Marion sees miniscule decline in unemployment

(topic overview)
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SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 (Reuters) - California's unemployment rate rose to a record 11.2 percent in March and analysts expect job losses across most industries in the most populous U.S. state to increase through much of this year. (More...)
Although the rate of job losses slowed last month, the total number of unemployed workers, 492,512, remained at an all-time high, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission. (More...)
In California, where the jobless rate is 11.2 percent, more than 2 million would-be workers were unemployed in March. (More...)
The outlook for the rest of 2009 isn't good, said Schunk, who expects the jobless rate to peak at 14 percent to 15 percent by the end of the year. (More...)
Construction continues to be among the hardest hit sectors in the state in the wake of the collapsed housing, finance and credit markets, losing more than 152,000 jobs since March 2008, an 18.4 percent decline. (More...)
The reason for Oregons lousey economy is centered on Extreame Environmentalism, a widely accepted "CULTURE OF FAILURE" and long. (More...)
Although the state's labor force decreased from 2,189,300 in February to 2,185,500 in March, the number of jobless claims rose to 248,600, an increase of 10,200 compared to the 238,400 claims made during the previous month. (More...)
Unemployment rises in 46 states and D.C.; Michigan leads nation at 12.6%, while Oregon shoots to second worst at 12.1%. (More...)
Even though a stagnant job picture is rarely viewed in a positive light, the last few months have seen 2-5percentage point increases in unemployment. (More...)
Brad Kemp, director of regional research for Beacon Economics says the jobless rate may continue to worsen until sometime next year. (More...)
There were also 800 fewer jobs in restaurants and bars, a loss of 500 jobs in financial services, and the trimming of another 500 in state and local government posts. (More...)
"I wanted a job in news, but everyone I talked to was either laying people off or not hiring," said the 47-year-old former foreign correspondent. (More...)
North Carolina's incremental increase may be the long-awaited signal that the recession is petering out. (More...)
In the Midlands, Lexington County's jobless count was up to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent, while Richland climbed to 8.8 percent from 8.5. (More...)
Gov., Arnold Schwarzenegger's office said the move would mean faster services for people seeking unemployment benefits. (More...)
The federal report showed 48 states and the District of Columbia posted payroll declines in March. (More...)
"We have some ideas as what is the likely cause." (More...)

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 (Reuters) - California's unemployment rate rose to a record 11.2 percent in March and analysts expect job losses across most industries in the most populous U.S. state to increase through much of this year. "This is the worst recession since the Great Depression and it's not over," economist Steve Levy said on Friday shortly after the state released its March unemployment report. [1] SACRAMENTO (AP) — California's unemployment rate hit 11.2 percent in March, the highest rate on record, as the construction, manufacturing and banking industries continued to shed jobs, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.[2] Altogether, 17 states had rates of at least 9 percent and North Carolina saw the proportion of citizens without jobs jump to a record 9.8 percent. The Pacific Northwestern state of Oregon also experienced the largest increase in the unemployment rate in March, followed by its northern neighbor Washington, and it reported the largest increase from a year earlier, 6.6 percentage points, the department said.[3] The slight increase in the North Carolina's unemployment rate to 10.8 percent in March may appear a welcome breather given that the rate has doubled in the past year. Economists cautioned yesterday that the state. likely hasn't seen a peak in its unemployment rate, and that the 0.1 percentage-point increase was likely caused by nearly 31,000 people no longer being considered as unemployed.[4]

DURHAM -- Although North Carolina's unemployment rate increased only by 0.1 percent between February and March, the state still shed 41,300 non-farm workers, making it one of the largest over-the-month employment losses in the country.[5] RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's rising unemployment rate slowed in March to 10.8 percent, a postive sign since the number had been rapidly worsening each month since the banking and credit crisis took hold last fall, the state Employment Security Commission said Friday.[6] The state's unemployment rate increased slightly to 10.8 percent in March, according to the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, up from 10.7 percent in February.[7] North Carolina's unemployment rate hit a new record high today. The State Employment Security Commission released the new numbers for the month of March this morning topping 10.8%.[8] When the March unemployment numbers were released Friday, the S.C. unemployment rate was shown to be a near record 11.4 percent. That rate equaled the highest rate recorded in the state since January 1983, the State Employment Security Commission reported.[9] South Carolina's unemployment rate rose for the 13th straight month in March to 11.4 percent, tying a 26-year-old record, the state Employment Security Commission said Friday.[10] COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The South Carolina Employment Security Commission says the unemployment rate in the state has risen to 11.4 percent.[11]

State officials announced Monday that Oregon's unemployment rate climbed to 12.1 percent in March from a revised 10.7 percent in February. That puts Oregon ahead of South Carolina (11.4 percent), California (11.2 percent) and North Carolina (10.8 percent).[12] North Carolina has the fifth highest unemployment rate in the country, trailing Michigan (12.6 percent), Oregon (12.1 percent), South Carolina (11.4 percent) and California (11.2 percent). It also had the fourth highest total of job cuts in the nation at 41,300.[4] California now has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the nation, after Michigan, South Carolina and Oregon. On a percentage basis, California lost 4.2 percent of its payroll jobs over the past year, compared with a national average of 3.5 percent.[13]

