[riri]

ping

[Texas_Dawg]

We're all doomed.

[biblewonk]

16 and 17 year olds don't count.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Some people choose self-employment.

Some people are forced into it.

It makes you work harder and feel better about your work.

Self-employed people are more fit and tend to be more conservative.

All good news except for Democrats.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

Some young Americans are joining-up:

Soft Economy Aids Army Recruiting Effort
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/987115/posts
[ "That's the driver, the economy," said Maj. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, the head of the Army Recruiting Command here ]

[Weimdog]

Made in China!

It's time to start shopping by label and not by price. The job you save may be your own.

[Tony Niar Brain]

A big problem _I_ think that this country has besides unemployment is the underemployment problem. It seems to me that there are lots of people with college degrees (useful ones, not philosophy) or whatnot who are waiting tables when they should be on a computer or in a lab. I worry about that, and how these BLS reports really seem to be ignoring it.

[waterstraat]

Its worse than 9.1, lots of people quit looking, esp in IT, or in any of the industries losing factories or going thru extensive outsourcing like the banks, airlines, aircraft, autos, etc.

Lots of people have very light jobs, while they futilely wait for their good jobs to come back, for IT jobs to open up, or for their factories to return from asia.

I have never known anyone who has ever been surveyed by the government as to their employment/unemployment status, ever.I have heard of people in all other types of surveys, tv shows, political candidates, merchandising, etc, but never employment status. Seems like I would have heard of someone who was asked just once. I dont think their sample is very large, nor accurate.

[Koblenz]

I sort of leapt, and was sort of pushed, into self-employment. Now I bill by the hour, and am making about 50% more than I did as a regular salary jockey. Of course, I work a lot on weekends and in evenings, but the checks keep rolling in. I'm not actively looking for new clients, have way too much work. And if I want to take an afternoon off to play tennis, I take the afternoon off and play tennis. Don't need to ask anyone.

Of course, my clients don't have to pay my health insurance, and if they're unhappy with my product, they just stop using me. No severance. No vacation pay. But still, I'll take the higher payments.

If you're self employed, be sure to set up a SEP IRA. And be sure to take about a third of your billing receipts and set them aside for taxes.

[Living Free in NH]

If the jobless rate is so damn high, how come my daily commute isn't getting any easier? Actually, I think it's getting worse!

[exmarine]

You mean...the government isn't telling the whole story??? Good thing I'm not trusting the government for anything!!!

[Jumper]

Even 9.1% is not bad when compared to the rest of the Western Industralized Countries. Germany has 5.5 million out of work in a population of 85 million people. France is reported to have around 12%, that on top of 55 year old retirees and mom's taking up to 5-years off to start the kids off in life. Here in Belgium, unemployement is around 10% and suffering from an underworked population like that of France. South Korea is in recession. The entire world has many people out of work. High energy prices, the World Trade Bombing and the global terrorism network is taking a toll; protectionist trading partners hurt the US as well.

Get the picture? So who's fault is it that the World is in Recession? Certainly not the Republicans, not Bush.... 'Nuff Said.

[fso301]

Another behind-the-headlines figure concerns young workers. More than half of those ages 16 to 19 are unemployed and have abandoned their job hunt.

Most likely due to summer vacation being over and kids returning to school. Ignoring for a moment the GED/dropout group, half of those 16 to 19 presumably would be attending high school.

[pctech]

And what about the people who aren't looking for jobs cuz there aren't any more?

[Redwood71]

And it's going to stay that way until the employers get enough money to hire people to catch up with the inflated ninties.

[CMClay]

When you are out of work your unemployment rate is 100%

[Big Giant Head]

Also, the bureau found a surge in August, to 232,000, of people who are self-employed.

But, but, but, I just heard on NPR that over 7 million business were started since 2000!

Business run by husband/wife or less, no employees.

Where did these new businesses come from? OMG! something doesn't compute!

[shaggy eel]

,,, ouch!

[MissAmericanPie]

Yeah, I didn't much like the way Bush shrugged it off tonight in his interview, then directed the conversation back to the cost of the war. I'm guessing alot of unemployed voters won't like it much either.

[MEGoody]

Gee, maybe we should just work a 'downturn' in productivity? The American people don't seem too interested in that economic tidbit.