The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Friday, November 06, 2009 that the national unemployment rate reached 10.2 percent during the month of October. The national unemployment rate has not been as high as 10 percent since it reached those levels and higher during the Reagan Administration in 1982-83.
The unemployment rates announced on Friday included a rate of 10.7 percent for adult men and 8.1 percent for adult women. Unemployment was higher among Blacks (15.7 percent) and Hispanics (13.1 percent) compared to Whites (9.5 percent).
Given the continuing high and rising unemployment, it is no surprise that Congress passed a further extension of emergency unemployment benefits on Thursday.
Unemployment benefits have been extended several times during this recession, beginning with the first extension under the Bush Administration when on June 30, 2008, President Bush signed Public Law 110-252 creating the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program. Since then the EUC program has been extended several times, including yesterday’s action by Congress.
States typically provide 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. The EUC program adds additional tiers of benefits of 14 to 20 weeks of benefit weeks, depending on a State’s unemployment rate. Benefits under EUC are funded by the Federal Government. All told, the continued extensions of unemployment benefits under the EUC program when added to State unemployment benefits have provided some unemployed workers with benefits for 18 months or more.
But the depth of this recession, in terms of unemployment and length of time that some workers have remained unemployed, has been severe. Last month fully 35.4 percent of the unemployed, or 5.6 million unemployed workers, were unemployed for 27 weeks or more. That is more than double the percentage of the unemployed who were unemployed for that long in 2007, before the current recession began.
Comments
Who the hell cares what color you are? Times are hard for everyone! Why do we always have to discriminate about statistics. EVERYONE IS SUFFERING! Come on. Report on real news, not on how racist this country still is. Like Glenn Beck. If I wanted real news I would watch John Stewart, he seems to be the only one who does not discriminate. Every time I watch fox news, it seems like they have to explain why they aren't racist. That in it self says that they are. Why can't American's just get straight news any more. Like Walter Kronkite. How sick is this world when the top news isn't about how absurd our own government is (no offense Obama, your doing as good as they will let you.) but what the newest cell phone is. Really, why are stars and cell phones more important than are state of affairs. What the hell is going on in this country. No wonder everyone hates us. All we care about is the new I-Phone apps. or what J-Lo is doing. COME ON AMERICA, or should I say come on Us
You are so right Ky there always seems to be a news agency out there who wants to put a spin on everything and turn it into some kind of race issue. This is an american issue in a big way. I just want everyone to know on thing the bill pass last week will only cover those who have lost or are loosing benefits by Dec 31st 2009 those loosing benefits in January and beyond are screwed. Congress is going to have to go back to the well and beg once again after the first of the year and I am pretty sure the party NO will hold it up just like they did this month but this time its going to be much worse, they have vowed this is the last meaning last weeks bill. After 30 years of voting with the GOP that has ended. I am so ashamed of what the GOP has become. People are hurting out there and yes I know there is abuse in the system but what system is there not. Congress and the senate are the worse abusers of any system out there. But that matters not. Its sickening to see what they do.
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