(See last item). Here at the Labor Dept. we are wondering what it is that we did so well to so disturb Mr. Armey. ---------- BLS DAILY REPORT, FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1997: The government's summertime snapshot of the youth labor force picks up the tones of a robust economy, with total employment among workers ages 16 to 24 up by 2.4 percent in July, compared with a year ago. Jobless rates in virtually all demographic groups were down, compared with the summer of 1996, according to data released by BLS ....(Daily Labor Report, page D-15). Demand for labor remained strong in July, as the Conference Board reports its help-wanted advertising index held steady at 88 percent of its 1987 base ....(Daily Labor Report, page A-6; Wall Street Journal, page A12). U.S. economic growth in the second quarter was revised up to a strong 3.6 percent at an annual rate, due chiefly to a better performance by the trade sector and a larger inventory accumulation than first estimated, reports the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis. The revised figures for GDP mean the economy barely slowed after growing at a 4.9 percent pace in the first quarter of this year. Consumer spending was much weaker than in the first quarter, however, suggesting to many analysts that the third quarter will see a pickup in personal outlays ....(Daily Labor Report, page D-1)_____The U.S. economy grew much more strongly this spring than previously thought, raising new questions for analysts and policymakers about whether inflationary pressures will build in coming months ....(Washington Post, page K1)_____Even with the more robust growth, inflation remained subdued during the second quarter ....(New York Times, page A1)_____The economy grew much faster than the original estimate. Meanwhile, prices inched up just 0.8 percent in the second quarter, and corporate profits jumped 1.9 percent ....(Wall Street Journal, page A2). New claims for unemployment benefits declined by 16,000 to 323,000 during the week ended Aug. 23, the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration reports ....(Daily Labor Report, page D-13; Washington Post, page K2). The flow of three-year visas for skilled foreign-born workers has been temporarily cut off by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the agency says. The agency has tentatively reached the limit on the number of H1-B visas it can issue annually ....(Daily Labor Report, page A-3). Despite the best economic conditions in a generation, more than two-thirds of U.S. workers say their sense of job security is lower and job stress higher than it used to be, according to a new survey by Princeton Survey Research Associates ....(USA Today, pages 1A, 1B). House Majority Leader Armey (R-Texas) gives the Labor Department the worst marks in his overall assessment of federal agencies' preliminary plans for improving the way agency programs are run. In a letter issued this month, Armey ranks the Labor Department last in an evaluation of federal agencies' efforts to comply with the Government Performance and Results Act ....(Daily Labor Report, page A-7).
