[krock1dk]

Originally Posted by gwinn_raptor

I thought i read somewhere that the unemployment rate is like 8-9% in Arizona, is that correct?

Not being smart, just asking.

If 8-9% is bad for Arizona, how bad would it feel if it was 15% like Michigan is currently. Michigan is normally around 7-8-9% unemployment.....which doesn't feel as bad as it does right now.

There is a county just North of Marquette that is over 24% unemployment currently.....not counting the people that are not on unemployment right now because of their benefits running out. It sucks!

I understand that this nations problems do not solely fall on Michigans shoulders or that michigan is the only state effected.......but man it sure seems like we as a state keep getting kicked while we are down. It just seems to keep getting worse and worse.

Yes, AZ has an unemployment rate at alomst 9% and BELOW the national average. But that is NOT a consilation by any means. Unlike MI, AZ has no industry and doesnt produce any goods. Its economy is very 'fragile' and cyclic. The bulk of Arizona's economy is very low paying service industries--retail, restaurants, tourism, call centers and housingg construction--that dont offer much of a future or a paycheck. Couple the low incomes with the grossly overrated cost of living, and, believe it or not, Arizona ranks being one the LEAST affordable markets in the nation to live and having almost the most unbalanced economy in the country. Not only are wages very low here, but unemployment benefits rank near the bottom and teachers salaries are also among the lowest.

Michigan EASILY has the advantage over Arizona: water, more central location, and industry (that produces higher earnings). Yes, our unemployment rate is a bit BELOW the nat'l average but its largest industries that drive economy, especially housing construction, has made AZ lose more jobs per-capita than any state. Trust me, its not going well here at all. Oh, yes...AZ also has the 2nd highest budget deficit in the country, and less than a year from now we will be just like CA. It is NOT rosy here in the least. You actaually may B best served to remain in MI. If you really want to move to this part of the country, why not New Mexico??

[krock1dk]

Originally Posted by gradstudent77

Where the jobs are - Pinal County, AZ (1) - Money Magazine

People in MI need to migrate. Just like the midwest fled to Cali during the dust bowl, people in high unemployment areas of the country need to move on to places with jobs. I remember reading somewhere that Bismarck, ND was doing pretty well relatively.

People who own homes but have really dim job prospects might even want to sell their homes and move someplace cheap outside the US where they could effectively retire on the proceeds from selling their home.

Excuse me but there are no jobs to be found....anywhere. The entire country is being hit. And guess what states have the highest unemployment? MI (obvious), CA, NC, SC, OR and FL. And most of those are sun belt states that were previously booming. MI has the advantage due to its more central location, WATER and industry (that has the potential to produce higher incomes). Moving west wont necessarily help you....at all.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by gradstudent77

Where the jobs are - Pinal County, AZ (1) - Money Magazine

People in MI need to migrate. Just like the midwest fled to Cali during the dust bowl, people in high unemployment areas of the country need to move on to places with jobs. I remember reading somewhere that Bismarck, ND was doing pretty well relatively.

People who own homes but have really dim job prospects might even want to sell their homes and move someplace cheap outside the US where they could effectively retire on the proceeds from selling their home.

I agree. Anyone who is not helping to create jobs in Michigan would be better off leaving.

[Sparrow_temp]

It's hard to sell a home in MI let alone actually make a profit on it. The state has a negative population growth. Most of the real estate sales I bet are foreclosures or short sales at this point.

[Jwo85]

Originally Posted by krock1dk

Excuse me but there are no jobs to be found....anywhere. The entire country is being hit. And guess what states have the highest unemployment? MI (obvious), CA, NC, SC, OR and FL. And most of those are sun belt states that were previously booming. MI has the advantage due to its more central location, WATER and industry (that has the potential to produce higher incomes). Moving west wont necessarily help you....at all.

Employers hiring the Class of 2009 - CNN.com

[Cpak240]

Originally Posted by Jwo85

Employers hiring the Class of 2009 - CNN.com

Well, that is something like 5,000 jobs....nationwide. However, there are 1.5 million students graduating from college. What about the other 1,495,000 graduates?

[LIS123]

The Government completely cooks the books when it comes to unemployment numbers. They provide the so called U3 statistic, while the real unemployment is described by U6. On the BLS website, U6 is almost 17% while the official unemployment rate is 9.5%. If Michigan's official rate is 15.2%, the true unemployment rate is probably 25%+. My friend owns a small business in the Flint area and repeatedly says that the Economy in Michigan is a lot WORSE than the news reports portray it as being.

My guess is that the official number in MI will be around 18-20% by the end of the year. That means the real rate could easily break 30%. It's very sad.

[chiroptera]

I'm not the friend you mention, but I also own a small business in the Flint area and agree. It's awful - most of my clientele are in the wealthier suburbs like Grand Blanc, Swartz Creek, etc and I am still doing half the business I used to. And, I no longer can afford employees except for one part time...we're barely getting by these days.

Whatever numbers the gummint provides don't reflect those who are still working but making significantly less than they were a couple of years ago. Or self employed people, who are not eligible for unemployment benefits, thus don't show in the statistics. Or those who lost well-paying jobs and are now working one (or more) low-paying jobs, scrambling to stay afloat.

As to leaving and selling my home - if I could afford to, I would. Property taxes went up, value of my home went down, go figure. What is keeping me here is I own my house outright, and what I could get for it if I sold it would barely provide living expenses for a year, let alone the ability to buy another home elsewhere.

Originally Posted by LIS123

The Government completely cooks the books when it comes to unemployment numbers. They provide the so called U3 statistic, while the real unemployment is described by U6. On the BLS website, U6 is almost 17% while the official unemployment rate is 9.5%. If Michigan's official rate is 15.2%, the true unemployment rate is probably 25%+. My friend owns a small business in the Flint area and repeatedly says that the Economy in Michigan is a lot WORSE than the news reports portray it as being.

My guess is that the official number in MI will be around 18-20% by the end of the year. That means the real rate could easily break 30%. It's very sad.

[LIS123]

Originally Posted by chiroptera

Whatever numbers the gummint provides don't reflect those who are still working but making significantly less than they were a couple of years ago. Or self employed people, who are not eligible for unemployment benefits, thus don't show in the statistics. Or those who lost well-paying jobs and are now working one (or more) low-paying jobs, scrambling to stay afloat.

The BLS website does provide the real unemployment figures (at least on a nationwide basis). It's called U6; what they release to us is U3.

My friend says he has people who formerly made $50K+ with the Big 3 begging him for basic jobs (cleaning, working the register, etc.)

[gr8pyrz]

I think it really depends on what area of MI someone lives in as to their perspective. SE MI, south of Detroit, although hit hard is not showing near the signs that other areas are. Same with the northern suburbs.....you go up there, you see no sign of the recession at all.

Downriver we are still seeing new Mustangs and Dodge Chargers on the roads all the time, the store I work in does an incredible business even on Mondays, the restaurants are still busy even during the week......there are still a LOT of people employed and doing just fine.

Our self-employed friends run a more luxury oriented service business and have seen barely a blip in their business. We have a steady stream of customers in the store that are buying travel supplies for trips.....

Even the movie openings that are happening during this recession accross the country are proving there is plenty of money flowing.

We are the only ones in our social group that are struggling because my husband is a carpenter (now going back to school for criminal justice for a career change). Everyone else is booking trips, buying big screens and are holding steady with 2-income households.

I just think it depends on the surroundings. Once you take a logical look around, it's really not that bad everywhere !