Articles Posted in ‘ News ’ Category
Utah may see some cuts in unemployment benefits
Thursday, June 24th, 2010Congress, before taking the break, did not extend the federal emergency unemployment compensation that it has been providing to the jobless people in order to help them face the wrath of recession. So till Congress resumes the session and passes another extension, the unemployed in Utah may have to bear their loss of unemployment benefits.
If you want to know more about the unemployment claims of Utah, then refer the Utah unemployment guide.
About 1,500 people in Utah, who have been unemployed may receive cuts in the extended benefits. According to Bill Starks, the unemployment insurance director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said his agency once again is sending out letters to the impacted individuals. The letters encourage those still eligible to receive extended federal aid to continue filing claims now, even if no money is available. By doing so, claimants will be entitled to receive payments retroactively to June 2 — provided Congress approves another extension, as it is expected to do.
Mr. Starks said that until that time, jobless workers who exhausted their 26 weeks of state benefit coverage after May 29 will not qualify for emergency unemployment benefits. Similarly, people whose stays on the unemployment rolls have made them eligible for the first two tiers of the extended benefits program will be cut off within a couple of days.
The unemployed in Utah were paid about $130 million in extended benefits in the first quarter of this year.
Illinois unemployment rate dips slightly
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010In April, the unemployment rate of Illinois dropped from 11.5 percent to 11.2 percent, as per the reports of Illinois Department of Employment Security. This dip has certainly made the officials positive about the improvement in the economy of the state as well as the nation.
If you want to know more about the unemployment claims in Illinois, then you can refer the Illinois unemployment guide.
Greg Rivara, the spokesman of Illinois Department of Employment Security, said that the slight dip gave the state the lowest unemployment rate since December, but they could be a more important number – job growth led to 19,100 additional jobs in April. He said that temporary Census jobs played a role in the increase, as part of the increase in government jobs.
As per the Department’s statistics, the breakdown in top job growth areas is as follows:
* 4,100 in government
* 3,900 in professional and business services
* 3,000 in trade, transportation and utilities
* 2,600 in manufacturing
Rivara also said that his agency won’t be surprised if the unemployment rate fluctuates for the next several months.
The department called the trend toward month-to-month declines a significant sign of an improving job market. Through the first four months of the year, the state has added 51,000 jobs compared to the same period of 2009.
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About 7,000 Mainers might lose their unemployment benefits
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
If Congress does not decide upon the extension of unemployment benefits soon, then an estimate of 7,000 unemployed people in Maine might lose their unemployment insurance. As per Christopher St.John of the Maine Center for the Economic Policy, this number might go up to 30,000 by November if Congress does not take any action.
For more details on the unemployment claims of Maine, please refer Maine unemployment guide.
“There are over 57,000 people unemployed in Maine and they need this help, but the whole state economy needs this kind of investment to create more jobs and to restore prosperity,” St. John says.
Now the fact that if Congress needs to extend the unemployment benefits beyond the usual 26 weeks has been a matter of debate in the nation.
“Like 29 other states, Maine’s Legislature finalized the state budget for state fiscal 2011 with the expectation that the extension of these funds would be passed in Congress,” says Ana Hicks of Maine Equal Justice Partners.
The labor groups have been pressurizing the Congress to pass the so-called tax-extender bill. According to news reports, the Maine State Employees Association, the country’s largest public employee and health care workers union, is launching ads targeting senators such as Maine’s moderate Republicans, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.
Many experts believe that the country has to pay for the extended unemployment benefits as it is going through a bad patch in economy and the unemployed people really need help now.
How has illegal immigration been influencing unemployment in Pennsylvania?
Monday, June 21st, 2010Rep. John Galloway of Bucks County states that a study estimated about 18,000-35,000 illegal immigrants working in the construction industry. The unemployment rate in the construction industry is over 35 percent.
For more details on the unemployment claims in Pennsylvania, you can refer the Pennsylvania unemployment guide.
He further states that these illegal immigrants are responsible for huge job losses in the construction industry as they are taking jobs away from Pennsylvanians. He says that his bill would force the contractors to check the immigration status of their workers through federal database called e-Verify.
