Unemployment rate in the U.S.?

vc69

LOL... This didn't get political at all.

/sarcasm


It's the same people spouting the same tired viewpoint on here all of the time. Does it ever get old?

bopicasso

I really do feel sorry for the unemployed who want to work. I live near St. louis Mo and knew many people who worked at a Chrysler mini van plant that closed the doors. Also I became unemployed because the company I worked for shrunk its foot print and closed the St. Louis branch. I found a new job but it took me 4 months to find one in my field. It is scary when you have a good job and all of a sudden you dont. Its tough out there now. Hope some more good jobs open up for the unemployed who want to work. In St. Louis many big employers have cut back or left town. Congress needs to quit playing politics and get the extension passed to prevent people from losing there homes and give them time to find a new job.
I dont feel sorry for the people who dont look for a job and milk the unemployment benefits.

cstmar01

In my area and at the place I work we have over 100+ job postings. A lot of these jobs are intro level so things like tellers, personal bankers, ect but also have higher level jobs that would be the highest pay grades we have. Our area has seen VERY few foreclosure properties, and also failed industries. We are a smaller college town, so there is still going to be buying and spending but prices have gone up.

I don't have a figure on what the unemployement rate here in our county is but its no where close to the national. I know serveral people though that I graduated with last year that still can't find a job because there is nothing for work with their degrees. A lot of the degrees are business, computer technology, and biology/chem degrees. I also know a lot of people that had to go onto grad school right away or tried to because they couldn't find a job and would rather be doing something (school) then go live with mom and dad.

However I could travel 2 hours and find places hit very hard for the job market and serveral people unemployed. It all depends on your location and what businesses are local to oneself, ect ect.

Amherst

vc69 wrote: »

LOL... This didn't get political at all.

/sarcasm


It's the same people spouting the same tired viewpoint on here all of the time. Does it ever get old?

Actually it not exactly political first off, breathing can be construed as political if you really want to make it as such.

If your sooo tired why bother to post such garbage, how about a solution or............!

nooshinjohn

Amherst wrote: »

Actually it not exactly political first off, breathing can be construed as political if you really want to make it as such.........!

+1... the EPA did declare that CO2 emissions(breathing) by humans is damaging to the planet.:p

***edit*** sorry for the post. I said I was out and I mean it this time.:o:D

Zitro

I smell a thread getting closed..c'mon guys, it started as a legitimate question by the OP; let's not turn it into an argument.

Norm Apter

To get back to cnh's question, I don't think the unemployment situation has necessarily gotten worse but it definately hasn't seemed to have improved. I think, here, though that there is a greater level of despair than there was a year ago, precisely because of the duration. The mass psyche, in short, has worsened because no one genuinely sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Also touching on the point about cnh's return from China, I unfortunately feel that we are up against some structural forces that make improving the situation through policy (whether its lowering or raising taxes, increasing or decreasing spending) kind of hopeless. In the globalized world we're hooked into, China (right now) just has the ball in their court (a seemingly neverending source of disciplined, increasingly-skilled labor who will work for far less than their US counterparts). Thats something that all but the most principled U.S./multi-national capitalists have found it nearly impossible to resist. I've been studying China for about 16 years now (went there first in 1994) and I've consistently heard skepticism about how their country/economy was on the verge of imploding. And yet, year after year, they've been achieving 10%+ GDP growth rates. During the brunt of the recession, it slipped down to something like 6.5% GDP something which was seen as a near-crisis for them (though a dream for most countries),but they seem to have fully recovered since then. To be sure, there are plenty of social problems in a country as populous as China but the government, authoritarian as it is, has been quite effective and efficient in making the most of its (human) resources in its pursuit of economic growth.

Not arguing with any of you, its just that I see our current predicament in more of a globalized context rather than rooted in the effectiveness or lack thereof of this or that U.S. domestic policy.

thebluemonkey

nooshinjohn wrote: »

To restore the economy, we need to...

1. eliminate the massive EPA burdens on industry.
2. LOWER TAXES!!!
3. use incentive to companies that bring back good paying jobs that have been lost overseas.
4. dismantle the labor unions
5. LOWER TAXES!!!
6 and lastly... LOWER TAXES!!!

hell yes very well said!!

wz2p7j

I got sick of waiting for an upturn and finally laid a guy off at one of my businesses to try to generate a profit. My wife and I talked and we were wondering how many other businesses might be in the same boat.

