Jobs up 290,000; jobless rate rises to 9.9 pct.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON – More confident employers stepped up job creation in April, expanding payrolls by 290,000, the most in four years. The jobless rate rose to 9.9 percent as people streamed back into the market looking for work.

The hiring of 66,000 temporary government workers to conduct the census helped overall payroll growth last month. However, private employers — the backbone of the economy — boosted jobs, too. They added a surprisingly strong 231,000 positions last month, also the most since March 2006, the Labor Department reported Friday.

"Clearly companies have a newfound confidence in the future of the economic recovery and on the part of their own business prospects," said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors. "The broadbased job gains are an indication that businesses are feeling more comfortable about expanding their work forces," he said.

The unemployment rate rose from 9.7 percent in March to 9.9 percent in April, mainly because 805,000 jobseekers — perhaps feeling better about their prospects — resumed their searches for work.

Many economists have predicted the unemployment rate would rise as people come back into the labor force. The jobless rate hit 10.1 percent in October, a 26-year high. The rate could climb back up to the 10 percent range in the months ahead, Naroff said.

Friday's employment report sketched out a picture of a healing jobs market and an economy picking up momentum in the early spring. The improvements, however, were taking place before the stock market plunged this week on concerns that the European debt crisis could spread. There are fears the crisis could make companies more cautious about hiring in the future, economists warned.

The surprisingly high number of jobs added in April offered the latest evidence that businesses are feeling more confident in the recovery. Consumers increased their spending in March by the largest amount in five months. Factory production grew in April at the fastest pace in nearly six years and demand grew briskly for a variety of services in that same month.

link

[Obama 2012 1,714]

By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON – More confident employers stepped up job creation in April, expanding payrolls by 290,000, the most in four years. The jobless rate rose to 9.9 percent as people streamed back into the market looking for work.

The hiring of 66,000 temporary government workers to conduct the census helped overall payroll growth last month. However, private employers — the backbone of the economy — boosted jobs, too. They added a surprisingly strong 231,000 positions last month, also the most since March 2006, the Labor Department reported Friday.

"Clearly companies have a newfound confidence in the future of the economic recovery and on the part of their own business prospects," said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors. "The broadbased job gains are an indication that businesses are feeling more comfortable about expanding their work forces," he said.

The unemployment rate rose from 9.7 percent in March to 9.9 percent in April, mainly because 805,000 jobseekers — perhaps feeling better about their prospects — resumed their searches for work.

Many economists have predicted the unemployment rate would rise as people come back into the labor force. The jobless rate hit 10.1 percent in October, a 26-year high. The rate could climb back up to the 10 percent range in the months ahead, Naroff said.

Friday's employment report sketched out a picture of a healing jobs market and an economy picking up momentum in the early spring. The improvements, however, were taking place before the stock market plunged this week on concerns that the European debt crisis could spread. There are fears the crisis could make companies more cautious about hiring in the future, economists warned.

The surprisingly high number of jobs added in April offered the latest evidence that businesses are feeling more confident in the recovery. Consumers increased their spending in March by the largest amount in five months. Factory production grew in April at the fastest pace in nearly six years and demand grew briskly for a variety of services in that same month.

link

I really wish they would be more honest about the jobless rate.

It's such a bastardized statistic.

We're looking at somewhere between 15-20% unemployment in reality. How hard is that to put out there?

Just because people 'stop looking,' still means they don't have jobs....

[Dan J 277]

I really wish they would be more honest about the jobless rate.

It's such a bastardized statistic.

We're looking at somewhere between 15-20% unemployment in reality. How hard is that to put out there?

Just because people 'stop looking,' still means they don't have jobs....

You are not jobless if you don't want or need a job in the first place. That doesn't mean it you wont be looking for a job in the future.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

You are not jobless if you don't want or need a job in the first place. That doesn't mean it you wont be looking for a job in the future.

