Job Searches in 2003 the Longest in 20 Years

Reuters ^ | Fri January 9, 2004 03:45 PM ET | By Jonathan Nicholson

[RaceBannon]

Job Searches in 2003 the Longest in 20 Years Fri January 9, 2004 03:45 PM ET

By Jonathan Nicholson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The year 2003 was the most difficult for U.S. job hunters since 1983, as they faced the gloomiest job market in years, according to Labor Department figures released on Friday.

The unemployment rate was the highest since 1994, and the search for a new job was the longest in two decades.

According to Labor Department data, the average spell of unemployment lasted 19.2 weeks in 2003, or almost five months. That was the longest average duration since 1983, when the U.S. economy was emerging from the worst recession since the Depression. Then the average spell was 20.0 weeks.

As a percentage of all the unemployed, the long-term jobless -- those out of work for 27 weeks or more -- made up 22.1 percent in 2003, the highest annual number since 23.9 percent in 1983.

Democrats have called for renewing a federally-funded extension of unemployment benefits offered through states to deal with the problem. They revived their attacks on Friday after a weaker-than-expected jobs report showed only 1,000 new hires in December. Measures of long-term joblessness improved slightly in the month, though.

While Bush administration officials have continually repeated that they will not be satisfied "until every American who wants a job can get one," it has yet to support a renewal of extended benefits, a move many economists say would help blunt the economic damage of the rise in long-term unemployment.

In early December, Treasury Secretary John Snow told Reuters the administration had yet to decide if it would support extending the program for a third time.

According to the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, about 80,000 to 90,000 workers will be exhausting their state-funded benefits every week by late January, after the program's eligibility ended in December.

"Unemployment is the Achilles' heel of this administration and Congressional Republicans, and they cannot continue to ignore it," said House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, of Maryland.

Lee Price, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute and a former Clinton-era Commerce Department official, said the long-term jobless numbers show how difficult the labor market remains.

Extending jobless benefits again would stimulate the economy by putting money in the pockets of people not getting paychecks, Price said. "Almost 100 percent of that is going to be spent," he said.

© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.

[clamper1797]

I would go just about anywhere for a VIABLE job and Florida would be in the top 5 site I would like to go to ... and I would not mind working for "Lazy L". I have already checked their job board and submitted a resume to them at the Florida site.

[sarcasm]

You might find this of interest:

David Ricardo: The Iron Law of Wages

[Woodman]

New York Metro/North New Jersey

[jayef]

I've never understood this either. I will mop floors and clean toilets if I have to. Flip burgers, drive a delivery truck, wash cars . . . whatever it takes. If you're to proud to take a job . . . any job . . . then I don't feel the least bit sorry for you.

[NYDave]

"<> What planet are you from? Don't you have any concept of what this economy has been all about. I've been out for almost two years, albeit also dealing with cancer. I've registered with temp firms and am willing to do just about anything that I am physically capable of doing. The cancer treatments have limited my mobility, somewhat, but I've got great skills. GUESS WHAT?!?!? The F**KING jobs are just not there or were not there in 2003. Trust me. I've looked into everything. I certainly hope you are enjoying living on your trust fund. I can't imagine any other reason why someone would make as stupid as statement as yours.

[jpsb]

Well prop 187, proves that American want social services for illegals halted and I don't think your average joe would have a problem punishing employers that hire illegals. So once again I maintain that my to suggestions would work and are acceptable to the American public.

If we had leaders that cared about the country and it's people, they would do exactly as I suggest. But we don't. for the most part we have traitors and fools for leaders.

I haven't been this mad since 94. Bush is doing a terrible job as president, expanding the federal government like LBJ, huge budget deficits, pork barrel spending is out of control, signing CFR, open borders, jobless economy, etc, etc, etc.

And as for the war on terror why is Arafat still walking around? Why is the PLA still terror bombing Israel? Are the Saudi still paying $50,000 per bomb? Yea, we are really fighting the terrorists aren't we.

[Dialup Llama]

>Jobs Americans Won't Do: Voodoo Economics from the White House.

>Thanks for that link. Good article. Missed it the first time. Surprised it came from NRO since they are usually in favor of flooding the market with cheap labor.

