Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Progressive Community
The press releases posted here have been submitted by
America's Progressive Community
For further information or to comment on this press release, please contact the organization directly.
Most Popular This Week
Today's Top News
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: Americans for Democratic Action David Card 202-785-5980 |
Real Unemployment at 15.8%: Highest Level Since ADA Began Tracking
WASHINGTON - May 8 - The real unemployment rate released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 15.8%, nearly 7 points higher than the rate officially reported.
The real rate includes marginally attached workers which the BLS reports “are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not looking currently for a job. Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule.”
Since April 2008, 6 million people have lost their job. ADA’s Real Rate of Unemployment represents a staggering 23 million people who are unemployed or underemployed.
The increase of another 563,000 jobless claims for April 2009 was the smallest rise in 6 months, providing some evidence that government stimulus is working but underscoring the urgent need to put more government dollars to work motivating the private sector to begin hiring laid-off workers.
ADA National Director, Amy Isaacs, said: “While the Republican Party of No is looking backwards, rather than coming up with new ideas to help America’s working families, President Obama and Democrats in Congress are moving forward with a bold agenda. There is still much to do as record lay-offs continue and economic challenges abound, but we share the optimism of leading economists who believe the worst is behind us.”
13 Comments so far
Show AllIf we are to look at the truth, like 15% unemployed, lets look
at the facts again. It has happened ever since Bill {Bubba}
Clinton deregulated the Banking system along with Phil Gramm
and Chris Dodd. Not only ruined the Finance Industry, he
ruined our industrial base by sending it to China.
On the board of directors for Walmart was his wife Hillary.
The press has been silent of the issue of Bill Clinton
and "Free Trade" "Nafta" "Globalization", all measures
to benefit other countries and ruin our country. The loss of
our Newspapers is a direct result of our loss of the industrial base that has cost us good paying jobs and the loss of our
retailers who cannot afford to advertise in local Newspapers
the result being the loss of our Free Press.
The Ivy Leaguers are so far removed from reality they don't have a clue as to the cause of this depression we have entered into. Saving the banking industry is good only for the bankers
who are still getting those bonuses..
Who will save us? We are to big to fail?
Too bad that doorknobs like Freddie Kilowatt above are so blinded by partisanship that they can't see that both political parties have been lying to Americans for decades.
Ever since America went on a "perpetual war" footing after WWII, we have all been slaves to the military-industrial complex. Eisenhower, probably the last honest Republican politician, warned us about it. All great empires eventually collapse from over-spending on their military. America won't be any different.
there is no need to attack other members of this board. I think you may have misunderstood Freddie's comment. He wasn't really saying anything partisan. Bill Clinton did do those things, and the manufacturing jobs are all overseas, and yes, we are losing our free speech, and the elite are making it hard for us to live. Not necessarily a "partisan" thing... Let's not call names, eh?
joinhands, thank you for your comments. There are some who consider an exchange of ideas an invitation to make personal attacks on others. It does reduce the discussion on this board to the level of a Bill O'Reilly shouting match.
I appreciate reading differing viewpoints when presented in a thoughtful and respectful manner. Fortunately most posters do so.
When the people fear their government there is tyranny,
when the government fears the people there is liberty.
~ Thomas Jefferson
This article doesn't take into account welfare and disability. When those two groups are added, unemployment is 50% of the population.
At least now the numbers are more like what they once were during the great depression of the 30s. At least now we are seeing some truth. I wonder why, however, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is all of a sudden starting to report the truth.
with the lowest wage scales in the U.S. paying under 7.00 an hour, it is possible to be on welfare, and still have a job. Even with a full time job, at 7.00 an hour, it comes to only a thousand dollars a month. Who can live on that besides a high schooler? would these folks be considered underemployed, even though they work full time?
I've seen ads in the local craigslist for 'adult entertainment' and 'female dancers' and was thinking, damn, if only i was a hot young little thang, then i could have some job security.
funny, or not so, but one of my friends who i believe to be on the right has recently been laid off from a pretty good paying manufacturing job here in lincoln ne at the kawasaki plant. the time is ripe to go at him with some progressive meme warfare. without that big fat paycheck, and loss of his cushy health insurance, how long do you think it takes to turn a conservative into a progressive? Of course, the experiment will have to be unknown to him...
Or your friend is ripe to be lured into a further push to the right, much like the U.S. itself. Is your friend smart enough to see the real culprits or will he/she fall prey to the straw men that the "elites" have set up for him?
yeah a lefty is a neo con without a job! homeward bound that is too funny. we used to say
a republican was a liberal who was mugged. add another 5-7 points to this equation and
we have the truth about employment in contemporary america. oh and bill clinton wasn't a
democrat. we democrats don't execute people like slick willie did as gov. of arkansas.
The Democrats are offering solutions? Wait a minute, if the official number by Obama is under-reported by nearly 8%, and the Democrats are in power, while also "going forward" to make jobs, wouldn't they want to be upfront about how many people are underemployed before heading head first into job projections?
I mean, that seems like a reasonable part of being credible when one asserts forward thinking and growth. I'm sure I'm just assuming too many things here, so just forget it. Additionally, saying 'the worst is behind us' is about as informative as saying 'the sun also rises'....
in creditors they trust.
You got it - All Obama has to do is trot out the real statistics, and the public reaction would be such that we could pass all kinds of reforms.
Which is exactly what Obama doesn't want.
I agree, it's a mistake to underestimate the size of this disaster, and to prematurely start projecting improvement. I thought Obama was really smart. I'm beginning to wonder. Or maybe the Masters of the Universe want him to be a one term president. Just in case he starts getting populist notions - which has not been the case since his election. And he's put himself in the position of no choice but to dance to their music (if he wants to stay alive). I voted for him, taking a chance that he was honorable and knowing I might be wrong. In spite of growing evidence to the contrary, I withheld judgment. Looks like I was. Yes, he's done some good things. But they've been small change compared to the big stuff. Selling us out to the banks and the MIC.
It's an interesting conundrum. If he didn't take their money he had no chance of getting elected. If he took it, he had to follow their orders - or else.
Indicators on the health care situation don't look good. Not just single payer off the table, but we will see just how toothless the public option becomes when Congress is done with it. One thing I've learned is to watch and see who is smiling when coming out of negotiation meetings. That will tell you what you need to know. And certainly Max Baucus' performance has been despicable. How sad that the voters are trudging on their treadmill with their eyes on the ground.
Sioux Rose, who I highly respect, believes rough times are ahead for the next twenty years. Looking around us, it appears likely. And we haven't even started on the water wars.
When the people fear their government there is tyranny,
when the government fears the people there is liberty.
~ Thomas Jefferson