5.6 million fewer jobs

[spike3]

Posted: 2/5/12 at 10:59am

disturbing news. Since late 2007 there are roughly 5.6 million fewer jobs to be had. So the current unemployment rate is 8.3% in the U.S. Part of the reason its dropped is because the unemployment benefits for many people have been exhausted, so they are no longer counted as unemployed.

Saying "get a job" is ignorant of the fact that that is NOT possible for everyone anymore. The jobs no longer exist because they have been eliminated by progress.

I feel for my friends who have been out of work for over a year now

[siny]

Posted: 2/5/12 at 12:03pm

Unemploymnet benefits have nothing to do with how unemployment rate is calculated. It's calculated based on a monthly sample survey:

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm#where

[spike3]

Posted: 2/5/12 at 12:32pm

ah yes, the "survey" the one that considers "Unpaid family workers" employed-you know the 16 yr old who helps out around the family farm -yes the government considers him employed!

Or the person who ONLY worked for 1 or 2 hours in a week, and made minimum wage, this survey considers them to be employed.

The survey that trusts people to answer accurately and honestly.

Yet,if you have no job, are not looking for work, and are not collecting unemployement, you are not considered in the workforce, but you are not considered unemployed either. Excuse me,if you cant find work, and/or have lost your benefits you are unemployed.

Either way, there are 5.6 million less jobs now available in the U.S. and something is wrong with the way the unemployment numbers are actually determined.

I know my friends-the ones that still have unemployment benefits,and the ones who used them all up- that have no job consider themselves unemployed, and would love to work.





Updated On: 2/5/12 at 12:32 PM

[siny]

Posted: 2/5/12 at 12:44pm

And, again, unemployment benefits have nothing to do with calculating unemployment rate.

And the way the government measures unemployment has not been changed in a very long time. It's useful when you want to see what the employment trends are - so if the unemployment rate is falling the situation is getting better. But, yes, there are still way too much unemployment, I don't think anyone would argue with that.

[spike3]

Posted: 2/5/12 at 4:01pm

The most current data for NYS Unemployment Dec.2011-8.0%. Jan.2012 figures will not be available until March.
The unemployment rate in NYC is close to 9.0%

Low paying,part-time jobs seem to be the current employment trend. In my opinion things are not getting better.

Many people can skew numbers many different ways. Doing so does not help the situation.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/6/12 at 2:13pm

If you're saying people can skew the numbers in any direction for any reason, then what is actually the point? The unemployment rate was higher the last 2 years and it's starting to drop. Yes, it's higher than it was 5 years ago, but that happens in a terrible recession. So, if it gets better, we should either say it really isn't or just bitch about it? I'm not sure I understand what this thread is about. I was temping for 7 months and just got a permanent position. It sucked, but I didn't skew the numbers or anything. It's something that actually happened.