Positive weekly job numbers conceal calm before the storm

Fri, 07 Aug 2020

The number of new people receiving an unemployment benefit fell for the fifth consecutive week in the seven days to July 31.There were 934 new claimants for the Covid-19 Income Relief Payment - CIRP - bringing the total to 20,957. That's in addition to 192,488 Jobseeker beneficiaries.The surge of new jobless benefit claims through June and into early-July - an average of 4,000 per week - coincided with the end of the wage subsidy for about one million workers. Encouragingly lay-offs appeared to have moderated in recent weeks as the num...

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