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Jayce Coffman
Cindy Rogers
English 12
October 16th, 2015
Unemployment in the United States
Unemployment has been a huge issue for such a long time. There has been a
steady rise in unemployment since May of 2008. Now in 2015, it seems as if the
unemployment rate is falling. In September of 2015, the unemployment rate stands at
5.1%. We havent seen a number this low since April of 2008.
The unemployment rate in January this year stood at 5.7%. Even since then, the
unemployment rate has either steadily declined or stayed in the same place. The
unemployment rate did rise from April at 5.4% to May at 5.5% though. At this pace, the
unemployment rate has a possibility of dropping below 5% before this year ends. This
would be a very beneficial decline.
Figure 1
Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

2015

5.7

5.5

5.5

5.4

5.5

5.3

5.3

5.1

5.1

2014

6.6

6.7

6.7

6.3

6.3

6.1

6.2

6.1

5.9

5.8

5.8

5.6

2013

7.9

7.7

7.5

7.5

7.5

7.5

7.3

7.2

7.2

7.2

7.0

6.7

2012

8.3

8.3

8.2

8.1

8.2

8.2

8.2

8.1

7.8

7.9

7.8

7.8

2011

9.0

8.9

8.8

9.0

9.1

9.2

9.1

9.1

9.1

9.0

8.6

8.5

2010

9.7

9.7

9.7

9.9

9.7

9.5

9.5

9.6

9.6

9.6

9.8

9.4

2009

7.6

8.1

8.5

8.9

9.4

9.5

9.4

9.7

9.8

10.2

10.0

10.0

2008

4.9

4.8

5.1

5.0

5.5

5.6

5.8

6.2

6.2

6.6

6.8

7.2

(Source: "National Employment Monthly Update." National Employment Monthly Update. Web. 14 Oct.
2015. <http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/national-employment-monthly-update.aspx>.)

There were 142,000 total jobs added in September. While it is a good number, it
still falls below the average job growth from the past few months at 167,000 jobs per
month. It also falls below the average job growth since the start of the 2015 year at
198,000 jobs per month. There was a huge growth in retail, business and health care jobs
added in September. Meanwhile, there was a great decline of mining, construction and
manufacturing jobs.
Many young adults within the ages of 18 34 are still looking for work, as shown
in the chart below. The unemployment rate for black young adults in September was
13.5%, which was .3% lower than in August. The unemployment rate for Hispanics in
September is 7%, which is 1.2% lower than it was in August. The unemployment rate for
Asians is 3.8%, .8% lower than it was in August. Finally, the unemployment rate for
white young adults is 5.7%, which has remained the same since August.

Figure 2

(Source: "Millennial Unemployment Rate Remains Stagnant in September." Young

Invincibles. Web. 14 Oct. 2015. <http://younginvincibles.org/millennial-unemploymentrate-remains-stagnant-in-september/>.)

As you can see, there are still many young adults who cant find a job in todays
economy. With the steady decline, these numbers will go down even further. We just need
to find a way to build a better economy. It will take a lot of effort and determination, but
it can be done. Hard work always pays off.
Lets get back to the unemployment rate. In September, fewer jobs were added
than projected. In July and August, it was expected that September would bring as many
or more jobs than both of those months. That was wrong as the unemployment rate stood
at 5.1%, not moving anywhere from August. The unemployment rate stayed 5.1%, but
only because many Americans have stopped looking for work and are no longer counted
as unemployed. (Rugaber) The economy definitely seems to be weakening more and
more each day.
It was also reported that a percentage of adults with a job already or looking for
one is at a 38 year low. The proportion of adults either with a job or looking for one is at
a 38-year low. (Rugaber) There are many reasons on why the economy hasnt gone in
the right direction. Lots of this has to do with no growths overseas. Another part of the
reason is because lots of other countries are also struggling with the economy. China, the
worlds second largest economy after the United States, is slowing. Europe is struggling.
Emerging economies from Brazil to Turkey are straining to grow at all. (Rugaber) This
news is not the greatest thing to hear.
Right now, Nebraska has the lowest unemployment rate of all states. It stands at a
low 2.8%. Also, West Virginia has the highest unemployment rate of all states. It stands at
a hefty 7.6%. The unemployment rate for California is 6.1%, the 42nd lowest
unemployment rate state. This is a list of states in order.
Figure 3
Rank