Ok.... many people get discouraged from looking. They're still unemployed. Even if you're not looking you're still unemployed. Cmon now..

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

There is really no 'perfect' way to ensure those who decide they no longer want/need to work are excluded and those who want to work but have given up looking are included, because both categories of people have stopped looking. Unless we put in place a massive government bureaucracy to interview everyone who seems to have dropped out of the labor force to ascertain motive, that is.

So yes, the 'jobless rate' statistic is not perfect. I don't think it can be.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Just curious Steven, since you like the Los Suns.

Are you against the minimum wage in general or just for brown people?

What about OSHA? Are you against worker safety? Or just for the illegal immigrants you hate? Do you really think just because they came illegally they should be exploited and used to put more money into white guys pockets?

why do you think we shouldn't ask them for a green card, but we SHOULD pay them less than minimum wage? Why do you think they have a 4th amendment right, but not a right to avoid being sent to work on roofs without safety harnesses? Why do you think it is OK for them to be brought to work in the back of pickup trucks? Why do you think it is OK for them to have no social security, workmans comp., unemployment? Why do you think it is OK for their families to be left with nothing iof they are injured working for a greedy white guy?

Why do you hate illegal aliens so much Steven? Why do you not demand American employers be pnished severly for not complying with our labor laws? Why do you look the other way when they exploit brown people for profit?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Ok.... many people get discouraged from looking. They're still unemployed. Even if you're not looking you're still unemployed. Cmon now..

They paly games with jobless rates. Big surprise. They will contiue to keep it inaccurate as it is to their benefit.

That said I do not consider my wife "unemployed" even though she has no job. She is a student and does some freelance (self employed) modeling, translations, etc. but not steady work. That is her choice. She should not, fairly, be counted as unemployed. However a guy that just runs out of benefits IS unemployed.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Just curious Steven, since you like the Los Suns.

Are you against the minimum wage in general or just for brown people?

What about OSHA? Are you against worker safety? Or just for the illegal immigrants you hate? Do you really think just because they came illegally they should be exploited and used to put more money into white guys pockets?

why do you think we shouldn't ask them for a green card, but we SHOULD pay them less than minimum wage? Why do you think they have a 4th amendment right, but not a right to avoid being sent to work on roofs without safety harnesses? Why do you think it is OK for them to be brought to work in the back of pickup trucks? Why do you think it is OK for them to have no social security, workmans comp., unemployment? Why do you think it is OK for their families to be left with nothing iof they are injured working for a greedy white guy?

Why do you hate illegal aliens so much Steven? Why do you not demand American employers be pnished severly for not complying with our labor laws? Why do you look the other way when they exploit brown people for profit?

I don't know what you are on about as you've taken this thread into another dimension, Gary, but I've stated my views on what I think are viable solutions to the problems, but to recap for your indulgence:

• Expand the guest worker program but under NAFTA so that it is tied to our free trade agreement. Doing so would help to manage the offset of trade between the U.S. and Mexico which has a direct effect on labor markets.
• Minimum wages and worker safety standards would apply to guest workers.
• Give them the right to organize.
• Make the H-2 visas easily transferable to another company so that company's can't use them as a way to keep someone from changing jobs. This would create a competition among businesses that consistently rely on guest workers, providing better working conditions and employment opportunities.

Edited May 7, 2010 by El Buscador

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I don't know what you are on about as you've taken this thread into another dimension, Gary, but I've stated my views on what I think are viable solutions to the problems, but to recap for your indulgence:

• Expand the guest worker program but under NAFTA so that it is tied to our free trade agreement. Doing so would help to manage the offset of trade between the U.S. and Mexico which has a direct effect on labor markets.
• Minimum wages and worker safety standards would apply to guest workers.
• Give them the right to organize.
• Make the H-2 visas easily transferable to another company so that company's can't use them as a way to keep someone from changing jobs. This would create a competition among businesses that consistently rely on guest workers, providing better working conditions and employment opportunities.

wonderful irrelevent poop.

