Unemployment Visualized

[Puppycow]

The Slate Jobs Map

This is a pretty neat tool for visualizing where in America jobs have been lost or gained in America over the last 3 years. Watch the map turn from mostly blue to massive amounts of red almost everywhere and then back to some blue mixed with red and finally it's starting to look like the blue is about become dominant again.

 

[YoPopa]

This jobs map looks a lot like the White House white board on jobs.

It is not clear whether the data was compiled including government jobs.

Here is another opinion on that score. The other side of the White House white board.

 

[Undesired Walrus]

What kind of Government Jobs?

 

[Schrodinger's Cat]

Does unemployment only include people who are receiving unemployment benefits?

I know this is a big issue with recent college grads. They don't get unemployment because they didn't LOSE their jobs, they just can't find any now. They're unemployed but wouldn't be counted if the only measure is unemployment collection.

Also what about severe underemployment? Since graduating college and having his contract with the army reserves end back in June, the only work my husband has had is ten hours a week or so at a game store. Though the few hundred dollars a month helps a little, it's not that much better than him being unemployed. He's been looking for work for months with no bites. Right now it's looking like he's going to have to take a security job in Kuwait and live there for a year due to there just being no job opportunities for him here as an entry level worker who only just graduated school.

 

[Xephyr]

Does unemployment only include people who are receiving unemployment benefits?

I know this is a big issue with recent college grads. They don't get unemployment because they didn't LOSE their jobs, they just can't find any now. They're unemployed but wouldn't be counted if the only measure is unemployment collection.

Also what about severe underemployment? Since graduating college and having his contract with the army reserves end back in June, the only work my husband has had is ten hours a week or so at a game store. Though the few hundred dollars a month helps a little, it's not that much better than him being unemployed. He's been looking for work for months with no bites. Right now it's looking like he's going to have to take a security job in Kuwait and live there for a year due to there just being no job opportunities for him here as an entry level worker who only just graduated school.

That's an unfortunate reality of the working world, SC.

When you're a young grad with little experience, it's tough to find a company willing to take you on to give you that needed experience to boost your resume.

It's a catch-22... How the heck is someone supposed to get the experience employers want when you can't find an employer that's willing to give it to you ?

I remember those frustrating days all too well.

But eventually someone does. And in the meantime, you have to scrape the pennies off the ground to keep your nose above water.

Chin up, hubby will land something at some point... it's inevitable.

The trick is to try to keep yourselves out of building up debt as best as possible in the meantime or you'll fall into a vicious circle of always living paycheque to paycheque even after you've secured good paying jobs.

 

[Puppycow]

Does unemployment only include people who are receiving unemployment benefits?

No. Unemployment includes anyone who wants to work but has no job, regardless of whether they are receiving unemployment benefits.

Also what about severe underemployment? Since graduating college and having his contract with the army reserves end back in June, the only work my husband has had is ten hours a week or so at a game store. Though the few hundred dollars a month helps a little, it's not that much better than him being unemployed.

That counts as being employed. How the Government Measures Unemployment

However, there are six different Alternative measures of labor underutilization (U-1 through U-6). U-3 is the normal "headline" unemployment rate, which is currently 9.6%.

If he only works 10 hours per week and wants to work more it would show up in U-6 as "employed part time for economic reasons." I think anything less than 35 hours per week is considered part time.

 

[Schrodinger's Cat]

Thanks for the clarification Puppy, and the words of encouragement, Xephyr

 

[Just thinking]

What I would like to know is what qualifies as a "created" job. For example, let's say that among 3 big companies, A - B - C, 1000 people quit their jobs (for whatever reason) and go to work for one of the other two. We now have 1000 new hires among these three companies (basically, replacements) ... but have any jobs actually been "created"? The same number of people are working, but yet I think it will show 1000 new hires in the stats. What's worse, is that we might only find 800 of those 1000 finding work. Now we show 800 hires with less people working. Or what if 1000 people retire and are replaced by 900 new hires? So when we get numbers out of Washington saying that 800,000 jobs have been "created", is that net or gross. Gross, IMHO, would be seriously questionable.

