All of the lasted economic data show that the economy continues to ease forward, which caused the Dow to flirt with 15,000 today after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported better than expected employment numbers for April. While manufacturing slowed a bit in April, new orders were up and inventories were down. This points to continued positive growth for US manufacturers heading into the summer. Last month it was reported that there were a record number of jobs advertised in March, but only a fraction of them have been filled in the last two months. Companies are also still seeing a higher than average number of job offers being turned down. This is resulting in positions staying open longer, and salaries are on the rise as companies are racing to attract the talent they need and keep the talent they have.