Spinning the unemployment report
Friday, December 7th, 2012In November 2012, 350,000 Americans dropped out of the work force. Here are some quotes from the media about this truly dismal situation:
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In November 2012, 350,000 Americans dropped out of the work force. Here are some quotes from the media about this truly dismal situation:
(more…)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its monthly report on employment and unemployment in the United States. Overall, the May data shows little sign that the economy is improving. The prospects for the long-term unemployed remain poor.
By the numbers:
And, here are the current unemployment rates by sex, ethnicity and education:
| This graph shows the unemployment rate for women age 20 and older from January 1992 to March 2012. | |
| This graph shows the unemployment rate for women age 20 and older from January 2000 to March 2012. Note the record low during the last Clinton term in 2007. | |
| This graph shows the unemployment rate for women age 20 and older from January 2006 to March 2012. The graph illustrates the onset of the recession and female unemployment rates during the Obama administration. | |
| Graph illustrating the number of unemployed women in the US from 2000 to March 2012. Note the record low number and compare it to the number of women unemployed in March 2012. Over three million more women are unemployed now. | |
| This graph illustrates the number of American women over age 20 employed from 2000 through March 2012. Note the record number employed in June 2008. The loss of employment from June 2008 to March 2012 is 759,000 women. |
The pictures tell a far more discouraging tale. These graphs are from the BLS site, using their data. None of the graphs present any sort of encouraging picture for those who are unemployed or those who have given up. And, lots of folks have just given up.

Graph of the percentage of Americans employed compared to the general population for November 2011

Graph of the percentage of Americans who could work that had a job in November 2011

Graph of the average weeks of unemployment for Americans in November 2011

Graph of the number of Americans unemployed over 27 weeks for November 2011

Graph of the number of Americans discouraged from looking for work for November 2011
The graphs were built to show both the current record or near record “bad” numbers as well as their opposites from the Clinton and Bush Administrations. Fewer people are working and more people have dropped out of the labor force. That is the tale of November 2011.