 

[Garrison0fMars]

Does unemployment only include people who are receiving unemployment benefits?

I know this is a big issue with recent college grads. They don't get unemployment because they didn't LOSE their jobs, they just can't find any now. They're unemployed but wouldn't be counted if the only measure is unemployment collection.

Also what about severe underemployment? Since graduating college and having his contract with the army reserves end back in June, the only work my husband has had is ten hours a week or so at a game store. Though the few hundred dollars a month helps a little, it's not that much better than him being unemployed. He's been looking for work for months with no bites. Right now it's looking like he's going to have to take a security job in Kuwait and live there for a year due to there just being no job opportunities for him here as an entry level worker who only just graduated school.

What did he major in if you don't mind me asking?

 

[drkitten]

What I would like to know is what qualifies as a "created" job. For example, let's say that among 3 big companies, A - B - C, 1000 people quit their jobs (for whatever reason) and go to work for one of the other two. We now have 1000 new hires among these three companies (basically, replacements) ... but have any jobs actually been "created"? The same number of people are working, but yet I think it will show 1000 new hires in the stats. What's worse, is that we might only find 800 of those 1000 finding work. Now we show 800 hires with less people working. Or what if 1000 people retire and are replaced by 900 new hires? So when we get numbers out of Washington saying that 800,000 jobs have been "created", is that net or gross. Gross, IMHO, would be seriously questionable.

Generally a "created" job is a new budget line. Filling an existing job is not a created job.

Of course, it's fairly easy to game those numbers; if I fire my admin assistant II and then re-hire an admin assistant I, that's technically a "created" job as the new job is a new line with a new description. (It's also quite possibly an example of illegal age discrimination, depending upon how the laws in my state are written, but we'll ignore that.)

Similarly, if a math professor retires and they give the tenure line to the history department, that's a "created" job because it's a new budget line. But most companies don't bother gaming the system this way; not enough incentive.

 

[drkitten]

It's a catch-22... How the heck is someone supposed to get the experience employers want when you can't find an employer that's willing to give it to you ?

I remember those frustrating days all too well.

But eventually someone does. And in the meantime, you have to scrape the pennies off the ground to keep your nose above water.

The usual solution to the catch-22, by the way, is volunteer work. Depending upon what you (want to) do, you can usually find some local do-good-nik that needs your skills and is willing to let you use them as long as you don't want money for it.

E.g., are you a computer programmer? Offer to update the local homeless shelter's database. Work on a sourceforge project.

Do you do marketing? Work the phones for the local NPR station, or design some ads for a no-kill animal shelter.

Are you a historian? Volunteer to shelve books at the local library or give tours at the local museum.

Anything that will let someone with letterhead say that you've done really good work for the past six months.

Chin up, hubby will land something at some point... it's inevitable.

The trick is to try to keep yourselves out of building up debt as best as possible in the meantime or you'll fall into a vicious circle of always living paycheque to paycheque even after you've secured good paying jobs.[/QUOTE]

 

[Garrison0fMars]

The usual solution to the catch-22, by the way, is volunteer work. Depending upon what you (want to) do, you can usually find some local do-good-nik that needs your skills and is willing to let you use them as long as you don't want money for it.

E.g., are you a computer programmer? Offer to update the local homeless shelter's database. Work on a sourceforge project.

Do you do marketing? Work the phones for the local NPR station, or design some ads for a no-kill animal shelter.

Are you a historian? Volunteer to shelve books at the local library or give tours at the local museum.

Anything that will let someone with letterhead say that you've done really good work for the past six months.

Don't forget internships as well. A friend of mine who just graduated was able to land himself a job in his field of study pretty quickly largely because he was able to intern in his relevant field of occupational study. This option of course will vary with the individual school, but the internship was offered from a community college, so my guess it's not such a sparse option available.

