Happy Labor Day, Much Like Last Year

Posted by marykeating on September 6, 2010 under Economic situation | Be the First to Comment

For better or worse, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the unemployment picture looks much the same as last year this time.  A large amount of temporary census workers have been laid off, as expected.  In addition, more people are classified as “discouraged workers,” meaning people who are not looking for work because they don’t think there are jobs open to them.  More people are employed part-time for economic reasons, meaning they would work more if the hours were offered.

Health care employment is up, and manufacturing is down.  The report refrains from drawing conclusions, but seems to see no significant trends.

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Unemployment Rates Looking Marginally Better

Posted by marykeating on February 18, 2010 under Unemployment compensation | Be the First to Comment

The latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show some slight improvement in the rate of unemployment, with women enjoying the biggest job gains.  Unemployment among women stands at 7.9%, and men at 10%.  Teenage unemployment is higher, but of course teenage employees include those who have not finished high school and have no job experience.

I’m not going to want to look at these figures next month, because who knows how the snow afflicting the Eastern seaboard will mess with the trend.  We already know that retail sales were lower (when malls are closed it’s hard to shop), and lots of people worked from home or not at all.  But when this glitch is FINALLY over, we can hope that unemployment rates will continue to fall.

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