US unemployment: The bad news the US jobs figures hide (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By John Mervin
New York business editor, BBC News

Job creation and falling unemployment are always good news, never more so than when a country is still reeling from the effects of its worst economic crisis in 80 years.

So it seems churlish to quibble with the cheers that met the latest US jobs report.

But there's no doubt that for all the new signs of strength in the US job market, there is still a major unemployment problem in America, one that still blights the lives of millions and could yet prove to be the single biggest factor in US politics over the next two years.

If you look beneath the "strong" numbers that headline April's jobs reports you quickly find plenty of other, distinctly weaker numbers.
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And if you take the widest such measure of "labor underutilisation", which basically counts everyone who doesn't have a full time job, and blames that on economic reasons (as opposed to being sick or in training) then, currently you get a rate of 15.7%.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12940054

[OHdem10]

1. Cisco is laying off 1000. According To Cavuto--other businesses

are contemplating layoffs. I hope in all the bluster
on the Hill, they are keeping up with News Reports.

[OhioChick]

2. Cisco is laying off 11,500

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=4925878

[defendandprotect]

3. This is a depression caused by a financial coup -- and 23,000 more layoffs recently ...!!!

The numbers are more like 21% unemployed -- when we consider long term unemployment,

part time vs full time -- and those who are working jobs they're overqualified for

at less pay --


Give the decades of increasing production -- 35% -- and stagnating wages over decades --

salaries be substantially increased!

We need workers to slow down -- start making room for new employees --

[villager]

4. we need workers to "slow down" to the point of a National Strike!

;-)

[defendandprotect]

6. Agree with that as well -- but we need to stop the FEAR based

service to the oppressor -- if we can find a way!!

This is easy to say, difficult to do -- !!

But certainly employees have to recognize that the faster and harder

they work the less their work is valued to begin with --

[Citizen Worker]

8. Yes, Villager you are absolutely right. The ONLY way to reverse the terrible employment situation

is for all of us to withhold our Labor.

[defendandprotect]

9. You have to be organized to do it --

You can't face the hardships alone -- you need help to do anything that is

even remotely long term --

PLUS, you are threatened now by the millions of unemployed -- unless you are

also united with them and assisting one another in a common understanding!

[villager]

10. No, you're right! The ONLY way to reverse course is to obey our bosses and owners

... in all matters!

If only you could time travel back to the 30's and warn them! Then we never would have had that pesky "middle class" phase of economic development we're trying to get rid of now!

[Lorien]

5. Us self employed workers never get counted, period. And there are millions

of us who are out of work.

[defendandprotect]

7. Actually, I've never thought about that -- thank you!!

[pinqy]

11. Self employed are counted

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t08.htm">Table A-8 of the Employment Situation Report gives the number of employed unincorporated self employed. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t09.htm">Table A-9 gives the number of incorporated and unincorporated self employed. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t14.htm">Table A-14 gives the number of unemployed unincorporated self employed combined with unpaid family workers (and it's not millions, it's just over half a million).

[Lorien]

12. No, we are not. We don't report to any agency when we are unemployed or under

employed.

[pinqy]

13. You don't have to report to any agency to be counted...

Labor force data (Employment, unemployment etc) comes from a household survey, the Current Population Survey, not any agency report.

And how on Earth can you say you're not counted when I gave you links showing you are?????