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Annie Baxter
St. Paul, Minn.

Early indicators suggest a decline in job layoffs

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A slew of positive economic signs could bode well for state job numbers coming out Thursday.

Minnesota's seasonally-adjusted count of first-time claims for jobless benefits in November dropped to their lowest level since January. A drop that could reflect declining layoffs.

State labor market analyst Steve Hine says other statistics may provide hints of future hiring.

"We'll be watching some of those early indicator areas like temp help and average hours worked, some of the things that tend to turn up before firms start to hire again," Hine said.

Temp hiring showed a big jump in the nation's November jobs report. But even with potential improvements in November's job report, Hine says, it will still take a long time to return to full employment.