207,000 Americans filed for jobless aid last week, near half-century low
CBSN
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits edged up last week, but claims remains near a 50-year low amid a tight labor market that is spurring businesses to hold onto their workers.
About 207,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits in the week ended January 1, the Labor Department said Thursday. That represents a slight increase from the prior week, when about 198,000 people filed for jobless aid, matching a low last seen in October 1969.
Businesses have sharply curtailed layoffs in the past year following the massive job cuts experienced in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic sparked an economic shutdown and forced many businesses to close their doors. In 2021, employers announced plans to cut about 320,000 jobs, a decrease of 86% from the 2.3 million jobs that were eliminated in 2020, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Meta is ending its key diversity, equity and inclusion programs, joining other corporate giants like Ford, McDonald's and Walmart that have pulled the plug on their DEI initiatives.
The Biden administration on Friday announced it would extend the temporary legal status of nearly 1 million immigrants from El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela, utilizing a program that is expected to be curtailed by the incoming Trump administration.
At least four people were injured Friday morning after a Minneapolis-bound Delta Airlines flight aborted its takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, airport officials said.
Titan Farms, a South Carolina company that supplies fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables to major U.S. retailers, illegally deducted political contributions and cleaning fees from more than 1,300 seasonal foreign workers, according to federal officials.
Macy's is closing 66 store locations that it has said are underperforming. The closures are part of the storied retailer's turnaround strategy.
President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to be released with no restrictions Friday after his criminal conviction in the "hush money" case in New York.
Tesla is recalling more than 240,000 vehicles because of a rearview visibility issue.
The victims who died in the wind-driven fires that have decimated the Los Angeles area fires this week include a man who was found holding a garden hose as well as an 82-year-old man who died in his bed, family members told CBS News.
Rudy Giuliani is set to appear in a Washington, D.C., federal courtroom Friday as a federal judge considers a request from two Georgia election workers to hold the former New York City mayor in contempt for allegedly continuing to defame them in violation of a court order.
Employers added 256,000 jobs in December, far exceeding economists' expectations and signaling that the job market remains resilient in the face of still-high borrowing rates and stickier-than-expected inflation.