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Unemployment

US Lost 1.6 Million Private Sector Jobs Under Bush
15-Oct-04
Unemployment

Progress Report: "When confronted with the loss of U.S. jobs ... Treasury Secretary John Snow has a strategy: deny the problem exists. He told an Ohio audience last week that 'Claims like the one that Bush will be the first president to end a term with fewer jobs than when he started are nothing more than 'myths.' (http://www.thecourier.com/issues/2004/Oct/101204.htm#story4). Really? Webster's dictionary says a 'myth' is a 'fictitious story or unscientific account.' [But] every credible scientific measure indicates the Bush job loss record is dead real. After a 'disappointing' addition of just 96,000 jobs in September, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the economy has still shed 1.6 million private sector jobs and 821,000 jobs overall since the president took office."

Barons: Economists say Job Market Far Worse than Data Suggest, Real Unemployment 9.4%
15-Oct-04
Unemployment

Barons: "[Economists say the 5.4% unemployment] rate is ... mathematical sleight of hand. [T]he actual number may be closer to 6.4, 7.2 or 9.4%. The reason the unemployment rate has stayed so low, these economists argue, is not due to improvements in hiring trends. Instead, people are 'dropping out' of the labor force. [N]early two million additional unemployed people who are not showing up in the unemployment rate data. ISI Group's Tom Gallagher noted that 'if the participation rate was at the older, higher level, then the unemployment rate would be around 7.2%. Even using a 10-year average of participation rate yields a 6.4% unemployment rate.' If that sounds bad, consider what happens when we add the 'so-called marginally attached workers and part-timers who really want to be working full time.' Barron's Alan Abelson [explained the real] unemployment rate [is] 9.4% [and] 'we're now 9.3 million jobs below where we'd be in a 'normal' recovery.'" [Link requires Subscription]

Not Since Herbert Hoover: Bush Presides Over Net Loss of Jobs
11-Oct-04
Unemployment

UK Guardian: "George Bush yesterday became the first US president since Herbert Hoover in the Depression to preside over a loss of jobs when the last set of employment figures published before next month's election showed only a modest improvement in September."

Kerry Blasts Bush's Delusional Optimism on Jobs
25-Jun-04
Unemployment

Reuters: "Democrat John Kerry promised help for struggling workers in the key state of Ohio on Friday and said President Bush had lost touch with the everyday experiences of Americans. At a town hall meeting and later campaign rally, Kerry turned the spotlight on Ohio's unemployed and underemployed and said the state's workers had 'taken it on the chin' under Bush's economic leadership. 'It's clear he's not in touch with the lives of real Americans,' Kerry said of the president during a morning session with northeast Ohio workers whose jobs have been lost or threatened under the Bush administration. 'People are reeling. This isn't make-believe stuff, this is people's lives,' said the Massachusetts senator."

Beneath Bush's Cherry-Picked Statistics Lies the Worst Job Creation Record in 60 Years
16-Jun-04
Unemployment

Economist Elisa Gould wrote in March - and it continues to be true, "The claim that employment is at a record high is cherry-picking at its most blatant, an attempt to find improvements that are simply not there. Yes, the number of working people has grown, but population has grown faster. In fact, employment has grown only half as fast as what is needed just to keep even with population growth. Although the unemployment rate has fallen, it has happened because record numbers of people have abandoned the search for jobs that don't exist.. In February, nearly one-fourth of unemployed people had been out of work at least six months. Instead of trying to convince the public that bad news is really good news, the administration should be focusing on the problem at hand: an economy that isn't generating enough jobs. "

The Bush II Era: Youth Employment Rate Fell to Lowest Level for January in 39 Years
18-Feb-04
Unemployment

Nice going, G. W. Not only are the best and brightest being hardest hit by your "jobless recovery," so are the youngest, most vulnerable workers. The Children's Defense Fund reports that not only is overall teen unemployment at its worst in FORTY YEARS, the unemployment rate for male teens is at its worst since records started being kept in 1948. As we all know, teen males, especially unemployed teen males, are an extremely high risk group (drug use, crime, suicide, etc.). What happened? "Since 2002 the Bush Administration has cut funding for youth programs under the Workforce Investment Act by $352 million. In addition, the Administration's proposed 2005 budget cuts support for vocational and technical education overall by nearly $323 million." Must be part of that "No Child Left Behind" philosophy, eh?

US: Over 100,000 Job Cuts Announced in January
14-Feb-04
Unemployment

WSWS reports: "Despite Bush administration promises and the president's own claim that 'things are getting better', the overall economic reality for American working people continues to worsen. Unemployment figures released last week reveal a continuing lack of job growth. In the past nearly three years (since March 2001), the US has experienced the greatest sustained job loss since the Great Depression. The government continues to exhibit its indifference toward the plight of the unemployed, as Bush's leading economic advisor, Gregory Mankiw, suggested that the outsourcing of jobs was ' good thing.'" This article contains a great number of statistics on the problems of the current economy.

