Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade announces mask and vaccine rules, content types that perform best on social media, and United Airlines explains process for vaccine exemption requests

Hello there again, communicators:

We’re tracking reports of jobless claims hitting their lowest numbers in 18 months. The data suggests that cooling job growth has been hindered by labor shortages rather than cooling demand for workers.

Yahoo reported:

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 35,000 to a seasonally adjusted 310,000 for the week ended Sept. 4, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That was the lowest level since mid-March 2020 when mandatory closures of nonessential businesses were enforced to slow the first wave of COVID-19 cases.

The low unemployment numbers also come as a record number of job openings remain unfilled.

ABC News writes:

The number of job openings hit a record high of 10.9 million on the last day of July, the Department of Labor said Wednesday, as businesses struggle to lure back workers in the wake of COVID-19’s shock to the economy.

Here’s the rub for comms pros: Employer branding and reputation work will continue to be a top priority, as the labor market shows no signs of slowing down and competition for workers will remain sky high.