Category Archives: Unemployment

ManpowerGroup’s perspective on the BLS’ Employment Situation Report

Posted on August 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

Weak Demand for Companies’ Core Products and Services Contributes to Slow Jobs Growth

ManpowerGroup Warns Skills are at Risk of Becoming Antiquated as Job Seekers Face Long-term Structural Unemployment

… slow demand for products and services coupled with ongoing talent mismatches are continuing to hamper the labor market, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed the overall July unemployment rate fell slightly to 9.1 percent and 117,000 private sector jobs were created during the month. “
 
Finding people with the right skills is extremely challenging, and employers are unwilling to compromise while demand remains sluggish,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO.

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Posted in BLS, Karen Miller, Manpower News, Unemployment, Workforce News, World of Work

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Visual: US Unemployment Rate Map – November 2009

Posted on December 18, 2009 | Leave a comment

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Visual: US Unemployment Map by State – September 2009

Posted on October 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

US Unemployment Map Sept 2009

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The Full U.S. Unemployment Picture – September 2009

Posted on October 15, 2009 | 1 Comment

Below is the A12 chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This chart gives the full unemployment picture of what is going on in the United States. These numbers cover a lot of varying categories and are often referred to but not always shown in full.

Unfortunately at this point it is still not a pretty picture, I do not expect to see any decrease in these numbers until the first half of 2010. That said, I.T. and Manufacturing are two burgeoning sectors of growth albeit they are not wide spread across every state. We are beginning to build toward hiring trends that will go beyond state borders, once that begins there will definitely be more companies willing to put both feet in and start hiring again.

A12 Sept 2009

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Visual: Map Of U.S. Metro’s Unemployment – Aug 2009

Posted on October 7, 2009 | 2 Comments

Metro Unemployment Aug 2009

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Visual: U.S. Unemployment Map by State – July 2009

Posted on August 24, 2009 | 1 Comment

July unemployment rates exceeded 10% in 15 states, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Michigan reported the highest jobless rate among all states in July at 15.0%. Other states with unemployment rates of more than 10.0% were Rhode Island, 12.7%; Nevada,12.5%; California and Oregon, 11.9% each; South Carolina, 11.8%; Ohio, 11.2%; North Carolina, 11.0%; Kentucky, 11.0%; Tennessee, 10.7%; Florida, 10.7%; Indiana, 10.6%; Illinois, 10.4%; Georgia, 10.3%; and Alabama,10.2%.

North Dakota registered the lowest unemployment rate among all states in July at 4.2%.

Jobless rates rose year over year in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in July.

The number of U.S. mass layoffs rose 40.5% in July compared with the same month last year, and the initial claims for unemployment insurance related to mass layoffs rose 35.6%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

In July, there were 2,157 mass layoff actions compared with 1,535 in July 2007. There were 206,791 associated initial claims for unemployment insurance in July compared with 152,499 in the same month last year.

The industry with the largest number of initial claims for unemployment benefits from mass layoffs in July was elementary and secondary schools with 20,769 initial claims. Temporary help services was next with 20,377 initial claims.

A mass layoff action involves at least 50 workers from a single workplace.

Visual Unemployment July 2009

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Full U.S. Unemployment Picture – July 2009

Posted on August 10, 2009 | Leave a comment

Below is the A12 chart from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) for July 2009. The A12 is the most complete picture of what is going in the work force to date. It is often referred to but rarely shown in its entirety. While they do not break it down by individual state this way, the trends per state typically are represented very well by the overall picture.

As you will notice when looking at the chart, you will need to click on it to read it – unless you have some freaky super eyesight thing going on.

A12 July 2009

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Less Unemployment for the Well Educated

Posted on July 14, 2009 | 1 Comment

As you can see from the graph below, the better the education the better the odds that you are still employed. As I said about a similar graph, this is one you want to print out and put on the fridge at home to help your kids understand the importance of education.

Education and Unemployment(2)

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Full U.S. Unemployment Picture (Even the Hidden Numbers)

Posted on June 30, 2009 | Leave a comment

There are a lot of numbers and percentages thrown around in the world of employment, especially as it relates to unemployment. There are no shortage of people talking and writing about typical unemployment numbers as though they are an Area 51 conspiracy. The talk typically swirls around the ominous U6 unemployment number, and that everything else that is released is smoke and mirrors. The articles have a very Illuminati sound and intrigue attached to the words.

 While the U6 numbers are not talked about a whole lot, they are also not top secret. They are part of a list of unemployment numbers that give a full picture of the current state of unemployment. So does that mean the traditional percentages we hear are wrong? No, those percentages are accurate. As you will see the U6 includes a lot more data and information in its rendering. So in my quest to expose the on-going mystery’s in the world of work, I present to you the U6 — and a bunch of other unemployment data.