BTW, I live in SE Michigan so that might be part of the problem. Unemployment here is basically ground zero for the last economic implosion.

Chris

cfrizz

There can't be an upturn while you & every other company are laying people off just so that you can turn a profit. The first thing that's going to happen to all those laid off people is they are going to stop spending money on everything except the essentials.

bopicasso

Well said cfrizz, definately the truth. Even the largest most successful companies like mastercard are taking advantage of the recession and cutting employees and cost to turn a better profit. Money makes the world go round.

wz2p7j

cfrizz wrote: »

There can't be an upturn while you & every other company are laying people off just so that you can turn a profit. The first thing that's going to happen to all those laid off people is they are going to stop spending money on everything except the essentials.

I'm sorry Cathy, my family has to eat. We can't do that if I don't make a profit. And I can't just keep borrowing money to pour into the business so someone else's family can eat. It's as serious as that. :(

Chris

wz2p7j

bopicasso wrote: »

Well said cfrizz, definately the truth. Even the largest most successful companies like mastercard are taking advantage of the recession and cutting employees and cost to turn a better profit. Money makes the world go round.

Let me clarify. I didn't say BETTER profit. I said a profit. Like not losing money and having to borrow money to keep the company going.

Chris

McLoki

In my area (central Illinois) there were no jobs a year ago. Now there are quite a few places hiring, but all at minimum type wages. 8-10$/hr.

If you are willing to work, you can get a job (or a couple) but even 2 full time jobs at $8/hr would not be much of a replacement for someone used to making in the 50k range or higher. Those jobs seem to be dissapearing and not coming back. Most decent employers in the area (with higher paying jobs available) are in an extended hiring freeze and do not plan to start hiring in the near future. (like not this or next year)

inspiredsports

wz2p7j wrote: »

Let me clarify. I didn't say BETTER profit. I said a profit. Like not losing money and having to borrow money to keep the company going.

Chris

The 4 (of 6) I had to lay off were a last resort, only after additional borrowing in the 6 figure range to make payroll over several past quarters. My company is still saddled with that debt that was used to prolong the inevitable.

My clients and customers are are spending less, buying but not paying invoices, or declaring bankruptcy.

Items that used to command a reasonable profit margin are sold now for literally pennies of profit.

How would it be possible to survive WITHOUT laying folks off?

JimKellyfan

The unemployment in Charlotte hovers around what's posted at 10%, and in Rock Hill, 12%, however, there has always been a lot of posted jobs in the sales fields or management fields, as well as the mechanical fields. So, auto technicians, auto managers or salespeople in general, there seems to be plenty, not only here, but nationwide. It is so hard to find a good mechanic, a good manager, so in this field, should anyone be looking, there is decent money to be had, and usually a few garages to choose from as well, in many given markets.
There is actually a shortage of mechanics, especially good ones.
Managers for the automotive market, same thing.
That, I know first hand, as I am in the field.
I have heard, there will soon be a shortage of Orthopedists, as well as hips.
This, I have heard as well, as I have a new hip, and was reading that, in one of their books.
I hear of unemployment, see ads in the paper, see ads otherwise, and speak with many garage owners, who are in need of good help, here and nationwide.
With a lot of dealerships closing, many garages are getting busier and busier, as we all need good running cars to get where we are going.

Hope this helps someone.

Most anyone able, can get in the automotive market as either a salesperson or a general tech and work their way up.

Anyone in need, PM me please.

inspiredsports

cstmar01 wrote: »

. . . I also know a lot of people that had to go onto grad school right away or tried to because they couldn't find a job and would rather be doing something (school) then go live with mom and dad . . .

I know my theme has been "borrowed money, borrowed money, borrowed money", but I can't help wonder how many of those going on for advanced degrees are "borrowing money, borrowing money, borrowing money".

That is postponing the problem, and actually maikng it much worse due effects of compound interest.

They will emerge with huge debt, and still no better prospect of landing a job if things actually unfold as they appear they will unfold, which is an economy that is not growing/hiring and saddled with double digit interest rates.