“It’s either corporate business interests making money off of illegal labor, or its those groups formed to provide social services to the illegal alien populations within our country,” said Daryl Metcalf, of Butler County.
Some feel that the bill might also help against racial discrimination by the employers.
At the same time, Sandi Vito, the secretary of Pennsylvania Labor and Industry, has emphasized that the U.S Senate must restore the unemployment assistance programs. Emergency unemployment compensations have expired on June 2. So if Congress does no take a decision soon, then thousands of unemployed in Pennsylvania might lose their unemployment benefits.
Missouri State reports the drop in unemployment rate of Saline County
Sunday, June 20th, 2010As per the statistics released by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the unemployment rate of Saline County has dipped from 8.3 to 6.9 percent.
“The work force number reflects people who have dropped from the work force accounting system,” Marshall-Saline Development Corporation Director Roy Hunter said. “They haven’t necessarily given up, but they aren’t receiving benefits and may be seeking work outside of the employment system, which is the normal thing to do — talk to your friends and see who is hiring.”
If you want to know more details about the unemployment claims of Missouri, then you can refer the Missouri unemployment guide.
The unemployment statistics or the work force usually does not consider people whose unemployment benefits expire and do not seek employment actively. Such people are also categorized as discouraged workers who feel that there are no jobs available in the market right now.
The statistics reveal the following:
The 2010 March numbers show 10,729 people working, and 971 people collecting unemployment for a total of 11,700 people in the work force. The March 2010 unemployment rate is 8.3 percent.
According to information released on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, the estimate of unemployment is an aggregate of those people currently receiving benefits and an estimate of those no longer receiving benefits.
Ohio unemployed may lose their unemployment benefits
Saturday, June 19th, 2010In Ohio, there are chances of 39,000 people losing their unemployment benefits. This number might catapult to 98,000 by the end of this month. At the same time, many of them might have to give up their health insurance soon.
All this is because of the expiry of both the benefits in about past two weeks. The House voted 215-204 on May 28 to extend the benefits, but the Senate left for Memorial Day without acting.
If you want to understand more about the unemployment claims of Ohio, then you can refer the Ohio unemployment benefits guide.
There have been budget deficits and so many of them are debating about the duration of the support for the unemployed. Since 2008, the government has extended the unemployment benefits four times as the number of people filing for unemployment went up significantly. But people have been asking how long can these benefits may be extended to the unemployed people.
As per statistics, many of the unemployed in Ohio may lose about $377 per week. That has been the worrying point for the people who have lost their jobs. Usually, the unemployment benefits can be received for 99 weeks which consist of 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits, 53 weeks of federal extended unemployment benefits and an additional 26 weeks of extended state unemployment benefits.
The extensions have expired a week back. So if the regular state unemployment benefits of an unemployed expires after May 22, then he/she may not be eligible for the additional benefits.
The state suggests that in spite of the expiry of the benefits, people should continue filing. As per reports, about 703,000 Ohioans with open unemployment accounts potentially could lose their benefits if Congress doesn’t pass an extension. It could affect the 333,000 people who claimed at least a week of benefits within the last month.
Now if the extension is given, it will just be a temporary solution. A more realistic and a permanent solution need to be found.
Fourteen Hours Delay with respect to Nevada Unemployment Benefits
Friday, June 18th, 2010The unemployment rate of Nevada has been a constant worry because of its continuous soaring. Right now, it stands at 13.7%. If the reports are to be believed, then soon the rate may reach 14.2%,
The surprising thing has been that in spite of Nevada having such a high unemployment rate, there have been jobs coming up in Las Vegas with many of them competing for them. The gaming industry being the main source of employment has shown steady increase in terms of employment. The construction and the government jobs are cut continuously. The local government has slashed over 5% of the jobs that they once offered, and that number continues to grow.
If you want to know more about the unemployment claims of Nevada, then you can refer the Nevada Unemployment Guide.
There was a 14-hours delay with respect to Nevada Unemployment Benefits. The deposits of unemployment claims resumed last week to about 100,000 jobless people who use the states debit card claims system.
