|
MAY
2010 UNEMPLOYENT DATA*
(U.S.
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS)
OFFICIAL UNEMPLOYMENT:
9.7%
A year earlier, the number of unemployed
persons was 14.5
million, and the jobless rate was 9.4 percent. [BLS]
| White |
8.8% |
| African
American |
15.5% |
| Hispanic |
12.4% |
| Asian** |
7.5% |
| Persons with a disability ** |
14.7% |
| Men
20 years and over |
9.8% |
| Women
20 years and over |
8.1% |
| Teens
(16-19 years) |
26.4% |
| Black
teens |
38.0% |
| Officially
unemployed |
15.0
million |
HIDDEN UNEMPLOYMENT
| Working
part-time because can't find a full-time job: |
8.8
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.) |
5.7
million |
|
Total:
29.5 million (18.4% 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
2008, the latest
year available, that number was 17.8 million, 17.1 percent of
full-time, full-year workers (estimated from Current
Population Survey, Bur. of the Census, 2009).
In April, 2010,
the latest month available, the number of job
openings increased slightly to 3.1 million, according to
the BLS, Job
Openings and Labor Turnover Estimates, June 8, 2010.+
Thus there are now 9.5 job-wanters for each available job.[Numbers
are not comparable with previous months as methods have been revised.]
Comparing Long-Term Unemployment: 1999-2009
NET MONTHLY PRIVATE JOB
CREATION, 12/07-4/10
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/latest_employment_woes.html
Mass
layoffs: "Employers
took 1,856 mass layoff actions in April that resulted in the separation
of 200,870 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 April increased by 228 from the prior month,
and the
number of associated initial claims increased by 50,006. In April,
448 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector,
seasonally adjusted, resulting in 63,616 initial claims.During
the 29 months from December 2007 through April 2010, the total
number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 58,793,
and the associated number of initial claims was 5,932,553. (December
2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National
Bureau of Economic Research.)."BLS, 5/21/10
....
"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/
+
"The job openings level increased
in April for total nonfarm and total private. The level decreased
for government. The number of job openings was little changed
in most industries and in 2 of the 4 regions. The level increased
in the Northeast and the West."
The
National Jobs for All Coalition is a project of the Council on
Public and International Affairs. |
