[chiroptera]

I truly don't know anyone personally on UE. In fact I can't name anyone who is. Now...I do know a few people who are barely working, but they're not eligible for unemployment because they were (like me) self-employed. And I know two people on disability; they don't work because they can't. I'm certainly no recluse! People I know range from friends who are barely scraping by on disability, to people quite well off. What may skew my perception is that one of my businesses is in the home improvement area - my clients tend to fall into the latter category. I assure you I am personally far, far from "well-off" but I am working and staying, barely, ahead of the bills.

I wasn't trying to paint a rosy picture or being a pollyanna here! I know it's bad; I've used words like "grim" in describing the economic situation here, and yes I live in Flint. Nowhere did I deny the UE statistics. I guess it was easy to misread my post, I didn't word it that well.

All I was saying, was that although there are indeed a lot of people un- or underemployed, in fact still a majority of people in Michigan are employed. I was just trying to counter the "OMG we're all going down the drain, we're doomed, flee for your very lives" sentiment.

Originally Posted by MTUCache

Don't mean to call you a liar, but if your location is still "SE Michigan" I find this extremely difficult to believe. The only way I can imagine someone in SE Michigan not knowing anyone on unemployment right now would be if they were a complete recluse or they hung out in a very different class of people than I do.

.

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by BabyKong1608

Michigan unemployment tops 15%


How depressing! Just another reason why I am leaving this state... how can anyone survive with 15% unemployment? It's ridiculous. This state is going down the drain.... and fast. I hope Jennifer Granholm enjoys her mansion on Mackinac Island while the rest of us struggle trying to make ends meet.

If 15% are unemployed, it means 85% are still working, at least part of the time. I think we need to start taking serious measures on a grassroots basis and stop waiting for Granholm to get our butts out of this sling.

My suggestion: When a lazy teenager quits his or her fast-food job, the managers should start favoring single parents and other displaced adults in need of money when they look for replacements -- in some cases these people are supporting not only themselves but the above-mentioned teenagers AND their own elderly parents. During the Great Depression, married women who were not breadwinners themselves were encouraged to resign to allow the managers to hire those supporting themselves or their families. I can hear the screams of "sexism" and "job discrimination" now, but the landscape is very different now. There are single dads as well as single moms who need those jobs more than anyone who already has disability income and a roommate, or who just wants vacation money on top of their full-time pay, or who are kids living at home and saving up to buy their first cars.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

[junior 88 fan]

Most in Lansing fear it is closer to 20% and expect it to be higher (25%) by years end. There are a few older posts about this. I don't think anyone expects Jenny to get our butts out of it, but, many will blame her for this mess and the lack of real leadership to steer us out (she is still blaming Engler for christ sake). Windmills and the green energy crap IS NOT going to put thousands back to work nor will it attract thousands of new companies to this high tax, union state.

[LIS123]

Did Michigan release its official unemployment number for July 2009? I have been trying to find it on the net, as it usually comes out in the middle of the month.

[chiroptera]

I think in Flint the official numbers are close to 30%, maybe 28%...that was in the paper yesterday.
And that doesn't take into account people who are underemployed or simply don't qualify for UE.
Mind you that's Flint....numbers will be very different in adjacent towns like Swartz Creek, Grand Blanc, Davison.

LIS - yes they did. According to the numbers (and depending how much trust one has in them) Michigan's jobless rate actually improved for July, by .02%.

But....according to this article, that is nothing to get excited about.

[gwinn_raptor]

it probably improved a bit because a bunch of people probably just lost their benefits.....or their benefits just ran out.

The rate may show 15% but the actual rate is close to double that.......its called something like the U6 rate or something like that.....not sure.

It sure isnt any good news though.

[LIS123]

Originally Posted by gwinn_raptor

it probably improved a bit because a bunch of people probably just lost their benefits.....or their benefits just ran out.

The rate may show 15% but the actual rate is close to double that.......its called something like the U6 rate or something like that.....not sure.

It sure isnt any good news though.

It looks like there were actually 38K jobs added last month, at least according to the link below.

U6 is the name for the true unemployment rate, but I read last month that Michigan's U6 was between 20-21% which was a lot lower than I expected.


Michigan Labor Market Information, Mi Fast Facts, HOME

[malamute]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

If 15% are unemployed, it means 85% are still working, at least part of the time. I think we need to start taking serious measures on a grassroots basis and stop waiting for Granholm to get our butts out of this sling.

My suggestion: When a lazy teenager quits his or her fast-food job, the managers should start favoring single parents and other displaced adults in need of money when they look for replacements -- in some cases these people are supporting not only themselves but the above-mentioned teenagers AND their own elderly parents. During the Great Depression, married women who were not breadwinners themselves were encouraged to resign to allow the managers to hire those supporting themselves or their families. I can hear the screams of "sexism" and "job discrimination" now, but the landscape is very different now. There are single dads as well as single moms who need those jobs more than anyone who already has disability income and a roommate, or who just wants vacation money on top of their full-time pay, or who are kids living at home and saving up to buy their first cars.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

Single parents usually means welfare check to fall back on and I've seen teens working for a car, working for future college, show a whole lot more work ethic.

Teens who are working don't have parents or a government willing to just hand them money - I think they have just as much right to be hired.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by chiroptera

I truly don't know anyone personally on UE. In fact I can't name anyone who is. Now...I do know a few people who are barely working, but they're not eligible for unemployment because they were (like me) self-employed. And I know two people on disability; they don't work because they can't. I'm certainly no recluse! People I know range from friends who are barely scraping by on disability, to people quite well off. What may skew my perception is that one of my businesses is in the home improvement area - my clients tend to fall into the latter category. I assure you I am personally far, far from "well-off" but I am working and staying, barely, ahead of the bills.

I wasn't trying to paint a rosy picture or being a pollyanna here! I know it's bad; I've used words like "grim" in describing the economic situation here, and yes I live in Flint. Nowhere did I deny the UE statistics. I guess it was easy to misread my post, I didn't word it that well.

All I was saying, was that although there are indeed a lot of people un- or underemployed, in fact still a majority of people in Michigan are employed. I was just trying to counter the "OMG we're all going down the drain, we're doomed, flee for your very lives" sentiment.

Scroll down the Michigan page and check out those people talking about this extension, that extension. I get the impression they are counting on the government handing them a check indefinitely and it's not a grim situation as long as the government does that.

It's if the unemployment checks ever stop rolling in. But then I guess the welfare programs will kick in for them. We haven't really seen grim yet, 15% or even 30% of people getting a check close to what they had working isn't grim.

[chiroptera]

It's been a long time since I was a teen...but I was working and self sufficient at 17. I imagine a lot of teenagers are contributing to household bills one way or another by working.

Originally Posted by malamute

Single parents usually means welfare check to fall back on and I've seen teens working for a car, working for future college, show a whole lot more work ethic.

Teens who are working don't have parents or a government willing to just hand them money - I think they have just as much right to be hired.