Guess which states lost retail jobs while hiring overall increased?

Hotair ^ | April 9,2016 | Jazz Shaw

[Hojczyk]

The first one is probably fairly obvious to any of you who follow this site regularly. North Dakota has seen a drastic cut in energy production jobs due to sustained low oil prices and it’s dragging down every other sector with it. But the other two may not be as intuitive.

It’s probably no coincidence that Connecticut and Massachusetts, the first two states to approve hikes in their statewide minimum wage to north of $10 an hour, now stand out because of retail-employment contractions.

Massachusetts has lost 2,200 retail jobs since employment in the sector peaked last July, seasonally adjusted Labor Department data show. Retail employment is down 500 from December 2014, before the first step of the state’s wage hike went into effect.

The minimum wage rose from $8 to $9 at the start of 2015 and to $10 on the first day of 2016. It’s slated to go to $11 in 2017. Oddly enough (by which I mean, not oddly at all) the rest of the Bay State hasn’t been doing that badly, experiencing recovery at the same relatively tepid pace as the rest of the nation. But in minimum to low end wage positions, the job market has tailed off. Employers, as usual, find another way to scale their business when labor costs outstrip profit margins.

Connecticut turned out to be largely the same.

The state first hiked its minimum from $8.25 to $8.70 at the start of 2014, then became the first to embrace President Obama’s call for a $10.10 wage. The current minimum wage of $9.60 will hit $10.10 at the start of 2017.

Now retail employment in Connecticut is down 1,400 from a peak of 185,000 first hit in April 2014, and the state has fewer retail jobs than it did 30 months ago.

[Paladin2]

If 0bama and The Bern just gave us the stuff we need when we need it, there will be no need for retail employees....

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Massachusetts has lost 2,200 retail jobs since employment in the sector peaked last July, seasonally adjusted Labor Department data show.

I hate living in this frakkin' state. Oh! Sorry! It's a Commonwealth. [eyeroll]

It's like being surrounded by morons wherever you go.

I can't wait to leave.

[max americana]

“It’s like being surrounded by morons wherever you go.”

Uah, well we have Bernie 2016 stoickers wherever i go here and used to it. Leave it to a liberal retard to spruce up an old geezer commie and brand him as ‘cool” when he looks like a heart attack from a grave...

Only a libtard would sprinkle excrement with peanuts and call it a fudge donut.

[kearnyirish2]

Beyond that, I interact less and less with retail staff anyway. There are a couple of things I buy “in person” (clothing, shoes); in other areas I’ve cut back on fast food 1) because I need the money, and 2) because I derive a sense of satisfaction in denying Obamunists (the fast food workers and those who hire them) my hard-earned money. Made it easier to pass up the stuff; besides, our fast-food menus have become very Latino.