GOP Congress Tries to Hide Bleak Truth by Dumping the Longest Unemployed from Benefits Roster
18-Dec-03
Unemployment

What a classic Republican move: right before Christmas, dump those who have been jobless longest from unemployment - permanently. The motive? To trump up the illusion that the unemployment situation isn't so bad. But guess what? It's WORSE. From a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis: "There are 2.4 million fewer jobs than when the downturn began. Even at twice the recent pace of job creation, it would take until February 2005 before these jobs are recovered. 80,000 to 90,000 jobless workers are running out of regular, state-funded unemployment benefits each week and are in need of federal aid. Many of these workers have cut back on food purchases and health care. The long-term unemployed make up a larger share of the unemployed than at any time since July 1983."

U.S. Workers Struggle in Worst Job Slump Since Great Depression
28-Aug-03
Unemployment

"Jobless and underemployed workers are suffering the worst job slump since the Great Depression, according to an Economic Policy Institute report. With a net 3.2 million private-sector jobs lost in the U.S. since Resident George W. Bush took office, the current recovery has been the worst for job growth on record since the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) began tracking unemployment in 1939, the report finds.... The report concludes the economy is expanding too slowly to quickly lower unemployment -- reaching 6.2 percent in July, according to the latest available BLS numbers. And jobseekers aren't the only ones hurt by the weak labor market, the report says, with wages growing slowly for most workers and even falling in real terms for some. According to [EPI Senior Economist Jared] Bernstein...even optimistic forecasts for unemployment hover around 6 percent: 'We are looking at little if any improvement in unemployment for at least the rest of the year.'"

Jobs are So Scarce, Unemployment Drops Because People Give Up
01-Aug-03
Unemployment

AP reports: "The nation's unemployment rate declined to 6.2 percent in July as nearly half a million discouraged Americans stopped looking for a job. Payrolls were cut for the sixth month in a row, suggesting businesses remain cautious and want to keep work forces lean despite budding signs of an economic revival [for military contractors]. The Labor Department's report Friday painted a picture of a job market that remains stubbornly sluggish and continues to frustrate people looking for work. The economy lost 44,000 jobs in July. While that's an improvement from the 72,000 shed in June, economists were hoping that positions would actually be added. They were forecasting payrolls to go up by around 10,000. Although the jobless rate dipped to a two-month low of 6.2 percent from a nine-year high of 6.4 percent in June, much of July's decline represented the exodus of 470,000 discouraged people who abandoned job searches because they believed no jobs were available."

Continuing Jobless Claims at 20-Year High
10-Jul-03
Unemployment

From Reuters: "The number of jobless Americans receiving benefits hit its highest point in over 20 years last month, and new claims for jobless aid unexpectedly rose again last week, the government said on Thursday. Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 439,000 last week from a revised 434,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said. Economists on Wall Street had expected claims to edge down a bit to 425,000 from the 430,000 originally reported for the week ending June 28. The department also said the number of unemployed workers who remained on the benefit rolls after filing an initial claim jumped by 87,000 to 3.82 million in the June 28 week, the highest level since February 1983."

Unemployment Jumps to a Nine-Year High: 6.4%
03-Jul-03
Unemployment

Reuters reports: "The U.S. unemployment rate shot up in June to a fresh 9-year high while the economy lost 30,000 jobs, the government said on Thursday in an unexpectedly gloomy report on the labor market. The jobless rate climbed to 6.4 percent last month from May's 6.1 percent, the Labor Department said... The rate reached the highest level since a matching 6.4 percent in April 1994. 'It's ugly on the surface and uglier when you look inside,' economist Stuart Hoffman of PNC Financial Services Group said about the jobs report. 'You now have declines in private-sector jobs for five straight months. And the hemorrhaging of manufacturing continues, there doesn't seem to be any abatement'... The government also said new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to 430,000 from 409,000 in the prior week... The data cast doubt on hopes that have been building in the stock market that the U.S. economy is set for a rebound."

Jobless Rate Hits 9-Year High
07-Jun-03
Unemployment

CBS/AP reports: "The U.S. economy lost another 17,000 jobs in May, while the nation's unemployment rate rose as expected, to 6.1 percent from April's reading of 6 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday. The jobless rate is the highest since July 1994."

2.7 Million Jobs Jost under Bush
14-May-03
Unemployment

Reuters reports: "By any measure, the Bush administration looks likely to take the United States into a 2004 presidential campaign down hundreds of thousands of jobs -- and under pressure to prove it can fix the problem. As the administration's new team of leading economic officials step up their public push for a 'jobs and growth' plan some see as flawed, analysts say the arithmetic implies a bleak prospect for the single issue that means most to voters. Since President [sic] Bush took office in January 2001, some 2.7 million jobs have been lost from private-sector payrolls, including more than half a million in February through April alone, according to government statistics. There is little in recent economic data to suggest a sharp resurgence in growth. The most optimistic projections see a recovery of only 1.5 million jobs by the end of 2004, leaving hundreds of thousands unemployed as they go to the polls."

