Tag Archives: Jobs

U.S. jobless claims rise to more than one-year high

Job Seekers at Colorado Hospital Job Fair

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, touching the highest level in more than a year, which could raise concerns about labor market health in the wake of the slowdown in job gains in April.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 294,000 for the week ended May 7, the highest level since late February 2015, the Labor Department said on Thursday.

Claims for the prior week were unrevised. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast initial claims slipping to 270,000 in the latest week.

Despite last week’s jump, claims remained below 300,000, a threshold associated with healthy job market conditions, for 62 consecutive weeks, the longest stretch since 1973.

A Labor Department analyst said there were no special factors influencing last week’s claims data and no states had been estimated. There was a surge in claims in New York and Michigan in the latest week.

The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, increased 10,250 to 268,250 last week, the highest level in almost three months.

The claims report came on the heels of data last week showing nonfarm payrolls increased only 160,000 in April, the smallest gain in seven months, after advancing by 208,000 in March.

The labor market has been fairly robust despite a sharp slowdown in economic growth in the first quarter. The spike in jobless claims and moderation in employment gains likely do not suggest a deterioration given difficulties adjusting the data for seasonal fluctuations.

A report on Tuesday showed job openings hit an eight-month high in March, with the rate re-testing its post-recession high.

Thursday’s claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid rose 37,000 to 2.16 million in the week ended April 30.

The four-week average of the so-called continuing claims fell 3,750 to 2.14 million, the lowest reading since November 2000.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Paul Simao)

Military Vets Fighting Child Pornography

A group of wounded military veterans are taking their experience as soldiers to turn into elite law enforcement member aimed at stopping exploitation of children.

The H.E.R.O. Corps, or Human Exploitation Rescue Operative Corps, is a unique government-private partnership of National Association to Protect Children (PROTECT), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

The Corps takes veterans and those transitioning out of the military and gives them intensive training on computers and digital forensics.  The training is followed by a 10-month internship with law enforcement usually at a field office for Homeland Security.

“The HERO Corps is beautiful in its simplicity,” Laura Junor, deputy undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, told the recruits at their graduation ceremony. “It takes those of you who were born to serve and whose careers were cut short for reasons beyond your control and allows you to reapply your gifts.”

ICE officials say the former soldiers are the perfect ones to fight this battle because of the horrific imagery that can be found in this fight.

“They’re mentally strong. They’ve seen some horrible things, but these are also people who have the ability to compartmentalize,” says Danielle Bennett, a spokeswoman for ICE.

The veterans serving with the Corps say the mission is as serious as anything they’ve faced in the military.

“People ask me, ‘How do you do it?’ My answer is that pedophiles are worse than the Taliban,” says retired Staff Sgt. Nathan Cruz, who served for a decade with the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. “At least the Taliban is fighting a country that has an army that can defend itself. The pedophiles are targeting innocent kids that cannot do anything to defend themselves.”

“You put yourself in that perspective where that could be my kid,” Staff Sgt. Dahlia Luallen says. “Also, what I’d been through as a young lady, you think, ‘These guys are still out there. And I have to find them.’ ”