Hawkeye

Just as in real estate, it has to boil down to location, location and location. As I said earlier we can't find workers. Imagine this, we have so much overtime available, my guys are turning down $42 per hour in OT they have been working so much.

I'm salary, so don't get OT. Some of my guys are taking home more than I most weeks. Granted, I have some other perks that balance it out for the most part but 20 hours of OT equals over $800 per pay period plus base wage of $2240 for 80 hours, thats $3040 before taxes every two weeks. Once we start hiring some folks, the OT will decrease due to work requirements.

I have tremendous empathy for those who are struggling right now. Hopefully, things will get better for them. The guys who work for me have made some life and career choices. The area is not the best to live and work, there is not much here to entice workers other than a steady check.

I think a big problem is people don't want to relocate to where the jobs are. Family ties, roots, home ownership and a sense of security prevents them from taking the plunge and going for it. OK, perhaps the family can't move right away. So the breadwinner goes by him or herself for awhile. I did it for 2.5 years because the family could not (ok, would not) move.

Gordon

inspiredsports

bopicasso wrote: »

. . . companies . . . taking advantage of the recession and cutting employees and cost to turn a better profit. Money makes the world go round.

I can't tell if you think companies making money is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm personally curious to know what would happen if companies could not make money and the world truly stopped going around.

sucks2beme

nooshinjohn wrote: »

To restore the economy, we need to...

1. eliminate the massive EPA burdens on industry.
2. LOWER TAXES!!!
3. use incentive to companies that bring back good paying jobs that have been lost overseas.
4. dismantle the labor unions
5. LOWER TAXES!!!
6 and lastly... LOWER TAXES!!!

CORPORATE incentives are also WELFARE. They aren't coming back anyway.
They are leaving because it costs nothing to get overseas labor.
It's never going to come back until the dollar is worthless because all
the money is flowing outward. When China and others don't want our green
paper anymore, then it will have to come back.
But by then the damage will be done.
Labor unions in most of the country are already dead or dying.
I've worked my whole life and not had any real dealings with them
Outside of NYC, Chicago, or the auto industry, they really are a non-factor.

JimKellyfan

well said Hawkeye

inspiredsports

sucks2beme wrote: »

CORPORATE incentives are also WELFARE. They aren't coming back anyway.
They are leaving because it costs nothing to get overseas labor.
It's never going to come back until the dollar is worthless because all
the money is flowing outward. When China and others don't want our green
paper anymore, then it will have to come back.
But by then the damage will be done.
Labor unions in most of the country are already dead or dying.
I've worked my whole life and not had any real dealings with them
Outside of NYC, Chicago, or the auto industry, they really are a non-factor.

A lot of what you believe may be accurate, but I seriously question that labor unions ar a "non-factor". I personally see unions as having more influence than they had in a long time, and feel they are actually growing.

wz2p7j

inspiredsports wrote: »

I can't tell if you think companies making money is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm personally curious to know what would happen if companies could not make money and the world truly stopped going around.

Well business owners and entrepreneurs have to make money and a return on their investment. Or there will be no one out there to hire those inclined to work for someone else. :o:o

Welcome to free market economies, the engine that has driven this country forward for over 200 years.


Chris

cstmar01

inspiredsports wrote: »

I know my theme has been "borrowed money, borrowed money, borrowed money", but I can't help wonder how many of those going on for advanced degrees are "borrowing money, borrowing money, borrowing money".

That is postponing the problem, and actually maikng it much worse due effects of compound interest.

They will emerge with huge debt, and still no better prospect of landing a job if things actually unfold as they appear they will unfold, which is an economy that is not growing/hiring and saddled with double digit interest rates.

A TON of them are borrowing. I had several friends that honestly didn't have a job through their undergrad and lived off of their students loans, that turned around and went back into grad school taking out even more. Most of them I knew had about 40K at least in student loans for undergrad and some (depending on major) were looking at another 40K ++ for their grad work. Most of them didn't see a problem with doing it. They just said they'll find a job that pays well enough when they get done that they won't have to worry about their debt (yeah ok). I would ask people if they thought work experience was helpful but then a lot of them stated too, " I don't really know yet what I want to go into with this major so I want my master to help me find a better job." (even though they had no idea what they wanted to do yet, yeah that's logical).

