Unemployment Already at 8%?

Have the markets factored in the return of most of our soldiers from the Iraq war and its impact on unemployment? The troops will want their former jobs back and people currently in those jobs will get "bumped". al reuter 3615 Bedstraw Lane, Jackson Wyoming

I am a Forman (was a Forman) for a small construction company in central California. We employed around fifty carpenters. I'm guessing around 30 to 35 of them are illegal. Thats a small percentage compared to companies in other areas like southern California. The company has laid off all of it's employees. When I happen to run into the illegals that worked for us and ask if they have signed up for unemployment benefits and to my surprise they told me they could not. I'm not sure how many millions of illegal construction workers there are but you add that to your 8% and put that on the news. After all fair and balanced. You may ask why employ illegal workers? So you ask yourself, do you want to have a business or not. The Mexicans pored into this country invading the construction industry driving the wages down and the US worker out of the market. I could go on about that and the vote for a certain party but I'll leave it at that. Thank God for My $450 a week.

We, the public, spend $2 billion each DAY more than we sell to other countries. We have to stop wasting oil by setting the thermostat to 55 (winter) 82 (summer); car pooling; and reusing/recycling all plastics and aluminum. Unemployment needs to be at 25% so we Americans begin to appreciate life instead of spending what we don't have on foreign stuff. And, Congress needs to have lobbying decreed bribery and term limits imposed. Elections need to be publicly financed rather than private. A viable 3rd and 4th party needs to win seats in congress to migrate the Military/Industrial/Drug-Manufacture Complex back to government OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people.

I think most of the country wants to understand first hand how a depression feels. If that's the case, put millions out of work by not passing an auto company "bailout" loan. Let all of the people in the auto industry, including the big 3, suppliers, dealerships quickly become unemployed. Who sees the bottom of that hole? I think we could go to far over 25% unemployment! So many think this doesn't help individuals, but I beg to differ. I'd like to see millions of people keep jobs, and hopefully get the economy to stablize. Nevermind, I'm beating a dead horse! Depression, here we come!!!

HEY CASONE, HOW CAN UNEMPLOYMENT BE AT 8% WHEN THERE ARE 11,000,000 TO 22,000,000 (YOU PICK A NUMBER) ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HERE? JUST TO HELP YOU OUT, 1,000,000 UNEMPLOYED IS 1.0%, GOT IT? SEND THEM BACK TO MEXICO AND UNEMPLOYMENT BECOMES A "NEGATIVE" NUMBER.

In past markets, the average time it took to find a job was 3 months. My husband and I lost our jobs in February of last year. We had to move in with my parents. It took my husband 2 months to find a job as a used car sales man. He worked 75 hours a week and his average take home pay was less than minimum wage due to working for commission only. My husband quit and looked for any job paying around $8 an hour. He was unemployed for 6 months. It me four months to find a job at a temp agency. The company I worked for downsized my job at the same time I found another job. My new job is stable and the best job I have ever had. However, my husband's job is an all night job, and pays less than he has ever made. His company is talking about laying all the temps off after Christmas. My husband is a temp worker. We have often worked at Christmas temp. jobs over the holidays to buy Christmas for our three kids. The malls and things aren't hiring very many extra workers this year. Most won't hire you if you already have a job. They are being much more unflexible than I have ever seen. I have done Christmas help since high school. But not this year.

Personal responsibility requires one to establish an emergency fund. That means one must have a savings rate. It is not the governments responsibility to have an emergency fund for you. The Great Depression of 1929 and The Great Depression of 2009 will have the same root cause, NO SAVINGS.

There are a lot of self-employed people out of work also, and they don't get to file for Unemployment benefits. There are a lot of Americans out of work right now and it's only a guess how many it really is. If you want to actually fix our economic problems, we need to put people to work! ..and that doesn't mean Road Work. The last time we did that was the Clinton administration and all the construction companies just hired cheap illegal labor and never finished the work. We need industry that hires all levels of experience including training a certain percentage for long term careers. We need to bring the "Made In USA" back to the USA!