The delay was due to a technical glitch in the system of the state. ACS began working on the problem as soon as it occurred and made the payment of benefits to Nevada claimants its number one priority,” Cynthia Jones, DETR deputy director said.
She said ASC will waive any fees that resulted from the technical issue, such as those that may have been incurred for repeated balance inquiries, from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, through the completion of processing of the delayed deposits Wednesday night.
New Mexico unemployment rate sees a slight dip
Friday, June 18th, 2010The unemployment rate of New Mexico dropped to 8.7 percent in April. As per statistics, the state has lost 15,500 jobs in a span of a year.
Only the government and the temporary census division gained jobs. The government gained 2,500 jobs last year. Educational and health services also gained 2,200 jobs.
If you want to know more about the unemployment claims in New Mexico, then you can refer the New Mexico unemployment guide.
The construction industry was the hardest hit with about 5,400 jobs being lost.
The industries of mining, manufacturing and construction continued to face job losses and bear the brunt of the state’s bad economy. Together, these industries have lost 7,300 jobs since April 2009.
The professional and business services industry, which is considered a barometer for the rest of the economy, lost 3,100 jobs over the year, while the retail trade segment lost 3,500
The reports say the following:
In the Albuquerque area, the unemployment rate was 9 percent, down from 9.2 percent in March. There were fewer people who had to file for unemployment this month. Only three of the twelve major divisions have added jobs.
In the Las Cruces area, the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent in April, down from 8.5 percent in March.
In the Santa Fe area the April unemployment rate was at 7 percent, down from 7.5 percent in March. The job market here seems to be improving a bit.
In Farmington, the unemployment rate dropped to 10.1 percent in April, down from 11.2 percent in March.
Currently, the unemployment rate of New Mexico ranks 28th in the nation.
Georgia may see some permanent job loss
Thursday, June 17th, 2010It is seen that half of the unemployed in Georgia have been jobless now for more than six months. As per the data compiled by Georgia Department of Labor, men have been unemployed longer than women and whites longer than blacks.
The jobless may face the worse yet as the unemployment benefits have not yet been extended by the Congress. An estimate of 5000 people could lose their unemployment benefits soon.
As per news reports, many of the jobs once held by the long-term unemployed — manufacturing, construction, information technology — may never return, creating, perhaps, a permanently unemployed class of worker.
If you want to know more about the unemployment claims of Georgia, then refer the Georgia unemployment guide.
In Georgia, 498,700 people were unemployed in April, the labor department reports. More than 215,000 — or 43.1 percent — have been unable to find work for a minimum of 27 weeks.
Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said that it’s a hidden crisis because the plight of the long-term unemployed is often lost in the celebration of the decline in the unemployment rate. He also said that while that’s good news, it’s really not having an impact on those who’ve been unemployed longer and are most in need of a job.
Many economists doubt that the pace of economic growth — 3 percent the last quarter — will create enough jobs for the 15.3 million unemployed. It takes that amount of GDP growth just to keep up with the U.S. population increase.
Unemployment hits hard in California
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010As per a report by US Labor Department, California has been singled out has the hardest hit unemployment. Out of 14 metropolitan cities, about 11 have an unemployment rate 15 percent.
According to the news, the Los Angeles Orange Country area holds the first spot with an estimated job loss of 111,000, a Press TV correspondent reported Sunday.
The San Francisco Bay area holds the fifth worst place across the US with an estimated 66,000 jobs lost.
For more details on the unemployment claims in California, you can refer the California unemployment guide.
Economists feel that the latest figures announced by the Labor Department shows a much slower recovery from the recession in California.
Currently, California’s unemployment rate stands at 12.8 percent. The state’s slow revival, compounded by a $19 billion budget shortfall through June 2011, is likely to play a big role Tuesday and in November. “The fact that the economy is bad in California makes it the No. 1 issue driving state elections,” said Bruce Cain, a University of California, Berkeley political scientist.
Behind California’s lagging recovery is continued weakness in the construction sector, a big contributor to the high unemployment rate. California’s construction industry lost jobs faster than any other major industry in the year ended in April, shrinking 14.3% to 553,800 workers, compared with a 9% decline in the same period nationally.
But there is good news. There is housing boom in the state and trade has also been picking up