>On FR, I read an article that said many companies transfer operations to China to avoid implementing automation (forget where that article was). They use the cheap labor to make inefficient processes miraculously profitable.

From the Jobs Americans Won't Do Article- "But it's the second part of the response to a tighter labor market that people just don't get. By holding down natural wage growth in labor-intensive industries, immigration serves as a subsidy for low-wage, low-productivity ways of doing business, retarding technological progress and productivity growth."

Addiction to cheap labor has a downside, for an entrepreneur willing to exploit the weakness.

[jpsb]

"might want to try to influence your local GOP reps to cater towards your views than outright reject the GOP party"

I am just really pissed right now, I might calm down in a few weeks. There are some good people in the GOP, but I am very unhappy with the leadership.

[Dialup Llama]

>I've never understood this either. I will mop floors and clean toilets if I have to.

Romanticizing the struggling poor. How quaint. But I bet you haven't run the numbers on your backup plan. Yes 20 years ago a person could make a humble living doing such jobs. I recall a lady who got minimum wage working in a daycare center. She had her own apartment with furniture and a used car and was able to go out once in a while.

Today such min wage employers would take one look at you and reject you on sight. They want ONLY the illegals. Over the last 20 years the wages in the lowest quartile have greatly fallen below the cost of living.

[College Repub]

Draw on savings. I was out of work for 3 months from the time I graduated until Mid September. I had been looking for a job all senior year of college. I partied and travelled all that summer. Mid August I decided that I was going to get very serious with my job search and did nothing but job-search activities all day every day. I had an offer in about 9 days. No networking involved. I'm now in a job where I'll probably gross about 60k. Gotta look at the tax laws and see where that will land me. I have the worst interview and speaking skills ever, if I can do it, anyone can.

[College Repub]

Yup. I didn't see your post, was just replying to his. That's what I did this summer. And I've been at work now for almost 4 months and my plan was to have 6 months worth of savings, I now have 5 months worth. If you alwyas live below your means (Not neccesily way below, but below...) stuff like this isn't so bad...

[singsong]

Its a global economy. The job migration has happened and nothing can be done to stop it. That is free market capitalism

This is soundly untrue. There is no global capitalism - only global communism. Go read American history. This economy was created by calculated protective measures aimed at "increasing productivity by using machines". What you see now is "reducing cost by using slave labor and polution". Actualy we have the civil war issue all over again and now the South have won - a self defeating victory. The pool of slaves is in the billions and all that can happen is everyone else to fall to there level. The US government has betrayed the Amercan values.

[gcruse]

How does anyone go 6 months without a job?>>

It's called "being over forty," jack.

And that's a fact.

[singsong]

what are your views on the millions if not billions of dollars that were poured down the drain during the .COM years and when companies hired staff of technies who sat on 1000 dollar Herman miller chairs, drank cappachinos and played video games

This is a clueless question, economically speaking. The problem is with those who paid for such "work". Now what - to let the same idiot investors change the rules of the economic game, so that they lose less money with the next stupid product? Clueless as it gets.

[singsong]

On FR, I read an article that said many companies transfer operations to China to avoid implementing automation (forget where that article was). They use the cheap labor to make inefficient processes miraculously profitable.

It's the dirty little secret. Quite public at this point. Clintoon and Bush are fully in the course of the game. This week erased any doubts about it. We are moving towards a slave, commie-style society.

[snopercod]

Congratulations! Get yourself a copy of TurboTax if you want to get a jump on your taxes.

[OldPossum]

Re my post 31 and your 34, please don't misunderstand what I am saying. I am in deep sympathy with the posters on this thread who have become unemployed through no fault of their own. I was just trying to explain what may be the thinking of the Administration as regards unemployment compensation.

I am retired and damn glad that I am. Today's job market is really, really tough, the worst that I can recall.

[Tauzero]

ROTFL!

It's the "No Third-Worlder Left Behind" Act.

[bvw]

Hey! I just posted on another thread that same theory. This is Civil War II. The Global version. And my read is a bit more than just slavery.

See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1055243/posts?page=20#20

Great minds think alike! Or to be fair and humble ... perhaps this idea's time has arrived.

[bvw]

You might want to refine your question, else NYDAVE's last remark is the best call on it.