of its monetary stimulus program…”
September jobs report shows young people still losing out, By Margaret Price, October 22, 2013, Christian Science Monitor: “Six years after finishing college – with a degree in molecular and cellular biology – Sydney Gray works 18 hours a week as a cashier at a New Orleans farmers’ market. Other times, she volunteers there to get free food. “I can’t even get a job waiting tables,” says Ms. Gray, whose two previous part-time jobs ended when the employers folded. “When I apply for jobs, I’m competing against people with master’s degrees and PhDs.” Today’s job market is not only grueling for young people, it’s also perplexing. The unemployment rate for 20 to 24-year-olds fell slightly to 12.9 percent in September, nearly six percentage points higher than the national average of 7.2 percent and slightly higher than that figure was in September 2012 (12.4 percent)…”
U.S. hiring slows in September to 126,000 private-sector jobs, By John Schmid, October 22, 2013, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “In a sign that the U.S. economy might be losing steam, American employers in September chalked up the second-worst month of hiring of the year with only 126,000 new private-sector jobs. The inability of Washington’s politicians to resolve a budget debt and deficit issues, most recently manifested in a 16-day partial government shutdown, perpetuates a chronic economic uncertainty that leaves employers too cautious to hire aggressively, economists said in reaction to Thursday’s jobs data. “September job growth was positive but disappointing,” and decidedly slower than many expected, said John Heywood, economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee…”
Anxiety among families, providers as stimulus-funded increase in food stamps is set to expire, By Rik Stevens (AP), October 10, 2013, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: “A temporary increase in food stamps expires Oct. 31, meaning for millions of Americans, the benefits that help put food on the table won’t stretch as far as they have for the past four years. Food stamps — actually the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — go to 47 million Americans a month, almost half of them children and teenagers…”
Food stamp funding dwindles as demand swells, By Anita Wadhwani, October 10, 2013, The Tennessean: “Just west of downtown Nashville, a few blocks to the north of a gourmet marshmallow store, craft distillery, coffee shop and art galleries in Marathon Village, a long line of mostly women and young kids waited on a hot afternoon to fill up cardboard boxes with fresh greens, fruits and canned goods. The food giveaway by nonprofit Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee came during the last week of the month — a few days after Kara Bellenger’s September food stamp allotment had run out. The 21-year-old mother is attending a community college program to become a crime scene investigator and said she hasn’t been able to find part-time work to support her 2-year-old son…”
Change in Kansas food stamp rules could cut off 20,000 recipients, By Brad Cooper, September 4, 2013, Kansas City Star: “Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration announced steps Wednesday to nudge more people off public assistance to encourage them to find jobs. The Kansas Department for Children and Families said that beginning Oct. 1, an estimated 20,000 unemployed Kansas residents who receive food stamps will be forced to work at least 20 hours a week to keep the benefit…”
Kansas to require able-bodied adults with no children to work before getting food stamps, Associated Press, September 4, 2013, Washington Post: “A federal waiver that allowed about 20,000 unemployed Kansas residents to receive food assistance will be allowed to expire at the end of the month, state officials announced Wednesday, saying they wanted to encourage work over welfare dependency. The Kansas Department for Children and Families said able-bodied adults with no dependents would need to work no less than 20 hours per week to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps…”
