New claims for unemployment benefits are up. That shouldn't surprise anyone who has been paying attention to the job market, let alone folks who have been out of work for a long time. While politicians and casual observers with an agenda like to point to any trickle of positive news about recent job-creation trends, those who have no reason to spin the statistics know that nothing much has improved in the real world.
The people who I know who have recently landed new jobs already had jobs. Some who didn't have jobs have had to accept lesser positions outside of their fields -- often having to relocate to do so. Many folks haven't found work and have or are close to exhausting their unemployment benefits, which probably means more foreclosures are on the way as savings accounts collapse.
It's still dismal in unemployment land, particularly for older workers. The lack of quality employment opportunities remains the biggest threat to our slipping back into a major recession or even a depression.
The unemployment problem is a national emergency and needs to be treated as such. Our economy is closely tied to our national security, and with so many people out of work, it actually makes us more vulnerable as a country. Yet, the sense of urgency this problem warrants is still not evident. Unemployment needs to be attacked on several fronts, by the government and private sector, through the mass media and educational institutions. And it needs to happen soon.
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