Posted on 04/06/2014 4:50:29 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A big puzzle looms over the U.S. economy: Friday's jobs report tells us that the unemployment rate has fallen to 6.7% from a peak of 10% at the height of the Great Recession. But at the same time, only 63.2% of Americans 16 or older are participating in the labor force, which, while up a bit in March, is down substantially since 2000. As recently as the late 1990s, the U.S. was a nation in which employment, job creation and labor force participation went hand in hand. That is no longer the case.
What's going on? Think of the labor market as a spring bash you've been throwing with great success for many years. You've sent out the invitations again, but this time the response is much less enthusiastic than at the same point in previous years.
One possibility is that you just need to beat the bushes more, using reminders of past fun as "stimulus" to get people's attention. Another possibility is that interest has shifted away from your big party to other activities.
Economists are sorting out which of these scenarios best explains the slack numbers on labor-force participation—and offers the best hope of reversing them. Is the problem cyclical, so that, if we push for faster growth, workers will come back, as they have in the past with upturns in the business cycle? Or do deeper structural problems in the economy have to be fixed before we can expect any real progress? To the extent that problems are related to retirement or work disincentives that are either hard to change or created by policy, familiar monetary or fiscal policies may have little effect—a point getting too little attention in Washington.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I closed down my business last spring. I have been going from taking care of one elderly relative after another. I thought I could take some time just kicking around before looking. Instead, I spend time at the probate office, filling out forms, and going to nursing homes.
I am working harder than I was when I was working.
some of us workers are still out here but its not easy to make a good employment connection, especially during this (in many business sectors and regions) awful recession
I had read that there are fewer federal workers today than at the beginning of Obama’s disaster. Still the percentage of public vs private has continued to climb on the public side.
I’d love to see a good analysis of this declining number of federal workers if it is indeed true at all. Military decline? More privatized services? I don’t know.
Where have all the workers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the workers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the workers gone?
Bambi screwed them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the good jobs gone, long time passing?
Where have all the good jobs gone, long time ago?
Where have all the good jobs gone?
Gone to China everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where has all the freedom gone, long time passing?
Where has all the freedom gone, long time ago?
Where has all the freedom gone?
Gone to Marxists everyone
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the people gone, long time passing?
Where have all the people gone, long time ago?
Where have all the people gone?
Gone to graveyards, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time ago?
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers, everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Bambi picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
The Unemployment Puzzle: Where Have All the Workers Gone?
ANSWER: GOVERNOR PERRY: UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES SHOW TEXAS KEEPING AMERICA AFLOAT
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3141465/posts
I like it. It’s an improvement over the original.
Heavy Hitters: Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2014
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php
“2 American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $60,949,129 [Democrat] 81% [Republican] 1%”
They discuss politics with Republicans while giving our money to Democrats.
About "70 million" people receiving incomes from various levels of government and government-linked businesses receive large incomes but are steeped in debt and spending all that they receive.
Meanwhile,...
More Than 101 Million Working Age Americans Do Not Have A Job
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3005481/posts
No apologies to Pete Seeger.
Over 50 and laid off. I’ve been looking for work in my field for over 2 years now. I’m living off of savings.
The ONLY way I can see that there are fewer Government employees than when Obama took over is that there has been a massive layoff in the DoD and/or they are counting military as federal workers.
Be strong and of good courage.
ShadowStats puts it at about 24%.
Other reports put it at 37.4%.
Social Security Disibility.
or work disincentives ie: the y’all pays me not to work crowd.
-PJ
as my two lazy arse inlaws have found, life is sweet when not one but two married adults just happen to become "disabled" and just happen to have enough money for second house, extra property in the country and two sports cars, and yet I doubt either of them or combined pay any property tax nor income tax.....the SIL did a stint when her kids were young on SS disability and socked away a nice wad of money...she came off of it for a few "working" years and schazaammmm.....she got "disabled" again...
him....hurt his hand at his work....believe me, they talked about moving to Hawaii the day after he "hurt" his hand, with $$$$ rolling in their eyes....
the work ethic is gone....perhaps the smarter ones know this and are taking all they can right now before its all gone...
Yup. And they aren’t telling anyone either.
I think your analysis is probably spot on ... oh, by the way the IRS, Homeland Security, FBI, BAT, etc. will be visiting soon as you appear to be a “thought” criminal.
I’m sure you’re right about books being cooked by the feds. Buy I still wonder how all those people who can’t find jobs and don’t have UE checks coming in and did NOT get on disability are feeding themselves?
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