I never EVER asked a question regarding LEGAL workers who are regulated and required to be paid minimum e=wage and be covered by workman's comp and other labor laws. LEGAL guest workers are NOT exploited. Illegals are exploited. What would you do about employers that do not want to hire legal workers and choose to violate our laws and hire illegal immigrants so they can be underpaid and not protected by the laws? Can you answer THAT question please?

For example, do you favor eliminating the minimum wage for ALL workers or just for illegals? Which laws is it OK with you to just ignore? Should we ignore them for everyone or just Mexicans?

In what way would you punish employers that do not follow the laws and hire ILLEGAL workers?

[alienlovechild 75]

There is really no 'perfect' way to ensure those who decide they no longer want/need to work are excluded and those who want to work but have given up looking are included, because both categories of people have stopped looking. Unless we put in place a massive government bureaucracy to interview everyone who seems to have dropped out of the labor force to ascertain motive, that is.

The usual method is by determining the number of those who filed and got unemployment compensation. It's a solid number but not everyone who's unemployed gets UC and some have exhausted their benefit period and still not found a job.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

wonderful irrelevent poop.

I never EVER asked a question regarding LEGAL workers who are regulated and required to be paid minimum e=wage and be covered by workman's comp and other labor laws. LEGAL guest workers are NOT exploited. Illegals are exploited. What would you do about employers that do not want to hire legal workers and choose to violate our laws and hire illegal immigrants so they can be underpaid and not protected by the laws? Can you answer THAT question please?

For example, do you favor eliminating the minimum wage for ALL workers or just for illegals? Which laws is it OK with you to just ignore? Should we ignore them for everyone or just Mexicans?

In what way would you punish employers that do not follow the laws and hire ILLEGAL workers?

First - the argument that "legal" guest workers are not exploited is utterly false. Many of them pay a hefty fee to come work here and then are essentially locked in to working for one employer under terrible conditions. They aren't allowed to organize which is one of the biggest reasons why so many cases of abuse exist. In fact, the guest worker program as it currently stands is lauded by most liberals who see it as nothing more than license for businesses to exploit foreign workers.

Second - I believe that by expanding the guest worker program with the reforms I mentioned, would remove the current incentive to work illegally. That's why I think it should be done under NAFTA so that these H-2 visas would only be available to Mexican Nationals vs. opening it up to anyone.

Would that eliminate all illegal immigration? No. But that would significantly reduce it and could be done in tandem with border security as well as employer verification. Once a guest worker is in the system, it will be much easier to track the immigration of these workers. As for those who are already here, I've said before, make them pay fines if they want to continue working here and make them go through the immigration process like everyone else if they wish to become citizens.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

First - the argument that "legal" guest workers are not exploited is utterly false.

Do you or have you worked in places where lawful guest workers work(ed) side-by-side with you? I have and still do and I cannot confirm this statement.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Do you or have you worked in places where lawful guest workers work(ed) side-by-side with you? I have and still do and I cannot confirm this statement.

I've worked with H-1 visa holders, but as I understand it, H-2 visas have been traditionally used for migrant farm workers.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I've worked with H-1 visa holders, but as I understand it, H-2 visas have been traditionally used for migrant farm workers.

I've worked with both and still work with both H-1 and L visa holders. They're not nearly in as rough a spot as illegal workers. In fact, we make no distinction in treatment between our guest workers and our US staff. Not in terms of raises, not in terms of promotions, not in terms of work-life balance. Our guest workers are treated every bit as fair and decent as anyone else on staff.

[William33 110]

"The unemployment rate rose from 9.7 percent in March to 9.9 percent in April, mainly because 805,000 jobseekers — perhaps feeling better about their prospects — resumed their searches for work."

I am confused about the above piece. How does an employed individual, seeking a better opportunity get rolled up within the unemployment rate?