What a lot of them failed to understand was that there was going to be a lot of them looking for the same jobs in 2 years and that after the get done student loans like to be paid back (yes you can defer payments but not always true depending on who they are ect).

Its funny about the 2nd part you say. I work with a guy who just graduated law school last year with his JD. He's not dumb and he graduated towards the top of the class. He wasn't able to even find a job as a lawyer out of school and ended up doing the same job that I got with just a BS degree straight out of school. He stated the exact problem. He couldn't find a job when he got done with school and had to pay back student loans ect. He also is living at home right now in order to pay back some of that debt for school.

Hawkeye wrote: »

I think a big problem is people don't want to relocate to where the jobs are. Family ties, roots, home ownership and a sense of security prevents them from taking the plunge and going for it. OK, perhaps the family can't move right away. So the breadwinner goes by him or herself for awhile. I did it for 2.5 years because the family could not (ok, would not) move.

Gordon

Gordon I think you hit it right on the head. Often what I see is people don't want to relocate as it would mean selling their house (in todays market normally for a loss) and then try to move out there and then who knows what would happen in a year?

Then you have to have the whole trouble of trying to sell your house while either renting or buying another house, then pay 2 mortgages or try to rent your old place but then have the renters pay ect ect and it becomes a PITA. Throw into that a mix of a child or two and finding a good school, possibly a place for your spouse to work, cutting the family ties you have around here, the cost of the move, the cost of going back and forth to find a place to live in the new town, ect ect and your already looking at another full time job dealing with everything and you haven't even moved yet.

Also with the job market so crazy, even if you move out to a job there is no guarantee that you will have it for another year and then you spent all that money moving, ect just to end up even more in debt (in some cases) and possibly without the job in a year.

cnh

BlueFox wrote: »

Sort of ironic you are asking this from China when it is the outsourcing of jobs to China/India etc. that is partially behind the unemployment mess.

Agreed BlueFox....I did 'not' miss the irony when I phrased my question. What I see here...is people buying, working, cities expanding, new industries rising, more and more people going to University and grad school. It kind of reminds me of the U.S. in the 60s? And would 'never' defend what's happening...but I fully agree with Norm above....all of that is the outcome of the Globalization of Capital and few nations have any control over that.

A closer look at China will show you that...its 2 or more trillion dollars in foreign currency reserves garnered from its MASSIVE EXPORT machine is what really fueled all this Development...and that rests on the shoulders of 100s of millions of very cheap laborers who are getting better and better all the time. In a sense, "WE" are 'responsible for the so-called Chinese miracle. China just did NOT have the capital in 1978 when Deng Xiaoping came to power to do what I am seeing here today.

What does that mean for us? That is the big question. Solutions that look to the LEFT or the RIGHT...don't work in the kind of world we NOW live in where China holds tons of 'our' debt and can call it in and bankrupt us tomorrow..turn us into a 'Greece' with ease?

I don't have any answers. I'm just worried about my fellow Americans..and scared for them. I've been away for so long...and had, optimistically hoped that things would get better. I have so many friends who are unemployed or partly employed like Joe describes above. I've had a good but rough time over here and it looks like its still rough back home. And even though that is NOT yet affecting my own job and finances. No one, at this point, is immune, or so it seems. I am surrounded here by 'talented' people from England, the U.S., and Canada--the majority of whom can't find work back home and are just hanging here for as long as they can. Working for less but living well enough? This phenomenon is probably MUCH larger than what I 'see'. I'm on sabbatical, teaching and doing some research--don't have to stay like the others all of whom are great people that ANY company would be happy to have under normal circumstances (Lawyers, MBAs, Engineers, Accountants, History teachers, etc., with many degrees and decades of work 'experience'?)

cnh

Hawkeye

When I moved to Pax River, I came by myself. I lived in a tiny studio apartment and carried my lunch to work everyday. I sent all the money back to where my family was. It was tough and frankly, it sucked being by myself living like hermit. It was touch and go for two years. I missed my wife and kids and thought if I got fired, unemployment would carry us for abit. But I was not raised that way. I am responsible for my family and would do whatever it required of me to provide for them. Right at my breaking point, I got a huge raise and promotion. Since then, the raises have come steady and frequently. My family moved to this location and everything is coming up roses. I feel very secure in my job and most importantly, I feel confident that I will not have to lay off any of my guys. Everyone of them received at least a 3% raise this year. Some more, but none less.

