After the final jobs report for 2019 showed wage growth missed expectations, the Dow closed below 29,000 after reaching the milestone for the first time in intraday trading.
But Grover Norquist, conservative activist and president of the advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform, said the jobs report was “good on all counts”
“I particularly like the U6, which is the unemployment number that includes discouraged workers,” he told Cheddar. Discouraged workers are those individuals who stop looking for jobs and no longer count toward general unemployment numbers.
“Unemployment is at a historic 50-year low, but discouraged workers is also at an all-time low,” he said. The discouraged and underemployed workers rate fell to 6.7 percent. He noted that the number is the lowest since the government began being measured in 1994.
In today’s report, the Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls increased by only 145,000 versus the 160,000 that had been expected as the unemployment rate held steady at 3.5 percent.
Today’s report also marked a slow rise in average hourly earnings, which rose by 2.9 percent, below the 3.1 percent projection.
Of those employed, women held more U.S. jobs than men for the first time in a decade. The last time women overtook men in payrolls was between January 2009 and April 2010, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A federal judge has struck down hundreds of lawsuits filed against the makers of Tylenol and generic acetaminophen.
California regulators are preparing to vote on new rules for turning recycled wastewater into drinking water.
Hackers accessed Xfinity customers’ personal information by exploiting a vulnerability in software used by the company, the Comcast-owned telecommunications business announced this week.
Some folks want to leave the cold for a quick getaway. Bobby Laurie, travel expert, joined Cheddar News to provide tips on how and when to look for a winter escape.
Julia Pollak, chief economist with ZipRecruiter, joined Cheddar News to provide tips on navigating a job loss and explain the benefits of working with a recruiter to find new employment.
A pair of sneakers that were made for director Spike Lee sold for more than $50,000 at auction.
Union members for Anheuser-Busch are looking for a better deal and they are willing to go on strike.
New data from the National Association of Home Builders shows that falling mortgage rates have improved homebuilder confidence and increased demand to buy homes.
About nine million people with student loans missed their first payment after the recent pandemic pause, according to data.
Spending this holiday season is set to significantly rise, according to an economic survey from CNBC.
