Unemployment Struggles Across the US: How is Your Area Doing?

[jwpamp]

Just asking here, not trying to get anyone down, but are you experienceing the same issues with unemployment in the different areas of the country as we are?

Northern Indiana has a 10% + unemployment rate right now, and that doesn't include those who have gone from full to part time, or those who are working 3 jobs because they lost their main job....

one of the steel mills is going to lay off 75% of it's workforce by January.

What is it like where you are? Just trying to get info from places on the east and west coast and the south, too!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Re: UnemploymentWell, here in Michigan, we have the highest rate of unemployment in the nation, and we are 50th out of 50 states in Economic forecast. Our economy is completely tied into the Auto Industry. For several years, when unemployment wasn't a big deal anywhere else, it has still been the major issue here. There isn't any business or company that hasn't been hit by the economy in some way.
It's been this way here for so long, it's no longer even major news anymore - it's more like, as a state, we are just resigned to it, and have learned to live with it.

 

[janetupnorth]

Re: UnemploymentIt's actually very good in our small area right now. The industry I work in is down the last few months but still up about 8% over last year. My company froze spending and has done other things as to not affect the workforce at all.The country as a whole has been living on a bubble and beyond its means for way too long.We're in for a long ride...

 

[chefliz]

Re: Unemployment

Just asking here, not trying to get anyone down, but are you experienceing the same issues with unemployment in the different areas of the country as we are?

Northern Indiana has a 10% + unemployment rate right now, and that doesn't include those who have gone from full to part time, or those who are working 3 jobs because they lost their main job....

one of the steel mills is going to lay off 75% of it's workforce by January.

What is it like where you are? Just trying to get info from places on the east and west coast and the south, too!

It's pretty bad here too...

One of the biggest employers one county over is leaving the area and they employ over 8,000 people and that isn't even mentioning all the other companies that will be affected by it. There are other companies that are laying off also. People here are so worried.

 

[Flamingo]

Re: UnemploymentMy DH retired from the Navy in April and has been unemployed since. We are having a hard time and the future is not lookin good. The state of Maryland has the highest rate of unemployment they have ever had before. Not lookin good at all..................

 

[DebbieJ]

Re: UnemploymentWell, DH just got laid off Thursday, so I'm thinking things are not good over here either.

 

[pcchefjane]

Re: UnemploymentI have been out of work since June 4th here. I am an Administrative Assistant with 25 years of experience, have outstanding Word and Excel skills, type 65 WPM, and have data entry of 10,000+ KPH. My problem: 56 yo, on a cane most of the time, overweight, and too overqualified... I have even applied to $8/hr jobs and no one will hire me because I have "too good" skills!

 

[pampchefrhondab]

Re: UnemploymentWell I'm in Northern Indiana so mine is the same as yours. My husband just lost his job two weeks ago, but thanks to the training he received and decided to go into he had skills employers were looking for. He starts his new job tomorrow morning. Unfortunately he has to drive about 50 minutes.

I went to the mall today and was shocked at how it wasn't busy the weekend before Thanksgiving!! Of course, maybe people were celebrating w/their families early. I just thought we wouldn't find any parking and it was half empty in the parking lot!

I pray every day this economy would improve. It goes in cycles and I think it will get better! I graduated in 1983 and it was worse in our city then (Ft. Wayne). We lost a lot of jobs including International Harvester where my Dad worked. If we lose our GM plant it will get just as bad though!

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Re: UnemploymentOur unemployment rate is 7.3 percent, but I learned back in college that this rate only reflects those receiving unemployment benefits, not people who are under-employed or whose benefits have run out.Our foreclosure rate mirrors states affected by hurricanes. The hurricane that hit our economy was the closure of many manufacturing plants.I make do with the equivalent of two minimum wage paychecks, drive a 17-year-old car that seems to require major repair every six months, and blatantly ignore at least one utility bill every month.

