|
OCTOBER
2010 UNEMPLOYMENT DATA*
(U.S.
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS)
OFFICIAL UNEMPLOYMENT:
9.6%
A year earlier, the number of unemployed
persons was 15.6
million, and the jobless rate was 10.1 percent. [BLS]
| White |
8.8% |
| African
American |
15.7% |
| Hispanic |
12.6% |
| Asian** |
7.1% |
| Persons with a disability ** |
14.8% |
| Men
20 years and over |
9.7% |
| Women
20 years and over |
8.1% |
| Teens
(16-19 years) |
27.1% |
| Black
teens |
48.0% |
| Officially
unemployed |
14.8
million |
HIDDEN UNEMPLOYMENT
| Working
part-time because can't find a full-time job: |
9.2
million |
| People
who want jobs but are
not looking so are
not counted in official statistics (of which about 2.6 million**
searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available
for work during the reference week.) |
6.3
million |
|
Total:
30.3 million (18.9% of the labor
force) |
Source: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
**Not seasonally adjusted.
*See Uncommon Sense #4
for an explanation of the unemployment measures.
In addition, millions
more were working full-time, year-round, yet earned
less than the official poverty level for a family of four. In
2009, the latest
year available, that number was 16.3 million, 16.4 percent of
full-time, full-year workers (estimated from Current
Population Survey, Bur. of the Census, 2010).
In September,
2010, the latest month available, the number of job
openings was 2.9 million, little changed from August [when
it was 3.2 million], according to the BLS, Job
Openings and Labor Turnover Estimates, November 9, 2010.+
Thus there are now more than 10 job-wanters for each available job.[Numbers
are not comparable with previous months as methods have been revised.]
PRIVATE JOB CREATION [NY
Times, 10/9/10]
Mass
layoffs: "Employers
took 1,486 mass layoff actions in September that resulted in the
separation of 133,379 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured
by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the
month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each
action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The
number of mass layoff events in September decreased by 60 from
the prior month, the third consecutive over-the-month decrease.
The number of associated initial claims decreased by 16,813 to
its lowest level since April 2008. In September, 345 mass layoff
events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted,
resulting in 34,168 initial claims. Both figures declined over
the month." BLS, 10/22/10
....
"REVIEW OF 2009 For all of 2009, on a not
seasonally adjusted basis, the total numbers of mass layoff events,
at 28,030, and initial claims, at 2,796,456, reached their highest
annual levels on record. Among the 19 major industry sectors in
the private economy, manufacturing had the most initial claims
in 2009 (1,137,106), followed by administrative and waste services
(294,709) and construction (205,765). Manufacturing also had the
largest over-the-year increase in total annual initial claims
(+266,796), with retail trade (+57,283) and administrative and
waste services (+48,039) experiencing the next largest increases.
Among the major industry sectors, 12 registered series highs for
both mass layoff events and initial claims in 2009: mining; construction;
wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing;
finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; management
of companies and enterprises; administrative and waste services;
health care and social assistance; arts, entertainment, and recreation;
and accommodation and food services.
....
Among the 4 census regions, the Midwest reported the highest number
of mass layoff initial claims filed during 2009 (892,202), followed
by the West and the South. All 4 regions experienced over-the-year
annual increases, with the largest increases taking place in the
Midwest (+215,611). The Midwest, Northeast, and South also reached
program highs for total initial claims in 2009. ...."
(BLS, January 27, 2010)
Source: http://www.epi.org/publication/snapshot_20090701/
+
"Although the month-to-month change
is small, the number of job openings in September was 25 percent
higher than the number at the most recent series trough in July
2009. This trough immediately followed the end of the recession
in June 2009 (as designated by the National Bureau of Economic
Research). Even with the gains since July 2009, the number of
job openings in September remained below the 4.4 million jobs
open when the recession began in December 2007.
The number of job openings in September (not seasonally adjusted)
increased from 12 months earlier for total nonfarm and total private.
The level was little changed over the year for government overall
but increased for federal government. Over the year, the job openings
level decreased in two industries and increased in four industries.
The job openings level was essentially unchanged over the year
in 3 of the 4 regions but increased in the West. "
The
National Jobs for All Coalition is a project of the Council on
Public and International Affairs. |
