Further, a just-released report by outplacement consultants Challenger, Gray and Christmas indicates that 2014 is on track to be the lowest year for job losses since 1997. The firm cites corporate profits at near-record highs as a contributor to increased levels of job security.
But, while the Labor Department data indicates that first-job unemployment claims fell to an unexpectedly low level in September; and ADP data show private-sector job gains exceeded 200,000 for the sixth consecutive month, some analysts are cautious. That's because the number of overall jobs lost in the recession was only added back to the economy this past May.