8% to 10% ? You wish. Check out shadowstats.com

Jack, sue and those who estimate a much higher unemployment rate, especially John who includes the working poor, have a clear picture of the plight of "the person on the street. I agree with Barney that an updated and trageted WPA-esque program would produce a benefit to the economy. Remember 66% of our GDP is based on our consumerism. My thought on the matter concerning the housing debacle is for the President to mandate that ALL upside-down morgages be IMMEDIATELY refinanced to the present value of those homes. This would do two things instantly. One, the resulting payments would be far more affordable and would reduce the numbers of forclosures that would clog the bank's debit sheets. Two, would also quickly set the values of all the Morgage Backed Secuities that have been bringing down the world's economy. Then the millions of homeowners who have any leftover cash will feel secure enough to spend some of it on a much discounted flat-screen TV. Resulting in a jumpstart to the economy! Rich people always are so ready to forget that the "person on the street" is the true source of their wealth. Regardlesss, now what worries me is the dollar where is the money coming from to fund all these bailouts and stimulus packages? It looks to me that the fed is just printing money out of thin air. I don't wantt to think about what will happen if the dollar collapses. Especially when all the others look weak by comparison.

I see thousands of high paying jobs on employment sites - www.linkedin.com (professional networking) www.indeed.com (aggregated listings) www.realmatch.com (matches jobs based on your skills) Dont let them tell you the sky is falling because it isnt.

Finally, somebody gets it and is starting to talk about the real problem. Unemployment and wage stagnation caused the economic collapse. Its not the housing problem. There should be no public money going into the US economy that doesn't directly keep or create new permanent jobs that will have livable wages attached. Cost reduction, outsourcing, financial and business consolidation are just other names for job loss and further collapse.

It's amazing to see so many people complaining about the unemployment safety net. Nearly everyone must claim unemployment at least once in their lives and the average time it takes someone to find a job is 3 months. So in the meantime they should just live on the street and scavenge from the garbage heap? How likely is it that they would find a job, if they can't even find a place to clean up or travel to the interview? They'd simply end up staying poor with ever growing ranks. With lower consumerism, stores would go under, manufacturers would go under and more jobs would be lost. Poverty can and will trickle up without a safety net. It's sad to see people with such a low understanding of the economy making such stupid statements. Do they imagine in such circumstances that they wouldn't share that fate with the rest of their countrymen? We are all in this together.

The unemployment rate is relatively low where I live. Last time I saw it was 4. something in the state and 3. something in the area I live. I haven't seen it for a few weeks so it could be higher now, but I don't believe it's anywhere near 8%. I would like to see an analysis of the unemployment rate and other economic statistics by state or region. It would also be interesting to include what the state governments in those areas have been doing such as raising or lowering taxes or changes in spending levels.

Unemployed - thats an interesting idea. Since those that we count as unemployed are paid by the government (thats us) not to work. Hmmmmm By that count we should also include in that number all those that are in minimum wage jobs. Neither can support themselves. Perhaps we should change that name - to something that includes both groups. That number (by whatever name you give it) would be really interesting. And I think it will be well beyond 8%. It actually represents a load on the rest in supporting it.

Brad...I guess only lazy actors like yourself don't start looking for a job until unemployment runs out. I can tell you that the unemployed people I know start looking immediately and hope everyday for a phone call telling them they have a job. What you are doing is a crime and others are working the system. Maybe if aholes like you didn't do this, the system would work better. Get off you a$$ and get a real job.

Unemployment is already a lot higher than 8%. Large numbers of unemployed are not counted because they have simply given up on finding a job. Others don't show up immediately because they are enjoying buy-outs. Real unemployment is probably 14-15% right now.

Goes to 8% by December..... it,s probably at least 10% right now.

"It doesn't matter that I lie through my teeth every time" Brad, that is what got us into this financial mess i.e; people from the bottom to the top lying to reach their short term financial goals. Without integrity, capitalism cannot and will not thrive. The great irony is that the socialism that will engulf our country more and more over the next few years (I fear) will be decryed by the dishonest citizens that made government intervention necessary.

Perhaps if we could spend a little money fixing up all of the broken down, worn out infrastructure in our own country, instead of blowing it all repairing what we wrecked in Iraq, there would be plenty of jobs for people. Someone was paid for building the world`s largest embassy, a dozen or so airports, and as we have been told, schools, hospitals, power plants, sewer systems, roads, etc. We could use some of that type of improvements right here and put people to work doing something constructive for a change, instead of waiting for an unemployment check.

No wonder our country is doing so poorly. Of course we are in a recession when there are people like Brad who coast of the government. Luckily my part of the country is still doing well. Must be because people in the Midwest have a much better work ethic that in other parts of the country... We brought this on ourselves...

Why look for a job? All I have to do is check the little box on the back of my unemployment stub and BANG! I get another check. It doesn't matter that I lie through my teeth every time, there is no one to question me and no money withheld. I'm an actor, and we actors book a job, work 3-10 days, then coast on unemployment untill the next gig comes up. Maybe take a little vacation. No one starts looking for a job untill the unemployment RUNS OUT. Welcome to the 21st century.