The press release headline from the Georgia Dept. of Labor sounds promising — Metro Savannah’s unemployment rate declines to 9.3 percent in September — but there’s little good news in this latest report. Yes, the Savannah metro area employment rate…
Tag: Employment
Employment-based Philly Fed index shows Georgia, other states in economic decline
Is another recession already underway? Imminent? Or will we stave off a technical recession even as we are mired in a period of slow growth with many economic measures stuck far below their highs from four years ago? I’ve made…
Almost half a million Georgians receiving unemployment checks — should we cut their benefits?
487,471 Georgians are receiving unemployment checks right now. That’s a staggering number for a state with less than 10 million people. Almost 15% of residents over the age of 18 are currently receiving unemployment benefits. Right now, the highest weekly…
More of the same in Georgia’s September jobs numbers
The best thing about yesterday’s release of September jobs data for the state of Georgia is that the press release only contained a little bit of spin — and that was justifiable spin. In recent months, the Dept. of Labor…
A quick look at retail sales: where we are and where we should be
Typically, post World War II recessions have had relatively little lasting impact on retail sales. The numbers will be sluggish for a few quarters, and then they’ll work their way back to the long-term trends. In a great Calculated Risk…
Median incomes in decline for two years after recession comes to a technical end
I was skeptical of the decision to call summer 2009 the end of the recession. Too many indicators remained below their previous highs — in many cases far below — and some have still not recovered. As I’ve noted here…
Ezra Klein on the stimulus and the what ifs
I’m a big fan of The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein, a columnist who deals primarily with financial matters. His writings rely on data that he has interpreted clearly. And, unlike some other economics columnists, he understands political realities and takes…
Economy adds a meager 103,000 jobs in September, unemployment steady at 9.1%
The U.S. economy added 103,000 jobs in September, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate remained steady at 9.1%. The numbers are seasonally adjusted. Adding jobs is obviously better than losing them, but…
Great Recession may be over, but has Southern Recession begun?
I have been highly critical of the ways in which Georgia’s leadership has dealt with the 2007 to 2009 recession and the sluggish growth that has followed. There’s now mounting evidence that Georgia and other Southern states have slipped back…
We’re #1! Atlanta leads all U.S. metro areas in job losses over the last year
I’ve been writing a lot lately about employment and about the poor almost nonexistent response to joblessness since the recession began in 2007. Take a look at the AJC’s piece, Atlanta top metro area — for job losses. From the…
Job losses — a regional context for local and statewide problems
Just a quick post to pull a few issues together. In my City Talk column today — Where did all the jobs go? — I write in some detail about the sectors of the local economy that have accounted for…
A look at some of the poverty data for 2010 — tough numbers for tough times
There’s been a lot of press the last couple of days about poverty in the United States and in Georgia. I’m not going to give a full recap of any of that, so check out news items like this one…
Philly Fed data shows 24 states with declining or stagnant economies in August
Is it because of the bitter debt ceiling debate that spooked markets, consumers, and companies with money to invest? Or is it because of more fundamental economic problems? Are we now rebounding in September? Or will the sovereign debt crisis…
Google chairman Eric Schmidt on how to avoid “years of extraordinarily low growth”
I previously posted some of the thoughts of UPS CEO Scott Davis about ways to boost the economy. Over the weekend on This Week, Christian Amanpour interviewed Google chairman Eric Schmidt, who has clear and authoritative opinions about the lack…