1964 Unemployment Protest, courtesy Kheel Center, Cornell University
It’s mid-August and most parents are returning from summer vacations to get the kids ready for school. In these last weeks of summer, you might have missed some very relevant data on the jobs front.
The mid-month barometer of state and regional unemployment figures is always of interest in August of an election year with Labor Day just around the corner.
Forty-four states recorded unemployment rate increases, two states and the District of Columbia posted rate decreases, and four states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
What does this mean for the Presidential race? Well, it’s kind of a mixed bag, actually, though most would say that this is bad news for the Obama-Biden ticket because even in battleground states where unemployment decreased, it is still higher than four years ago when the national unemployment rate was 6.1%.
You can see the BLS data from four years ago here.
As of today, hiring on the national level has improved in July after three months of slow job gains, even though national unemployment moved up 1/10 of a point to 8.3%. Thirty-one states saw job gains in July while 19 states lost jobs.
But the national unemployment rate may not be as relevant to the Presidential race as state-by-state unemployment rates in swing states. Here’s a snapshot of some of the battleground states:
In Nevada, unemployment rose from 11.6% to 12%.
In Michigan, unemployment has risen over the last two months from 8.6% to 9%.
In Florida, the unemployment rate ticked up from 8.6% to 8.8%.
The State of Ohio saw no change in unemployment, at 7.2%.
Pennsylvania saw changes ticking upwards from 7.6% to 7.9%.
You can view your state’s regional unemployment numbers in this release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are here.
Tell us what its like on the jobs front in your state. Do you feel economically secure?
If you’re looking for a job – or have stopped looking – share your story.
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