The U.S. economy added 272,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate rose to 4% from 3.9%, the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, June 7.
CNN reported May’s job gains were considerably higher than the April total, which was revised down to 165,000. The May data came in well above expectations for 180,000, according to FactSet consensus estimates.
Service-providing industries accounted for the bulk of the month’s job gains, with healthcare and social assistance continuing to lead the way, with 83,500 jobs added. Healthcare, government, and leisure and hospitality accounted for 60% of May’s gains; however, interest rate-sensitive sectors such as construction and manufacturing added jobs as well.
Pro-Palestine Lawyer Sues Law Firm Over Rescinded Job Offer
As reported by Reuters, Jinan Chehade, a Muslim lawyer in Illinois, has sued Foley & Lardner for discrimination, accusing the U.S. law firm of firing her the day before her job there was due to begin after she expressed support for the Palestinian people in the Israel-Hamas war.
Chehade said in her Chicago federal lawsuit that the firm began investigating her following social media posts and remarks she made criticizing Israel’s actions in the conflict. She said she was fired on Oct. 22, 15 hours before she was scheduled to start as an associate in the firm’s Chicago office.
The lawsuit accused Foley & Lardner of ethnic and religious discrimination, claiming the firm “relied on stereotypes about Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians as inherently violent and anti-Jewish.”
Foley & Lardner, in a statement, said the lawsuit was meritless. “We stand behind our decision to rescind Ms. Chehade’s employment offer as a result of the statements she made surrounding the horrendous attacks by Hamas on October 7,” the firm said.
Microsoft to Lay Off Hundreds in Azure Business
Microsoft is cutting hundreds of employees from its Azure cloud business, according to Business Insider.
People familiar with the situation told Business Insider the layoffs impacted teams including Azure for Operators and Mission Engineering. One of the people estimated the Azure for Operators layoffs involved as many as 1,500 job cuts.
The company announced plans last year to cut 10,000 employees within the first few months of 2023. It has conducted additional rounds of layoffs since then.
Caterpillar to Pay $800K Discrimination Settlement
According to United Press International (UPI), Caterpillar has agreed to pay $800,000 in back wages and interest to settle an alleged systemic hiring discrimination charge involving 60 Black applicants who sought work at its facility in Decatur, Ill.
UPI reported that during a routine compliance review, the Department of Labor’s Office of the Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that the heavy equipment manufacturer discriminated against Blacks who applied for fabrication specialist/welder positions at the Decatur facility from March 30, 2018, to March 30, 2020.
The agreement guaranteed that Caterpillar will provide training about discriminatory practices to all managers, supervisors and other company officials who oversee hiring decisions.
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