 

[drkitten]

Don't forget internships as well. A friend of mine who just graduated was able to land himself a job in his field of study pretty quickly largely because he was able to intern in his relevant field of occupational study.

I didn't forget them as much as write them off, because everyone knows about them and the competition just to get unpaid internships is scary.

Internships are like,... nostrils. As in, if you only have one, people will look at you funny.

 

[Garrison0fMars]

I didn't forget them as much as write them off, because everyone knows about them and the competition just to get unpaid internships is scary.

Internships are like,... nostrils. As in, if you only have one, people will look at you funny.

Maybe, but if they're a viable option for someone, it can really help with solving the catch 22 problem. Of course volunteering is also viable, and a lot more available, but I was just adding another possibility. Temp agencies, if they exist for your relevant field, may be an option as well at gaining relevant work experience, but I'm not sure how that works (never worked or interacted with a temp agency).

 

[Aepervius]

This jobs map looks a lot like the White House white board on jobs.

It is not clear whether the data was compiled including government jobs.

Here is another opinion on that score. The other side of the White House white board.

I have a problem with the reasonning of the guy : he himself make the error or seeing a positive job market (less unemployment) as if it benefit middle class. It is clearly not so if the middle class lose well paying job, to only get back basic low paid job.

That said his critic of the guy in the video are at time spot on, the guy in the vide has a very obvious political agenda.
But who doesn't in washington ?

 

[Nerd]

But how many of the newly gained jobs were temporary positions created by government spending?

 

[YoPopa]

But how many of the newly gained jobs were temporary positions created by government spending?

Watch the video The other side of the White House white board referenced above for clarity on that.

 

[Just thinking]

Generally a "created" job is a new budget line. Filling an existing job is not a created job.

Correct ... but if a company takes stimulus money and hires a replacement with it, and then puts the extra money (originally set aside as payroll money) as capital gains ... well, you get the picture.

Of course, it's fairly easy to game those numbers; if I fire my admin assistant II and then re-hire an admin assistant I, that's technically a "created" job as the new job is a new line with a new description.

Yes ... you DO get the picture.

Similarly, if a math professor retires and they give the tenure line to the history department, that's a "created" job because it's a new budget line. But most companies don't bother gaming the system this way; not enough incentive.

But I think my example above is something of an incentive, in that it boosts the company's profits and gets investors to perhaps take second looks.

 

[Puppycow]

What I would like to know is what qualifies as a "created" job.

The BLS doesn't really deal in "created" jobs. The unemployment rate is the number of people actively looking for work divided by the labor force. Hence, hiring one person while firing another makes no net difference to the unemployment rate.

For example, let's say that among 3 big companies, A - B - C, 1000 people quit their jobs (for whatever reason) and go to work for one of the other two. We now have 1000 new hires among these three companies (basically, replacements) ... but have any jobs actually been "created"?

If the employees quit rather than being fired or laid off, it seems likely that company A will want to hire replacements for most of them anyway.

The same number of people are working, but yet I think it will show 1000 new hires in the stats.

Not the BLS stats. They don't keep track of "new hires." They keep track of who is employed and who is not, but is actively seeking employment.

What's worse, is that we might only find 800 of those 1000 finding work. Now we show 800 hires with less people working. Or what if 1000 people retire and are replaced by 900 new hires? So when we get numbers out of Washington saying that 800,000 jobs have been "created", is that net or gross. Gross, IMHO, would be seriously questionable.

Those numbers "coming out of Washington" would not be official BLS numbers because that's not what they deal with. Those numbers are indeed "questionable." They are probably based on models or surveys, both of which are questionable methods, and are likely put out by people working for politicians or political think tanks or the like.

 

[Puppycow]

The Slate Jobs Map

Now they've published Another Way To Visualize Unemployment

This one is based not on monthly job gains or losses but on unemployment rates.