 

[candiejayne]

Re: UnemploymentMy BF was just laid off, but its due to type of job, he's in construction and it's cold and no one has work for him. It happens every year. Our area has not seen the dramatic changes that everywhere else seems to have encountered. Our house values have not dropped, I work in an office that deals with house sales, I recently did an analysis of forclosures over the past 3 years, and this year, as of Nov. 1, we only have 4 more then 2006 and 2 more then 2007. I'd say thats pretty steady. We deal with about 10,000 parcels and we have had less then 30 forclosures a year for the past 3 years. Percentagewise, the numbers are not bad at all.

Even with lay offs coming up, which the bank knew, we were able to take out a hefty equity loan. They only required a 3rd party co-signer since we didn't have the colateral. The house needed some major improvements, and until they were completed, we didn't have enough value in the house to stand up for it.

The area I live in is the Headquarters for John Deere. We have 4 different plants, and engineering center, and the headquarters office. While jobs are not plentiful, there are jobs.

In the last year we have added our 4th Walmart to the area, and fast food joints are springing up like crazy. New house construction has fallen, but commercial construction is up this year.

 

[lockwoodPc]

Re: UnemploymentWe live in Elkhart county "Rv central" and my husband has 5 weeks off for christmas this year!!!! I hate this.. you never know how things are gonna go anymore.

 

[ughubug]

Re: UnemploymentI lost my job a month ago and my boyfriends hours were cut. Our foreclosure rate is bad...the school district is in a hiring freeze...I can't even find substitute teaching jobs. There is definitely a huge impact here over 8% unemployment!

Scary!

 

[pampchefrhondab]

Re: Unemployment

We live in Elkhart county "Rv central" and my husband has 5 weeks off for christmas this year!!!! I hate this.. you never know how things are gonna go anymore.

I agree. My husband's work was in boats. They were so busy last winter he was working 70-80 hours a week - on salary so no extra money. Now they don't have enough orders to even work. They are closing the plant for 6 weeks and let about 1/2 of the workers go (including my husband). When they are working it's only a 32 hour week so the employees left are taking a 20% pay cut - this is okay if you were hourly making all the extra cash last winter, but they also cut salary pay 20%. I just don't think that is right when salary can't get overtime!

I'm actually glad he was let go since I don't know how our pay check to pay check budget could have taken a 20% pay-cut and 5 weeks of unemployment (there is a 1 week waiting period). I'm not sure he would have been looking as hard for a new job if he wasn't let go.

 

[jwpamp]

Re: UnemploymentI figured that others were as affected as we were, but I am so very sorry to hear about all of the unemployment that has hit our very own CS team.

I know that for every job that is lost, 20 others are affected (people not spending when they don't have it cuts the work for others, too).

My husband's job is in jeopardy, too. He is with the railroad, and there is not as much product to ship -- they maintain all auto traffic that happens thru the US, and any auto shipped from one area of the country to the other goes thru their rail yards. Obviously not a whole lot of work for them these days.

I have kept my medical license active, and am currently looking for a position in case he's laid off. Our son has a heart condition and we can't go without health insurance. Oh how I hate to go back to that career, sooooo stressful. I will do anything to keep our family safe, though.

I pray that change comes soon, and will keep you all in my prayers.

 

[janetupnorth]

Re: UnemploymentJanice - good job keeping that up "just in case". There is a big demand in the medical field in many areas still. Hopefully you won't have to go back to that though, I know how stressful that can be for many people! I was out from 1-3:30 a.m. on a call so I'm feeling it physically today. Luckily not mentally.

 

[darlinclem]

Re: UnemploymentI live in a county with a population of 5K (yes, I said COUNTY). We had a local large business go under last month laying off almost 200 people. This was on of the highest paying jobs in the area (especially for women). It has really hurt things. My show average has gone WAY down. That said before this we had underemployment. Hays, KS (the largest local town) can't bring businesses to town because they don't have enough work force. Our county was having the same problem. We'll see now. We are mainly rural farming and DH is sure that the farm market will crash in the next 2-3 years. Grain prices are just too high right now. We have been trying to save up as much as possible in case there is a downturn. We are living better than we did 5 years ago but I still remember 10 years ago when it was hand to mouth.

