Discussion
  • Read More
    Go HawkeyesCamille Dodero
    9/05/13 10:40am

    There was just an article in my local paper the other day about how unemployment had risen to 6% in the area from 5.9% the month before. Which is surprising to me because the help wanted ads are filled with positions that pay very well for the area. But lack of education and the fact that government entitlement programs give you an equal amount of money keep people from applying.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      ARP2Go Hawkeyes
      9/05/13 10:48am

      Ah shooting from the hip I see.

      1) Tell me how much are those jobs paying.

      2) Then tell me what the MAXIMUM (it's indexed off previous salary) benefit is for unemployment or welfare for your state.

      3) Compare the difference in that number.

      4) Shut Up about people living high on the hog on welfare or unemployment.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      Go HawkeyesARP2
      9/05/13 11:03am

      1) Well I have 3 openings right now that start at $40k a year in a small Midwestern city where the average household income is $35k. BS or BA preferred but high school or GED with relevant supply chain experience is enough. There are about 30 other jobs open at my company alone and most pay more than that.

      2) Maximum weekly unemployment benefit is $320. TANF (temporary aid to needy families) is $403 per month for a family of 3. Food stamps $341 per month for family of 3. Plus other benefits are available too. This comes to $2024 per month if you can get it all.

      3) Add in the value of the free healthcare, the lack of taxes, and likely additional benefits and the $3333 per month of that $40k a year job is likely at most just a few dollars more than you can get from welfare programs.

      4) As long as I have to continue to pay 33% of my income to help support the 43% of people who don't pay any taxes at all I'll continue to complain about people who do indeed live high on the hog on welfare.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    5438aaCamille Dodero
    9/05/13 10:38am

    I was eligible for my last unemployment check in 2009. Four years later, I am still unemployed, but not counted in the numbers. There has to be tens of millions of people like me out there.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      paristexas5438aa
      9/05/13 11:19am

      Yes, but they don't want to include them.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      icelight5438aa
      9/05/13 11:23am

      That's not the number being discussed here. This is new unemployment applications- people newly w/o jobs. If that's down it means companies are holding onto existing workers longer and not downsizing, a prerequisite for expansion. Yes, there's still a huge backlog of unemployed, underemployed and people out of the work force. But at least that pool isn't growing larger, so it can start to be drained.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    AlloCamille Dodero
    9/05/13 12:18pm

    My friend stopped collecting 3 years ago. 5 years of unemployment/severely underemployment later, she has no hope. It is so terrible. ALSO let's talk about what jobs are being created...are they jobs that mid career people qualify for? Are the salaries even close to their previous salaries? No. They are not.

    This post is like putting lipstick on a pig.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      AlloAllo
      9/06/13 1:04pm

      Thanks to the recommenders for sharing my frustration. I am so sad for those who were affected mid-career and mid-to-high career. It's not about being "too good" for a job, It's about being in the dreaded middle. No one below your level will hire you, people who are internal get first pick of jobs that you do qualify for and there are a million resumes for every single opening.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    anakedsingularity1Camille Dodero
    9/05/13 10:40am

    This has become an almost meaningless statistic. A real number should be developed including unemployment, those who have stopped looking for a job, and I think the largest category, the underemployed, you know, the person with the law degree or Ph.D serving up your coffee in the morning.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      BurningBurnerNationanakedsingularity1
      9/05/13 10:55am

      Your statement doesn't make any sense. The number being discussed here is not the overall unemployment number that excludes discouraged workers, but rather the number of new applications for unemployment assistance. Even someone who is going to fall out of the workforce and thus out of the unemployment picutre is very likely to file for unemployment assistance when they first lose their job. The numbers here are indicators about the pace at which jobs are being lost and nothing more.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      SolongeFarewellanakedsingularity1
      9/05/13 10:58am

      I was going to say the same thing, but also factoring wage stagnation and decrease in the jobs that exist.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    Hello_Madam_PresidentCamille Dodero
    9/05/13 12:23pm

    All this statistic means is that unemployment applications are at a low. Not that employment is getting better, or the economy is improving. It just means newly-laid-off people who are currently eligible for unemployment benefits are not as common. That is a very specific group of people, particularly in that there are so few full-time/salaried-with-benefits workers these days.

    We can't judge the economy based on this alone.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      MerpamerpHello_Madam_President
      9/05/13 1:33pm

      ^^^^This all day ^^^^

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    dirtyredpaganCamille Dodero
    9/05/13 10:41am

    I can't get a job. Unemployment is expired. I know I'm not the only one. I find these statistics meaningless.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      TravelgrrlCamille Dodero
      9/05/13 11:28am

      You can only be on unemployment for so long. Sooner or later, you're off the books, even if you haven't gotten a new job.

      It doesn't mean those people no longer on unemployment are gainfully employed.

      Reply
      <
      • Read More
        nakedtruthCamille Dodero
        9/05/13 11:27am

        We're nearing a five year low because we're running out of unemployed job seekers. After benefits run out, you can't re-apply. This is not good news. It is the opposite of good news.

        Reply
        <
        • Read More
          Edison CarterCamille Dodero
          9/05/13 11:59am

          I think it's because, like me, people are giving up and just living in poverty.

          Reply
          <
          • Read More
            OnyxBlackmanCamille Dodero
            9/05/13 1:41pm

            Couldn't this also just mean that most unemployed people are no longer eligible for benefits?

            Reply
            <