A12 May 2009

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532,000 Private Sector Jobs Lost in May

Posted on June 3, 2009 | 1 Comment

This does not include public sector jobs. The jobs report on Friday should be interesting: U.S. private employers chopped more than half a million jobs in May, signaling job conditions remain tough and dashing some hopes the economy was not deteriorating as rapidly as thought, a report on Wednesday showed. U.S. companies axed 532,000 jobs last month, though this was fewer than the revised 545,000 jobs lost in April, according to the ADP National Employment Report.

ADP Chart May 2009

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Visual Map: U.S. Unemployment Rates by State April 2009

Posted on May 27, 2009 | Leave a comment

Unemployment Rates by State April 2009

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Education Pays Off Big – Even In A Recession

Posted on April 30, 2009 | 3 Comments

First of all let me state that education is never a bad idea. If you think it is or you are wondering whether or not to return to School – let me answer it for you quickly and succinctly; Go Back to School. As you can see below, even in tough times the ones with a College Degree are faring much better during the recession than those that don’t. So if you have been laid-off and are thinking of going back to school or finishing school, all I can say is the numbers would support it. For those of you like myself that have children at home, print out this graph and put it on the fridge to remind them of why education is important.

college-level-unemployment-mar-2009

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Visual: U.S. Map of Unemployment by Major Metro – March 2009

Posted on April 30, 2009 | Leave a comment

Iowa is faring very well amongst the other states in the U.S. having more than one city in the lowest unemployment numbers. In March, 109 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10.0 percent, up from 14 areas a year earlier, while 95 areas posted rates below 7.0 percent, down from 329 areas in March 2008. El Centro, Calif., recorded the highest unemployment rate, 25.1 percent. The areas with the next highest rates were Merced, Calif., 20.4 percent; Yuba City, Calif., 19.5 percent; and Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., 18.8 percent. Among the 18 areas with jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, 12 were located in California. Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, La., and Iowa City, Iowa, registered the lowest jobless rates, 3.6 percent each in March, followed closely by Ames, Iowa, at 3.7 percent.

major-metro-unemployment-mar-2009

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Visual: U.S. Metro Unemployment Rates – February 2009

Posted on April 2, 2009 | Leave a comment

usa-metro-unemployment-feb-2009

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Visual: U.S. Metro Unemployment Rates – January 2009

Posted on March 23, 2009 | Leave a comment

metro-unemployment-jan-2009

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Visual: Unemployment Rate Map by State – January 2009

Posted on March 12, 2009 | Leave a comment

unemployment-map-jan-2009

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Unemployment Rate: A Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis

Posted on February 17, 2009 | Leave a comment

The picture below is from the Mint.com blog, which if you are not reading you should. Also I would encourage you to take a look at their software for your finances it is even better than their blog.

unemploymentratemint2

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Actual Unemployment Rate Is 13.9 Percent, Merrill Lynch Says

Posted on February 17, 2009 | Leave a comment

helpwanted

A Merrill Lynch analysis of the nonfarm payroll numbers contains some good, some bad, and some ugly news.

The analysis, released on Friday, February 6, by Merrill North American economist David Rosenberg indicates that the actual unemployment rate, while normally higher than the official one by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hit a level not seen since at least 1994.

First the good news: Inflation is not much of a threat as a result.

Now for the bad news: As Rosenberg explained, what the official unemployment rate misses is the vast degree of ‘underemployment’ as companies cut back on the hours that people who are still employed are working. Those hours have declined 1.2 percent in the past 12 months.

The BLS still counts people as employed if they are working part time, but the number of workers who have been forced into that status because of slack economic conditions has ballooned nearly 70 percent in the past year, according to the study. Rosenberg said was that was a record growth rate for the 15-year period he has studied.

And here’s the ugly part: When that amount of slack in employment is taken into account, Rosenberg found that the ‘real’ unemployment rate has actually climbed to 13.9 percent, an all-time high for the period he studied. And that figure is up from 13.5 percent in December and 11.2 percent a year ago.

As a result, the economist said worries that the federal deficit will lead to inflation anytime soon are misplaced.

“With this amount of excess capacity in the jobs market, and keeping in mind that the inflation process is dominated by the direction of labor costs, it is tough to believe that inflation at this point is anything but a far-in-the-distance prospect,” Rosenberg wrote. “A present-day reality it is not.”

Original Source: Ronald Fink of Financial Week.

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January 2009 Layoffs by Company at the Fortune 500 Level

Posted on January 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

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Layoffs for January 2009 at America’s 500 largest public companies:

Total 49,762

Jan. 16: ConocoPhillips (nyse: COP – news – people ) trims capital spending by 18%, writes off $34 billion and reduces workforce by 4% (1,300 jobs).

