In March 2009,US Unemployment (U-3) rose to 8.5 percent; the broader measure of Unemployment and underemployment (U-6) rose to 15.6%.From the US Bureau of Labor
a, "Regional and state unemployment
rates were nearly all higher in
March.
# # #Forty-six states recorded over-the-month unemployment rateincreases, North Dakota and the District of Columbia registered rate decreases, and 3 states had no change in their rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Over the year, jobless rates were up in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national unemployment rate rose from 8.1 percent in February to 8.5 percent in March, which was 3.4 percent- age points higher than in March 2008."
Meanwhile, in California -- the worlds 5th largest economy -- the headline reads, State unemployment rate highest since 1941 the San Francicso Chronicle reported 4/17/09 that "The state unemployment rate soared to 11.2 percent in March, the highest since before World War II, leaving a record 2.1 million Californians out of work, according to a report issued Friday. Employment Development Department spokeswoman Patti Roberts said the March figure surpasses the 11 percent rate that occurred during the 1980s recession and brings California close to the jobless level of January 1941, when unemployment stood at about 11.7 percent. Roberts said unemployment is estimated to have been as high as 25 percent during the Great Depression. The highest reliable figure in state archives is the 14.7 percent rate in October 1940. The U.S. unemployment rate for March stood at 8.5 percent."
# # #
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment Data are as follows (for March 2009)
Table A. States with unemployment rates significantly differ- ent from that of the U.S., March 2009, seasonally adjusted -------------------------------------------------------------- State | Rate(p) -------------------------------------------------------------- United States (1) ...................| 8.5 | Arkansas ............................| 6.5 California ..........................| 11.2 Colorado ............................| 7.5 Connecticut .........................| 7.5 Delaware ............................| 7.7 District of Columbia ................| 9.8 Florida .............................| 9.7 Hawaii ..............................| 7.1 Idaho ...............................| 7.0 Indiana .............................| 10.0 | Iowa ................................| 5.2 Kansas ..............................| 6.1 Kentucky ............................| 9.8 Louisiana ...........................| 5.8 Maryland ............................| 6.9 Michigan ............................| 12.6 Montana .............................| 6.1 Nebraska ............................| 4.6 Nevada ..............................| 10.4 New Hampshire .......................| 6.2 | New Mexico ..........................| 5.9 New York ............................| 7.8 North Carolina ......................| 10.8 North Dakota ........................| 4.2 Ohio ................................| 9.7 Oklahoma ............................| 5.9 Oregon ..............................| 12.1 Pennsylvania ........................| 7.8 Rhode Island ........................| 10.5 South Carolina ......................| 11.4 | South Dakota ........................| 4.9 Tennessee ...........................| 9.6 Texas ...............................| 6.7 Utah ................................| 5.2 Vermont .............................| 7.2 Virginia ............................| 6.8 West Virginia .......................| 6.9 Wyoming .............................| 4.5 -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Data are not preliminary. p = preliminary.
The more important data remains with U-6 Unemployment as shown below. U-6 (Unemployment and under employment rate is now 15.6% through March 2009).
Data extracted on: April 18, 2009 (9:17:24 PM)Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
Series Id: LNS13327709
Seasonal Adjusted
Series title: (seas) Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers plus total
employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of all civilian labor
force plus all marginally attached workers
Labor force status: Aggregated totals unemployed
Type of data: Percent
Age: 16 years and over
Percent/rates: Unemployed and mrg attached and pt for econ reas as percent of labor force plus
marg attached
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual 1999 7.7 7.7 7.6 7.6 7.4 7.5 7.5 7.3 7.4 7.2 7.1 7.1 2000 7.1 7.2 7.1 6.9 7.1 7.0 7.0 7.1 7.0 6.8 7.1 6.9 2001 7.3 7.4 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.9 7.8 8.1 8.7 9.3 9.4 9.6 2002 9.5 9.5 9.4 9.7 9.5 9.5 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.7 9.8 2003 10.0 10.2 10.0 10.2 10.1 10.3 10.3 10.1 10.4 10.2 10.0 9.8 2004 9.9 9.7 10.0 9.6 9.6 9.5 9.5 9.4 9.4 9.7 9.4 9.2 2005 9.3 9.3 9.2 9.0 8.9 9.0 8.8 8.9 9.0 8.7 8.7 8.5 2006 8.4 8.5 8.2 8.1 8.2 8.4 8.5 8.4 8.0 8.2 8.0 7.9 2007 8.3 8.1 8.0 8.2 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.5 8.4 8.5 8.4 8.7 2008 9.0 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.8 10.1 10.4 10.9 11.2 12.0 12.6 13.5 2009 13.9 14.8 15.6
