|
MAY 2009 UNEMPLOYMENT DATA*
(U.S.
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS)
OFFICIAL UNEMPLOYMENT:
9.4%
A year earlier, the number of unemployed
persons was 8.5
million, and the jobless rate was 5.5 percent. [BLS]
| White |
8.6% |
| African
American |
14.9% |
| Hispanic |
12.7% |
| Asian** |
6.7% |
| Persons with a disability** |
13.7% |
| Men
20 years and over |
9.8% |
| Women
20 years and over |
7.5% |
| Teen-agers
(16-19 years) |
22.7% |
| Black
teens |
39.4% |
| Officially
unemployed |
14.5
million |
HIDDEN UNEMPLOYMENT
| Working
part-time because can't find a full-time job: |
9.1
million |
| People
who want jobs but are
not looking so are
not counted in official statistics (of which about 2.2 million**
searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available
for work during the reference week.) |
5.9
million |
|
Total:
29.5 million (18.3% of the labor
force) |
Source: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
In addition, millions
more were working full-time, year-round, yet earned
less than the official poverty level for a family of four. In
2007, the latest
year available, that number was 17.6 million, 16.2 percent of
full-time workers (estimated from Current Population Survey, Bur.
of the Census, 2008).
In
April, 2009, the latest month available, the number of job
openings was only 2.5 million, according to the BLS,
Job Openings and
Labor Turnover Estimates, June 9, 2009.+ Thus there are
nearly 12 job-wanters for each available job.[Numbers
are not comparable with previous months as methods have been revised.]
Mass
layoffs: ""Employers
took 2,933 mass layoff actions in May that resulted in the separation
of 312,880 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings
for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau
of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.
Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer.
The number of mass layoff events in May increased by 221 from
the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims increased
by 41,654. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased
by 1,232 and associated initial claims increased by 132,322. Initial
claims rose to its highest level on record, while events matched
the peak level from March 2009, with data available back to 1995.
In May, 1,331 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing
sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 165,802 initial claims.
Over the year, manufacturing events and initial claims more than
doubled. ....
Eleven of the 19 major industry sectors reported
program highs in terms of average weekly initial claimants for
the month of May—mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale
trade; retail trade; finance and insurance; real estate and rental
and leasing; management of companies and enterprises; administrative
and waste services; health care and social assistance; and accommodation
and food services. Government also reported a program high in
terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month of May.
The manufacturing sector accounted for 37 percent of all mass
layoff events and 43 percent of initial claims filed in May 2009;
a year earlier, manufacturing made up 25 percent of events and
32 percent of initial claims. This May, the number of manufacturing
claimants was greatest in transportation equipment (46,816) and
machinery (12,472). (See table 3.) The administrative and waste
services sector accounted for 11 percent of mass layoff events
and associated initial claims during the
month.." (BLS, June 23, 2009)
 Source: http://www.epi.org/publication/snapshot_20090701/
*See Uncommon
Sense #4 for an explanation of
the unemployment measures.
**Not seasonally adjusted.
+"Since June 2007, the number of job openings has trended
downward by 2.3 million, or 47 percent. In April, small declines
in the job openings rate occurred in most industries; none of
these declines were statistically significant. The job openings
rate increased significantly for government due to an increase
in job opportunities for temporary workers for Census 2010."
 Source:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/04/no_good_news.html
The
National Jobs for All Coalition is a project of the Council on
Public and International Affairs. |