 

[princessmeshelle]

Re: Unemploymenti'm not sure what the percentages are up here, but i can say they are building lots of new shopping centers here in anchorage since we moved up here. and alot of people up here say that the housing market up here is steadier than the lower 48. all i know for sure is i have seen ALOT of hiring signs. they are just not the "career" type jobs. you know, fast food, walmart, fred meyer, target, khols... those are just the ones i know of. i must admit i'm still nervous. i figure it will hit us sooner or later, i'm just not sure what to expect.

 

[pampcheflisa]

Re: UnemploymentWell, I am in TX and TX usually has a really good economy even when the rest of the country is hurting. My husband has been unemployed since October. He is in the home building industry, and worked for a home builder, got laid off in March (he survived 3 rounds of lay offs and the 4th got him). Went to work for a home security company in May and they filed for bankruptcy in October. So, I guess a lot depends on the industry. Our area also has a huge GM plant here, so if that goes down, it could be bad. I think here in the DFW area, the economy is okay, as long as you are not in the residential building industry, car industry or financial industry!!!

 

[kaseydee]

Re: UnemploymentArkansas in Oct had 5.4% unemployment rate which was down from last year by 0.1%. We will hurt more when Alltel merges w/Verizon. Alltel's headquarters are here in the state & numerous jobs will be lost from that. We are lucky to have Tyson Foods, Wal-Mart, Dillards and other top companies based in our state which help our numbers.

 

[merego]

Re: Unemployment

It's pretty bad here too...

One of the biggest employers one county over is leaving the area and they employ over 8,000 people and that isn't even mentioning all the other companies that will be affected by it. There are other companies that are laying off also. People here are so worried.

I live close to Liz and it is bad. My husband found an awesome job ( thank goodness) after 1 year and we are having to move now because we have to go where the job is. He is in real estate developement and that market is horrible. He has 2 masters and couldn't even get a job at Home Depot, it was bad around here.

 

[chefsteph07]

Re: UnemploymentMy husband works in the aerospace industry...it has been shaky for about 6 months, they had a major contract w/ an airline company that they had been working on and the airline company cancelled it..so I was pessimistic. He also received an email a few weeks ago that they are cutting back all overtime and no expendictures for the foreseeable future, no Christmas party, no co. paid lunches, probably no company picnic in the summer and a very minimal raise in Jan, if any. However, they had a meeting on Friday and when he came home he said that the company is ok and they are not planning any layoffs and they are contracted for the next few years w/ the airline companies. He's a little disappointed about losing his perks of OT and christmas party, etc, but if he can keep his job it will be ok. The prospect of no raise is not good, we have been really cutting corners due to food going up,etc, but my PC checks have been keeping us in check. I do hope that things ease up a bit, I know it will take a while, it took a while for us to get in this situation as a country, I'm sure it's not going to turn around overnight.

This too shall pass...

 

[jwpamp]

Re: UnemploymentA little light at the end of the tunnel....Obama planning to add jobs to improve our crumbng infrastucture is such a welcome idea!

I just hope that they use US made steel and not that imported from China!!

 

[pampchefrhondab]

Re: UnemploymentSpeaking of imported from China. Has anyone noticed how much CANDY is now imported from China!! I saw some at Target and at Dollar General.

There is NO WAY I would let my kid have candy from China!

 

[ughubug]

Re: UnemploymentOi Vey...So I had lost my job in October, I have definitely pumped up my PC schedule but have yet to find anything while my business is growing it is not yet enough to pay the bills. Boyfriend got laid off yesterday at 5:30pm. Makes it difficult to stay on the road to positive thinking. Not sure what to do at this point, it is rare that I ask for prayers and positive thoughts but we could definitely use them now.

