SEPTEMBER 2009 UNEMPLOYMENT DATA*
(U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS)
OFFICIAL UNEMPLOYMENT: 9.8% A year earlier, the number of unemployed persons was 9.6 million, and the jobless rate was 6.2 percent. [BLS]
| White |
9.0% |
| African American |
15.4% |
| Hispanic |
12.7% |
| Asian** | 7.4% |
| Persons with a disability ** |
16.2% |
| Men 20 years and over |
10.3% |
| Women 20 years and over |
7.8% |
| Teen-agers (16-19 years) |
25.9% |
| Black teens |
40.8% |
| Officially unemployed |
15.1 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 2.2 million** searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available for work during the reference week.) | 5.9 million |
|
Total: 30.2 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 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 August, 2009, the latest month available, the number of job openings was only 2.4 million, according to the BLS, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Estimates, October 9, 2009.+ Thus there are more than 12 job-wanters for each available job.[Numbers are not comparable with previous months as methods have been revised.]
MONTHLY NET CHANGE IN NON-FARM EMPLOYMENT, 12/07-9/09
Source: http://www.bls.gov/ces/
Change in Payroll Employment, Historical Data
Mass layoffs: “In August, employers took 2,690 mass layoff actions involving 259,307 workers. Mass layoff events increased by 533 and associated initial claims by 52,516 from July. Over the year, events increased by 803 and initial claims by 70,356. Year-to-date events and initial claims reached new program highs. ….
Seven of the 19 major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month of August: construction; wholesale trade; retail trade; management of companies and enterprises; educational services; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and accommodation and food services. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months…..
Among the 4 census regions, the West registered the highest number of initial claims in August due to mass layoffs (36,897), followed by the Midwest (32,197) and the South (29,486). (See table 5.) Average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the year in 3 of the 4 regions, with the Northeast experiencing the largest increase (+2,064). In 2009, the Northeast reported its highest August level of average weekly initial claims (6,611) in program history.” (BLS, September 25, 2009)
Source: http://www.epi.org/publication/snapshot_20090701/
+“The job openings rate was unchanged in August at a rate of 1.8 percent. The number of job openings has fallen by 2.4 million, or 50 percent, since the most recent peak in June 2007. The job openings rate was little changed in August in all industries and regions…..Over the 12 months ending in August, the job openings rate (not seasonally adjusted) decreased for total nonfarm, total private, government, the majority of industries, and all four regions. The rate was little changed in construction; wholesale trade; real estate and rental and leasing; educational services; and other services.“