Nearly half of Detroit's workers are unemployed

[The Northerner]

Source: The Detroit News

Despite an official unemployment rate of 27 percent, the real jobs problem in Detroit may be affecting half of the working-age population, thousands of whom either can't find a job or are working fewer hours than they want.

Using a broader definition of unemployment, as much as 45 percent of the labor force has been affected by the downturn.

And that doesn't include those who gave up the job search more than a year ago, a number that could exceed 100,000 potential workers alone.

"It's a big number, and we should be concerned about it whether it's one in two or something less than that," said George Fulton, a University of Michigan economist who helps craft economic forecasts for the state.

Mayor Dave Bing recently raised eyebrows when he said what many already suspected: that the city's official unemployment rate was as believable as Santa Claus. In Washington for a jobs forum earlier this month, he estimated it was "closer to 50 percent."


Read more: http://www.detnews.com/article/20091216/METRO01/912160374/Nearly-half-of-Detroit-s-workers-are-unemployed

[bemildred]

1. Another stirring "success" for the "free market" ideology. nt

[tomm2thumbs]

2. in the meantime, the Democrats are busy stroking Lieberman and the rest

priorities - who needs 'em... we already have health care and a job

[saigon68]

6. Leadership you can count on

Yes We can

[Jkid]

3. This proves that real unemployment...

has to be calculated not only from people receiving unemployment checks, but also those who have gave up job hunting, don't receive unemployment checks but still looking for jobs, and those whose jobs they can get are part time work.

[Kolesar]

4. Youngstown, Ohio, 1984 had 50% unemployment

After two integrated steel mills closed and other manufacturers laid off workers.

[sufrommich]

5. It's bad here in southeast Michigan, but I think it's

important to point out that the city of Detroit has been declining for decades and the suburbs of Detroit are in bad shape but not as bad as the city. I was in the city at the Penobscot Building last Tuesday, it's in the middle of Downtown and there was nobody on the streets. Detroit is a ghost town compared to other big cities.