The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell to 779,000 last week. That’s the lowest in two months but still a historically high total that shows that a sizable number of people continue to lose jobs to the viral pandemic. Before the virus erupted in the United States in March, weekly applications for jobless aid had never topped 700,000, even during the Great Recession.
The services sector, where most Americans work, operated in January at the highest level in almost two years. The Institute for Supply Management reports that activity in the services sector climbed to a reading of 58.7% in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, up a full percentage point from the December reading of 57.7%. The January performance represented the eighth straight month of growth after sharp declines last spring when the economy was leveled by a global pandemic.
The Labor Market Information Center has released the latest Online Job Openings Report (OJOR), a monthly summary of online job openings and active résumés from Job Service North Dakota’s labor exchange system. North Dakota had a total of 13,228 open and available online job openings in January 2021, a change of +2.7 percent (+354) from the prior month and -16.7 percent (-2,661) from the same month one year ago.
A surge in online shopping helped UPS post record revenue during the last three months of 2020. UPS and other delivery companies have benefited as more people shop online during the pandemic and avoid going to physical stores. UPS says the daily average number of packages it delivered rose nearly 11% during the quarter.
Anheuser-Busch says it’s investing $1 billion over the next two years to modernize its U.S. facilities. Nearly half that amount will go to the company’s 12 major U.S. breweries. Anheuser-Busch said it will spend $100 million for new can lines and $100 million on solar panel installation and other sustainability measures. It also plans to spend $50 million to increase its seltzer brewing capabilities.
The North Dakota Department of Commerce has announced that the Hospitality Economic Resiliency Grant (HERG) application window is now open through February 25th. North Dakota has 3,400 restaurant and bar licenses throughout the state and 960 grants have been awarded to restaurants and bars. Commerce has $30 million HERG dollars available to assist remaining eligible businesses that lost revenue due to COVID-19.
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) assumed operations on February 1 for the Senior Companion Program in North Dakota. The change comes as a result of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota’s decision to close due to significant financial struggles in their affordable housing development services. North Dakota’s program will add 370 older adults and 71 volunteers in 32 counties. Four employees from the North Dakota program will be joining LSS of Minnesota.
Randy Votava, physical education teacher at South Middle School, has been named the North Dakota Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) Middle School Teacher of the Year. Votava began teaching in 1992 and taught elementary physical education from 1992-2008, transitioning to the middle school level in 2008. The NDSHAPE awards ceremony will be held virtual conference later this month.
The Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation has announced the receipt of a $1 million kick-starting gift from the Engelstad Foundation to support a new “Access Medora” initiative aimed at improving the experience for guests with disabilities through creative, adaptive solutions and unique amenities in NorthDakota’s tourist destination. The first project of the initiative is a pair of high-capacity elevators at the Burning Hills Amphitheatre. The new, high-capacity elevators will take up to 12 guests from the top level of the theater to the midlevel plaza, and back, and should reduce wait times to just a few minutes.
The North Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame committee announces that William A. (Bill) Beeks has been selected for induction into the state’s Aviation Hall of Fame. Bill will join a hall of fame group that currently includes 45 other individuals who have all had a significant impact to the growth, development, and promotion of aviation in North Dakota.
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