Most of the unemployed no longer receive benefits

[Javaman]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45175026/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

WASHINGTON — The jobs crisis has left so many people out of work for so long that most of America's unemployed are no longer receiving unemployment benefits.

Early last year, 75 percent were receiving checks. The figure is now 48 percent — a shift that points to a growing crisis of long-term unemployment. Nearly one-third of America's 14 million unemployed have had no job for a year or more.

Congress is expected to decide by year's end whether to continue providing emergency unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks in the hardest-hit states. If the emergency benefits expire, the proportion of the unemployed receiving aid would fall further.

The ranks of the poor would also rise. The Census Bureau says unemployment benefits kept 3.2 million people from slipping into poverty last year. It defines poverty as annual income below $22,314 for a family of four.

More at link...

[Fumesucker]

1. Two words..

"Mission Accomplished"

[Le Taz Hot]

2. I know I'm going to be told that I'm wrong

but when the news came out that unemployment had gone DOWN to 9.0% my immediate response was, "Well of course, it's down! People are starting to hit the 99-weeks wall in droves!" My husband's benefits ran out last month and none of his co-workers have found jobs either There's no end in sight. This is going to get far, far worse.

[PSPS]

3. They do cook the numbers

You need about 150,000 new jobs per month just to keep up with population growth. So, with only 80,000 new jobs in a month, that's a net loss. Yet the unemployment figure drops.

It's ... magic!

[JoePhilly]

4. You might want to read up on how its calculated.

Its more complicated then you seem to think.

The numerator for this ratio is "the number of people actively seeking work". The denominator is "the total number of people in the labor force".

The key phrase above is "actively seeking work".

And so for instance, my mother is retired, she is not "actively seeking work". She's not counted. My son is a full-time college student, he is not actively seeking work, so he is not counted. Some people have stopped looking because they are taking class to revise / update their skills, they are not counted.

My sister-in-law spent more than a year not working, and not seeking work, while she took care of her husband who was dying of an untreatable cancer, she was not counted. He died in May, and in June she started looking, and she got a job in September, now she's counted.

The number of people "actively seeking work" fluctuates for a wide variety of reasons. During a recovery, you can actually see the unemployment rate go UP, or stay flat, even if more than 150k jobs are created ... what happens is people who had stopped looking, see things picking up, and so they again become "active job seekers".

There is no magic involved.

[Javaman]

5. Or the people who have been out of work for so long have completely given up hope.

it cuts both ways.

[PSPS]

9. I'm well aware of how it's done, and thanks for proving my point.

What you're describing is, literally, defining the unemployed out of existence. My use of the term "magic" was sarcastic. Perhaps you should "read up" on nuances in the English language.

[supernova]

6. Count me among them

I've been out of work since the end of 2008. I was in IT, which has experienced churn and layoffs galore since 2000.

I'm in my late 40s, there is no way I'm ever going to make up the loss of income. And yeah, Unemployment ended last year. I have no savings anymore.

The only hope I have is the house my mother left me, which is a big one. My SO is still able to find work as a Sys Admin. For myself, I'm looking at opening my own candy business. There is a well-regarded chef's program at one of the community colleges. I'm trying to get into there.

Before I met my SO, i was not doing well at all and hope was hard to come by. If I had had a mortgage, I would have been homeless by now.

[Obamanaut]

7. . nt

[Pigheaded]

8. There were 1124 help wanted ads in yest Sun edition here

Most were in welding, machine operator and CDL truck driving jobs.
Come here for a job!

PH