 

[chefsteph07]

Re: UnemploymentI"m so sorry to hear this! Can you guys get unemployment in the meantime?

 

[ughubug]

Re: UnemploymentYes we can and I am thankful for that. Its not enough to pay our basic bills but it is much better than not receiving anything. Unfortunately the unemployment rate is at 8% and the system is backed up so it could be 4-6 weeks before he sees anything.

 

[jwpamp]

Re: UnemploymentOh no!

Can I make a little suggestion (my daughter gave me info on this)....there is a group here in NW Indiana called Angel Food Ministry. Info at:
http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

You do pay a little for it, but the amount of food is really great. She was referring everyone she knew that needed it -- I have amazing kids!

I am not sure if it is available in your area, but it's worth a try. Please pass the word, and if you have extra this season, perhaps giving to them in a monetary way would be a great gift to others this year.

Hugs,
Janice

 

[candiejayne]

Re: Unemployment

Can I make a little suggestion (my daughter gave me info on this)....there is a group here in NW Indiana called Angel Food Ministry. Info at:
Welcome - Angel Food Ministries

Thank you very much for this information, its going to help me greatly! My BF is laid off, and since it was such a bad summer for work, he didn't accumulate as much for his umemployment, we have taken a major pay cut. I did a search, and there is a site only 2.3 miles from my home.

 

[jwpamp]

Re: UnemploymentGlad to hear that it will help! Please pay it forward by telling everyone about it!

 

[candiejayne]

Re: UnemploymentI will for sure! I had forgotten my sister used it while in college and things got tight!

 

[ughubug]

Re: UnemploymentWow what a neat idea. Unfortunately there is not one near us. Thank you for sharing though.

 

[pclinskie]

Re: Unemploymentmy husband lost his job last dec. got a new one in May at....a STEEL MILL
They just went went down to 3 days a week. Lost all business except for a contract they have with the goverment. we shall see how that words out.
we live in eastern PA

 

[jwpamp]

Re: UnemploymentThey show 2 locations in Pottstown. Use them when you need them and then donate when things get better for you.

Good luck!

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Re: UnemploymentGoing out on a limb (I don't usually post such identifying details) by posting this:http://www.ohio.com/business/35947759.htmlI'm not affected ... yet ... any more than I have been for months.It's skeery around these parts ...

 

[jwpamp]

Re: UnemploymentWell, I did tell hubby that we could take the $1500 gift card if things get bad in the next few months....Mexico would be an extravagence when you are on the unemployment line, and the money would pay for a few months of random expenses (utilities, phone, etc.).

 

[lockhartkitchen]

Re: Unemployment

We live in Elkhart county "Rv central" and my husband has 5 weeks off for christmas this year!!!! I hate this.. you never know how things are gonna go anymore.

Our largest RV seller locally just closed. It left many with no jobs. But, when no one is traveling, no one is buying RVs. It is a trickle down effect.

 

[PamperedDor]

Re: UnemploymentWell here on Long Island - I hear every day how things are slow in business but haven't heard of many losing the jobs yet - although I am sure it is happening!

Being self employed in the restaurant business, we have seen a decline but right now we are busy with holiday parties etc. We expect a decrease in business in January. Lucky for us we haven't had to let anyone go - we are actually looking for staff!!

When everyone talks about the buyouts it drives us nuts - who is going to pay OUR mortgage payments on OUR building when the restaurant business takes a dive?? Work within your means and maybe there wouldn't be such problems - we have managers, they don't do their job - guess what - it shows in their pay - we need to go back to old school ethics and then things will be better - no more high paying jobs for no work -

SOAP box completed.

 

[twinkie10]

Re: UnemploymentI just really wish the Dave Ramsey would sit down and have some sessions with the government on how to pay off bills and then how to save/budget instead of borrow money! But, then again, I'm sure that wouldn't help, either!

 

[jwpamp]

Re: UnemploymentYeah, and I wish that Obama would pick Warren Buffet for a position in his finance cabinet!