
Calif unemployment climbs to record 11.5 percent - kqr2
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/19/financial/f082753D05.DTL&tsp=1
======
patio11
That number is scary because it means in some communities it is probably far,
far north of 11.5%.

I live in a small town in central Japan. I think the official consolidated
unemployment rate is probably in the 8% or so range. The unemployment among
foreigners has been estimated at above 80%, since the car & electronics
factories that employ most of them have been cutting temps like it is going
out of style. (If you're wondering how that math possibly works, foreigners
are about 3% of the town's population.)

The recession was a pretty academic concept to me until I went to church and
found that our parish had lost 40 families in the past week -- they despaired
of finding work in a decent time frame and left the country.

~~~
andyking
In Britain, unemployment is reported by the government at 7.2% - but for those
aged between 16 and 24, it's hovering around the 20% mark.

And that doesn't count people who are studying but can't find work to support
themselves while at university; they're counted as "in education" and don't
appear on the unemployment figure. One wonders what sort of a rise we'll see
this month and next as 600,000 people get dumped off the end of the education
conveyor belt into this big bucket of shite.

But it's all okay. The "green shoots" are coming. House prices are rising
modestly which apparently means we can all start leafing through luxury yacht
catalogues again. Now, where's my application form for the minimum-wage job at
the new £1 shop...?

------
patrickg-zill
It is probably higher - have a look at shadowstats.com to see the difference
between the stated national rates, and the rates if computed using the old
method.

~~~
lallysingh
All the data on that site seems to be behind a paywall.

~~~
patrickg-zill
<http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data>

Has the relevant charts. More detailed info does cost, but the summary info is
free.

------
spaghetti
Unemployment is not necessarily a bad thing. Just think about all the recently
laid-off people whose jobs absolutely do not benefit society in any way.
Predatory lenders are a great example.

------
callmeed
We're at 12.4 just north in Oregon ... 2nd in the nation

~~~
yogione
14.2% in michigan

~~~
artlogic
Michigan is a strange place to be living right now. There's still work for
skilled technology folks if you look hard enough. What we don't have is work
for the thousands of jobless factory/industrial workers. Growing up in
Michigan, there were still people saying "My parents work for GM in the
factory, I'm going to get a job right out of highschool - 30 and out, retire
at 48." Unfortunately, all these people are now learning exactly how wrong
they were. The age of plentiful factory work for anyone with a highschool
degree is over in Michigan, and the statistics reflect this. The state is in a
painful transition period - the country is feeling the effects as well. It's
the end of industrialization and the beginning of a society based on service
and technology. Unfortunately, Michigan, until recently, wasn't willing to
admit that things were changing. Many of the jobless are in denial - that's
why we lead the nation in unemployment.

------
erlanger

        Legalize it, 
        yeah, 
        yeah, 
        and I will advertise it.
    

_(and tax it)_