Under the Bushbaby, 2.6 Million Jobs Lost - A Record for a Modern pResidency
30-Apr-03
Unemployment

A New York Times Editorial: "The Republicans controlling Congress return this week to anguish over how much more of a tax cut the nation's wealthiest citizens have coming. The leaders and Resident Bush would be wise to focus instead on the needs of the growing army of unemployed Americans. A total of 2.6 million private sector jobs have been lost across the past two years -- a record for any modern p-residency. Mr. Bush should be jawboning on behalf of benefits for the jobless as heartily as he now tours the land for still more relief for the affluent."

Use Them, Then Screw Them
19-Apr-03
Unemployment

One day before Boeing employees face layoffs and a few days after Bush refused to extend unemployment to aviation workers, he uses them for a photo op.

House GOP Leaders Failed The Jobless
02-Dec-02
Unemployment

In a letter to the Detroit Free Press, Congressman Sander Levin (D-MI) explains why millions of people will lose their unemployment benefits just in time for the holidays. "It died because the Republican House refused to pass any bill unless other, unrelated controversial provisions were attached, despite repeated offers from Senate Democrats and Republicans and efforts by House Democrats....The only extension passed by the House was attached to a Medicare provision that senators of both parties had already told us was 'dead on arrival.' Sen. Nickles then offered to have the Senate pass the House unemployment provisions without the controversial Medicare provision so that the House could act. Republican House leaders refused....The Republican leadership of the House held benefits for millions of workers hostage to an unrelated bill. While all this went on...George W. Bush did nothing."

'Compassionate Conservatives' Scrooge Out on One Million Tax Paying Workers
22-Nov-02
Unemployment

Washingtonpost.com reports: "The 107th Congress adjourned today after giving final approval to legislation creating a Department of Homeland Security and blocking a Democratic move to extend unemployment benefits that are due to expire shortly after Christmas....Republicans refused to allow Democrats to bring up a Senate-passed proposal to extend jobless benefits through the end of March for about one million people who will begin losing coverage Dec. 28 because Congress has not extended it...Republicans, who earlier rejected Senate compromise offers on the issue, said a benefits extension could be considered when the 108th Congress convenes Jan. 7. Democrats argued that families of jobless workers could not afford to wait. 'Congress is insisting on playing Scrooge at Christmas time,' said Rep. David R. Obey (D-WI)." That means about 830,000 people receiving federal benefits will be cut off on Dec. 28. Each week thereafter, another 95,000 jobless workers will lose their benefits.

Scrooge DeLay Cuts Unemployment Benefits for 820,000 Unemployed 3 Days After Christmas
15-Nov-02
Unemployment

ABCNews.com reports: "A standoff in Congress over how long to extend unemployment benefits to laid-off workers could mean no further aid at all this year. More than 820,000 unemployed workers will run out of benefits three days after Christmas. The Senate and House agree another extension is needed to help families get through the holiday season, but neither appeared willing to budge on competing plans before the session ends next week. Senators urged the House's Republican leadership Friday to take up the more generous plan designed by the Democratic-led Senate before officially adjourning next week. Most House members have already gone home for the year....Senate Democrats...approved a plan that would provide a 13-week extension to unemployed workers who are now receiving benefits and for those who will newly qualify for benefits through March. The package would cost $4.5 billion from the government's unemployment insurance trust fund, and could benefit more than 2 million people."

Silicon Valley Slashes Workforce as Jobless Rate Soars to 7.9%
10-Nov-02
Unemployment

Reuters reports: "The technology downturn continues to hammer California's Silicon Valley, where the unemployment rate in October was 7.9 percent, the highest level since 1983 and well above last month's statewide average of 6.4 percent. State officials on Friday said unemployment in Santa Clara County, the heart of the Silicon Valley high-tech hub, was unchanged in October from September, but they revised the September rate up to 7.9 percent from an initial 7.7 percent. The recent levels reflect the fallout from sharply reduced demand for technology goods and services over the past two years that has led to scores of layoffs in Silicon Valley, where the jobless rate had been as low as 1.3 percent in December 2000." Technology used to be a driver of worker productivity. Now those who still have jobs have to work longer to increase productivity as payrolls are slashed so working families have less time together.

Bush's Trickle-Down Economics Drives Unemployment to Painful 6%, Highest Since 1983
31-May-02
Unemployment

While Bush buoys up his corporate cronies and the wealthiest of the wealthy, more American workers are facing job loss uncertainty. "The U.S. labor market remains frail, as first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, while the number of workers receiving benefits has risen to another 18-year high, the Department of Labor reported Thursday… The number of workers collecting state benefits rose to 3.9 million in the week ending May 18, the highest level since Jan. 15, 1983." April's seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate is now at 6%, up 0.3% from March.

Unemployment Hits 6%, the Highest in 7 1/2 Years
03-May-02
Unemployment

Glenn Somerville of Reuters writes "The U.S. unemployment rate shot up to its highest level in more than 7-1/2 years in April, the government said on Friday... The unemployment rate climbed to 6 percent in April -- its highest since a matching 6 percent in August 1994 -- from 5.7 percent in March." While George's buddies at Halliburton, the Carlyle Group, and other large campaign contributors (and in some cases Enron) are raking in the cash, the rest of America is suffering. Hey George, your economic policies are clearly not working. If you cared at all about the average American, you would return to the economic policies of Bill Clinton.

 


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