Dallas Morning News (09/15/14) Mitchell Schnurman

More than 50% of temporary employees say they have learned new skills, strengthened their résumé, and been in a good spot to land a permanent job, according to a survey of 12,000 current and former temporary employees. In certain fields such as technology and health care, temporary jobs have led to significantly higher earnings. Some temporary employees can earn a pay premium of up to 30%.

Although many temporary employees hope to find a permanent job, others prefer to be independent. “They believe it’s better for job security, and they want a higher degree of control over their work life,” says Richard Wahlquist, president and chief executive officer of the American Staffing Association.

Bloomberg (09/18/14) Victoria Stilwell

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits in the week ended Sept. 13 fell by 36,000 to 280,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor—a sign that the labor market continues to strengthen. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had forecast claims of 305,000. The four-week moving average of new claims declined by 4,750 to 299,500.

Wall Street Journal (09/17/14) Jon Hilsenrath

Following a two-day meeting, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced plans to end the bond-buying stimulus program after October and unveiled a new technical plan for how the central bank will raise short-term interest rates in 2015, after leaving the federal-funds rate near zero since December 2008. Some experts had thought the “considerable time” language in the central bank’s interest rate policies would be eliminated, but the Fed maintained the language, with officials stating that interest rates would remain low for a considerable time after the bond-buying program ends because the economy continues to face “significant underutilization of labor resources.”

The Fed’s updated projections, released quarterly, show policymakers expect the economy to expand at a pace consistently below 3% for the next three years. The central bank also said it would purchase $15 billion of mortgage and Treasury bonds in October and then stop its purchases, leaving the Fed holding a rather large portfolio that will shrink as the central bank raises interest rates. Officials affirmed their widely held view that rate increases will not happen until 2015.

Dallas Morning News (09/17/14) Maria Halkias

United Parcel Service plans to hire 95,000 seasonal employees this year, which could bring the number of temporary jobs offered this holiday season to 800,000 for the first time since 1999, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Kohl’s has announced plans to hire 67,000 seasonal employees, while FedEx plans to add approximately 50,000 seasonal workers.