I guess the good news is that the employment layoff figure is not as bad for April as it has been for the previous months. More than 500 thousand people were laid off as opposed to 600,000 and 700, 000 the months before. Ever think you would see the day when more than half-million people out of work would translate into an optimistic outlook for the economy? I didn’t.
Nearly 100 Metropolitan districts inthe United States are recording more than a ten percent unemployment rate. The highest unemployment rate in the country is the bordertown, El Centro, with more than 25% of its working population unemployed. Detroit is at the top of the list for cities with high unemployment figures–13.6 percent.
Perhaps the ironcy of this Recession compared to, say, the Great Depression is that back then people started moving around. They were desperate and hungry, forced to travel the country in search of employment. Today it appears there is less mobility in the nation. More people are staying put. Some are probably doing so because they are so upside down with their houses they can’t afford to leave. Others, well, misery loves it company. Andwhat good does it do to travel distances to discover there isno employment there, either.
There are employers who are hiring, however. That is a good sign. As a compnay that conduct background checks a fair amount of employers are recruiting at a fairly steady basis. It’s not a boomtown, by any means, but as one friend reminded me–a ten percent unemployment rate means ninety percent are still working. Good news after all.
