Tagged: U.S. Department of Labor

Another piece of data to fit into a confusing employment jigsaw puzzle: this time, it's advertising for new jobs – U.S. companies in March posted the highest number of those in four years.

The Labor Department says some 3.74 million job openings were advertised for the month, the most since July 2008, about six months after the recession officially began but still just ahead of the financial meltdown.

What does it mean?

If you're an optimist, it means employers are feeling a bit more "robust" about the economy and want to add workers.

There were 365,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance filed last week, down 27,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports.

When the Obama administration proposed new restrictions on teens working on farms last year, labor leaders and child welfare advocates cheered.