My brother has been in the car business for 25 years. He was the Chrysler/Dodge guru in the Chicagoland area for turning around failing service departments. Of course when it all hit the fan, they let him go. He was out of work for about 7 months. I could have gotten him a job with a company other than my own. (nepotism) He refused because he would leave the family in Chi-town. So now he's working for some muffler company making half of what he could here.

Gordon

sucks2beme

inspiredsports wrote: »

A lot of what you believe may be accurate, but I seriously question that labor unions ar a "non-factor". I personally see unions as having more influence than they had in a long time, and feel they are actually growing.

Other than maybe American Airlines, I can't think of a single union
In the state of Texas. Or most of the states in the South or Southwest.
And these are the places with the most jobs right now.
Many companies that were big rust belt employers are now doing their
thing in Mexico and South America. Automotive parts suppliers have bailed
to cheap labor like everywhre else. Software comes out of India, China,
and the old Soviet Union block. Textiles come from Indonesia.
What really kills me is all the money that was thrown at banks and the auto
industry. Why? All the banks did with the money was buy other banks.
GM went bankrupt anyway. My company went bankrupt and sold it's
assets in pieces(no, not auto or banking) and of course bonuses were paid.
Gee, even I got a bonus. I even got a bonus from them four or five months
later working for the new outfit. HOW DAMN STUPID WAS THAT???????????

renowilliams

Hawkeye wrote: »

Just as in real estate, it has to boil down to location, location and location. As I said earlier we can't find workers. Imagine this, we have so much overtime available, my guys are turning down $42 per hour in OT they have been working so much.

I'm salary, so don't get OT. Some of my guys are taking home more than I most weeks. Granted, I have some other perks that balance it out for the most part but 20 hours of OT equals over $800 per pay period plus base wage of $2240 for 80 hours, thats $3040 before taxes every two weeks. Once we start hiring some folks, the OT will decrease due to work requirements.

I have tremendous empathy for those who are struggling right now. Hopefully, things will get better for them. The guys who work for me have made some life and career choices. The area is not the best to live and work, there is not much here to entice workers other than a steady check.

I think a big problem is people don't want to relocate to where the jobs are. Family ties, roots, home ownership and a sense of security prevents them from taking the plunge and going for it. OK, perhaps the family can't move right away. So the breadwinner goes by him or herself for awhile. I did it for 2.5 years because the family could not (ok, would not) move.

Gordon

I'm curious, what kind of work are you in??

inspiredsports

sucks2beme wrote: »

. . . other than maybe American Airlines, I can't think of a single union In the state of Texas . . .

Well thank God for Texas . . . maybe you guys set an example to lead us out of the economic ditch most are stuck in.

cfrizz

cstmar01 wrote: »

Gordon I think you hit it right on the head. Often what I see is people don't want to relocate as it would mean selling their house (in todays market normally for a loss) and then try to move out there and then who knows what would happen in a year?

Then you have to have the whole trouble of trying to sell your house while either renting or buying another house, then pay 2 mortgages or try to rent your old place but then have the renters pay ect ect and it becomes a PITA. Throw into that a mix of a child or two and finding a good school, possibly a place for your spouse to work, cutting the family ties you have around here, the cost of the move, the cost of going back and forth to find a place to live in the new town, ect ect and your already looking at another full time job dealing with everything and you haven't even moved yet.

Also with the job market so crazy, even if you move out to a job there is no guarantee that you will have it for another year and then you spent all that money moving, ect just to end up even more in debt (in some cases) and possibly without the job in a year.

BINGO!!!! I would be crazy to uproot myself to go to another state for a job, that could up & disappear in the blink of an eye. Then where would I be? No job, no family, and most likely in debt because I had to move.

I feel sorry for these kids who are running themselves into massive loads of debt, but with no practical life/job experience they don't realize that those degrees they worked so hard to get is NO guarantee that they will be able to get a job & CERTAINLY no guarantee that they will be able to keep it.

These companies don't want to pay the money that they think those degrees cost, and they don't give a $hit about those degrees when they lay you off!:mad: