U.S. jobless picture a mixed bag
A look at U.S. Labor Department statistics released April 4 leaves a reader unsure of whether to grab a sweater or shorts.
The half-empty glass:
A little more than one-third of the 10.5 million people looking for work – 3.7 million – are considered “long-term unemployed,” meaning they have been out of work for 27 weeks or more.
An additional 2.2 million are described as “marginally attached to the labor force,” meaning they had not applied for work during the past month. Of that number, 698,000 are considered “discouraged workers.” They were not looking for work because they had concluded no jobs were available. The remaining 1.5 million had not searched for various reasons, such as family responsibilities or school obligations, according to the Labor Department.
Other workers are lumped into a category known as “part time for economic reasons,” or “involuntarily part time.” An estimated 7.4 million workers fall into this category.
The half-full glass:
Even so, 192,000 nonfarm jobs were added. That number represents an uptick, according to the Labor Department. During the past 12 months, about 183,000 jobs were added each month.
In a statement about the statistics, Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez noted: “At the height of the recession, there were six job seekers for every job available. Today, it's two-and-a-half people competing for every open job.”
In addition, during the past two years, the unemployment rate has consistently trended downward. In March 2012, the rate was 8.2 percent.
Professional and business services added 57,000 jobs in March. The health care industry added 19,000 jobs. Other industries showing increases included mining and logging (up 7,000 jobs) and employment at food services and drinking places (up 30,000 jobs). The construction industry added 19,000 jobs.
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