Jan. 16: Hertz Global Holdings (nyse: HTZ – news – people ) sets out for worldwide restructuring in first quarter of 2009; cuts 4,000 jobs.

Jan. 16: WellPoint (nyse: WLP – news – people ) reduces workforce by 600 and removes 900 open positions.

Jan. 16: Advanced Micro Devices (nyse: AMD – news – people ) reduces global workforce by 9% (1,100 jobs).

Jan. 15: Xerox (nyse: XRX – news – people ) cuts 275 jobs in New York region.

Jan. 15: MeadWestvaco (nyse: MWV – news – people ) fires 2,000 and plans closings or restructurings at up to 14 plants.

Jan. 15: Autodesk (nasdaq: ADSK – news – people ) expects loss from 2008 fourth quarter; pink-slips 750 (10% of workforce).

Jan. 15: Marshall & Ilsley (nyse: MI – news – people ) cuts 8% of staff (830) in ongoing cost-cutting.

Jan. 14: Ecolab (nyse: ECL – news – people ) restructures and reduces workforce by 4% (1,000 jobs).

Jan. 14: Delta Air Lines (nyse: DAL – news – people ) gives 2,000 early retirements as part of 8% capacity reduction.

Jan. 14: Motorola (nyse: MOT – news – people ) lays off 4,000 following a 3,000-worker layoff last year; expects savings of $700 million a year.

Jan. 14: Google (nasdaq: GOOG – news – people ) fires 100 hirers as it cuts back on contract workers and temporary employees.

Jan. 13: Cummins (nyse: CMI – news – people ) freezes salaries for the rest of the year and lets 800 go.

Jan. 13: Pfizer (nyse: PFE – news – people ) cuts 800 researchers as it lowers cost in the face of poor performance and coming patent losses.

Jan. 12: Mosaic (nyse: MOS – news – people ) fires 1,000 in Saskatchewan.

Jan. 12: Aircraft maker and Textron (nyse: TXT – news – people ) subsidiary Cessna sends 2,000 packing.

Jan. 12: Best Buy (nyse: BBY – news – people ) clears 12.5% of its headquarters staff with 500-employee layoff.

Jan. 12: Precision Castparts (nyse: PCP – news – people ) dismisses 40 as airline industry continues to struggle.

Jan. 9: Oracle (nasdaq: ORCL – news – people ) reportedly cuts 500 from U.S. sales and consulting businesses.

Jan. 9: Boeing (nyse: BA – news – people ) cuts 4,500 and returns workforce size to what it was in early 2008.

Jan. 9: Freeport-McMoRan (nyse: FCX – news – people ) slices workforce in half at Arizona mine; 1,550 workers let go.

Jan. 9: Smitfield Foods’ (nyse: SFD – news – people ) Butterball–the nation’s largest turkey company–fires 75 at Missouri plant.

Jan. 8: Union Pacific (nyse: UNP – news – people ) pink-slips 230 as company struggles; stock down 22% year-to-date.

Jan. 8: Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works–owned by General Dynamics (nyse: GD – news – people )–dismisses 179.

Jan. 8: Continuing company wide job cuts at Eaton (nyse: ETN – news – people ) hit Iowa, with 78 laid off.

Jan. 8: Walgreen (nyse: WAG – news – people ) cuts 1,000–roughly 9%–from corporate and field manager ranks.

Jan. 7: EMC (nyse: EMC – news – people ) fires 2,400 as it reduces 2009 expenses by $350 million.

Jan. 6: Alcoa (nyse: AA – news – people ) starts global salary and hiring freeze, plans sale of four non-core businesses and cuts workforce by 13% (13,500 jobs).

Jan. 6: Aqua Glass–a subsidiary owned by Masco (nyse: MAS – news – people )–pink-slips 30 employees.

Jan. 5: Cigna (nyse: CI – news – people ) reduces workforce by 4% (1,100 jobs).

Jan. 5: United States Steel (nyse: X – news – people ) cuts 50 jobs as it closes production lines in Texas.

HT: Forbes.com

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U.S. Jobs Recovery Months Away – According to Staffing Execs

Posted on January 15, 2009 | 1 Comment

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Any U.S. job market recovery is at least several months away, staffing industry executives say, citing comments from customers, weak consumer spending and evidence in the December jobs report that employers are cutting hours and overtime.

The economy shed 524,000 jobs outside the farm sector last month, fewer than expected, and the unemployment rate jumped to 7.2 percent, the highest since January 1993. Job losses in October and November were bigger than initially estimated.

‘When we look at where companies are, in the conversations they’re having, we anticipate continued job losses for at least a couple quarters,‘ said Jeff Joerres, chief executive of Manpower Inc (nyse: MAN – news – people ), one of the world’s largest staffing and outplacement firms.

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