State

Rate

NEBRASKA

2.8

NORTH DAKOTA

2.9

HAWAII

3.5

NEW HAMPSHIRE

3.6

VERMONT

3.6

IOWA

3.7

SOUTH DAKOTA

3.7

UTAH

3.7

MINNESOTA

4.0

WYOMING

4.0

11

MONTANA

4.1

11

TEXAS

4.1

13

COLORADO

4.2

13

IDAHO

4.2

15

MAINE

4.5

15

VIRGINIA

4.5

15

WISCONSIN

4.5

18

INDIANA

4.6

18

KANSAS

4.6

18

OKLAHOMA

4.6

21

MASSACHUSETTS

4.7

21

OHIO

4.7

23

DELAWARE

4.9

24

MARYLAND

5.1

24

MICHIGAN

5.1

26

KENTUCKY

5.2

26

NEW YORK

5.2

28

CONNECTICUT

5.3

28

FLORIDA

5.3

28

WASHINGTON

5.3

31

ARKANSAS

5.4

31

PENNSYLVANIA

5.4

33

ILLINOIS

5.6

33

MISSOURI

5.6

33

RHODE ISLAND

5.6

36

NEW JERSEY

5.7

36

TENNESSEE

5.7

38

GEORGIA

5.9

38

NORTH CAROLINA

5.9

40

LOUISIANA

6.0

40

SOUTH CAROLINA

6.0

42

CALIFORNIA

6.1

42

OREGON

6.1

44

ALABAMA

6.2

45

ARIZONA

6.3

45

MISSISSIPPI

6.3

47

ALASKA

6.6

48

NEW MEXICO

6.7

49

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

6.8

49

NEVADA

6.8

51

WEST VIRGINIA

7.6

(Source: "Unemployment Rates for States." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics. Web. 14 Oct. 2015. <http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm>.)
The unemployment rate for October will be reported on Friday, November 6th. We
will see an updated graph on what the rate has done. Well get to see what the rates for
each state are. Maybe the unemployment rate will go down to 5%. We wont know until
that date.
On a good note, fewer people got unemployment benefits over the past week.
Fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, as employers hold onto
workers despite a recent slowdown in hiring (Boak) Aid applications declined by
13,000. weekly applications for jobless aid fell 13,000 (Boak) It seems as if these
lower numbers really mean that there are many great employees that employers do not
want to let go. The drop is a very positive sign. 2.2 million Americans collect this aid,
which is the lowest number since November of 2000.
Figure 4

(Source: "National Unemployment Rate." Current , by State or City. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.unemployment-extension.org/unemployment-rate.php>.)
Overall, unemployment is a huge issue we face in the United States right at this
moment. No one deserves to be out of a job or have a tough time trying to find one. It is a
good thing to see that the rate is steadily declining. There is a great chance that the
unemployment rate will drop below 5% in the coming months. Thats a big relief to say
and hear.
This all depends on the economy. If we can get the ball rolling, there is absolutely
no way the rate will go back upwards. Its been such a long time since weve seen an
unemployment rate percentage be this low. In fact, we havent seen this since April of
2008. That means its been over 7 years since weve seen these numbers, which is really
amazing.
This is such an important topic right at this moment. So many people struggle to
find the money to buy food, clothes, pay their bills and more. They also struggle to
support and feed their families. Lots of Americans unfortunately live in poverty. Maybe
this can change if we get everything back up and running.
There are always positives and bright sides to all of these negative situations. As
mentioned above, less people are going in for unemployment aid. This is a good turning
point for the economy because it means more people are getting hired and more people
are working. Also stated above, this means that more and more employers really love
their employees and dont want to let them go because they do a good job on a daily
basis. This is really great to think about.
There are millions of people still looking to be hired by an employer. I am one of
them. In California, it definitely is not the easiest thing finding a job. This is especially
true considering how little jobs are available. I work hard day in and day out to find a job

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that I want to be a part of. I am still looking, but I feel as if I will definitely find one soon
if I keep my head up and remain confident in myself.

Works Cited
ABC News. ABC News Network. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.
<http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/drop-applications-us-unemploymentbenefits-week-34336461>.
"Millennial Unemployment Rate Remains Stagnant in September." Young Invincibles.
Web. 14 Oct. 2015. <http://younginvincibles.org/millennial-unemployment-rate-remainsstagnant-in-september/>.
"National Employment Monthly Update." National Employment Monthly Update. Web.
14 Oct. 2015. <http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/nationalemployment-monthly-update.aspx>.
"National Unemployment Rate." Current , by State or City. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.unemployment-extension.org/unemployment-rate.php>.
"U.S. Unemployment 5.1%, Labor Participation at 38-year Low." U.S. Unemployment
5.1%, Labor Participation at 38-year Low. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/arti
cles/cfn/2015/10/2/us_unemployment_september_2015.html>.
"Unemployment Rates for States." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Web. 14 Oct. 2015. <http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm>.