Newly released U.S. Department of Labor figures showed the unemployment rate in California increased sharply from 10.6 percent in February, giving California the highest jobless rate in the nation behind Michigan, Oregon and South Carolina.[14] Only three states -- Michigan, Oregon and South Carolina -- had higher unemployment rates than California, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. California is getting hit harder than most regions because of the sheer size of its economy and its central role in funneling overseas imports to consumers here, said Jerry Nickelsburg, a senior economist at UCLA. "As consumer demand declines all over the country, that gets amplified in the California numbers in our logistics -- transportation and warehousing and ports," he said. California's relatively young work force and a worse-than-average housing-market collapse also contribute to its high rate, Nickelsburg said.[15] The bureau said only three states — Michigan, Oregon and South Carolina — had higher rates in March. Among the reasons California is hit harder than most other areas during this global economic downturn is the sheer size of its economy and its central role in funneling overseas imports to consumers here, said Jerry Nickelsburg, a senior economist at UCLA. "As consumer demand declines all over the country, that gets amplified in the California numbers in our logistics — transportation and warehousing and ports," he said. About half the job decline is related to reduced consumer spending in areas such as leisure, hospitality, retail, transportation and housing, Nickelsburg said. "A bunch of it is manufacturing and of course California manufactures for the world economy, and the world economy is in a recession," he added.[2]

"We have at least six more months of job losses," added Levy, of the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy. At 11.2 percent, California's jobless rate was well above the March national unemployment rate of 8.5 percent and at its highest level since the U.S. government began collecting state unemployment statistics, Levy noted.[1] In this April 7, 2009 photo, job seekers line up at a National Career Fair at a Holiday Inn in Long Beach Calif. State officials said Friday, April 17, California's unemployment rate hit a record 11.2 percent in March.[16]

California's unemployment rate last month also rose significantly from a revised 10.6 percent in the prior month and 6.4 percent a year earlier as job losses spread across most of the state's industries, Levy said. He added that California is facing steep job losses at the same time its ranks of prospective workers swell.[1] Because of job losses among independent workers and the addition of new entrants into the work force, the estimated number of unemployed rose by 7,100, accounting for the leap in the jobless rate. '''If I hadn't seen February's figures, this would have been totally shocking, but right now it's just more of the same ''' a general decline in employment,''' said Alan Gin, an economist at the University of San Diego. He said local unemployment could get as high as 11 percent to 12 percent before it declines.[13] In San Diego County, whose figures are not adjusted for seasonal fluctuations in hiring, the unemployment rate rose from a revised 8.9 percent in February to 9.3 percent in March, led by continuing job losses among builders, manufacturers, sales clerks and temporary workers.[13]

"People are just not able to get back into the labor market quickly." It's been more than 16 years since the county unemployment rate was higher. That was in February 1993, at the end of the recession of the early 1990s, when San Joaquin's jobless rate was pegged at 16.8 percent. The rise in unemployment is due to both a gain in the total number of workers and a decline in those working, noted Jeff Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific. "That's 16,000 more people in the labor force and 5,000 fewer people employed," he said. "There are more people out there looking for fewer jobs, so it's a very tough job market.[17]

People who stop looking -- whether out of frustration or by choice -- are removed from the unemployment data. They aren't the only ones unaccounted for in the data. Others include stay-at-home spouses, retirees, full-time students, people attached to their former employer through severance packages, and people without jobs who have moved into the state. The unemployment rate also doesn't account for people who are underemployed -- those who are working in full- or part-time jobs below their skill levels. Economists say that if all those people are factored into the jobless rate, it could be as much as three percentage points higher. That's why Michael Walden, an economics professor at N.C. State University in Raleigh, said that the slight increase in the jobless rate was not good news.[4] NCESC spokesman Larry Parker said being out of work doesn't automatically make you unemployed. To be counted among those ranks, a person must be available to, able to and seeking work. If someone moves out of state or becomes discouraged and quits looking for a job, they aren't counted as an unemployed, available member of the labor force. At this point, the minimal increase to the unemployment rate in March isn't reason for celebration, Parker said. If the unemployment rate levels off for three of four months straight, that would be a positive sign, he said. "We still had job loss," he said. "It's certainly not as bad as last month.[18] In March, the state's labor force dropped slightly to 2,185,451, while the number of unemployed jumped 10,221 to reach a record high of 248,578. Chester County saw its unemployment rate fall slightly to 20.6 percent from 20.7 percent in February.[19] Unemployment in Shasta County hit 16.8 percent - a 24-year high - in March, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday. It was a six-tenths of a percent increase over February, in which the unemployment rate was 16.2 percent.[20] SAN BERNARDINO • The unemployment rate in San Bernardino County climbed to 12.5 percent in March, the highest rate since 1990, the Employment Development Department reported Friday.[21] California's statewide unemployment rate, not adjusted for seasonal variation, jumped to 11.5 percent in March, employment officials also reported, and U.S. joblessness ticked up to 9 percent unadjusted. That news prompted Gov. Schwarzenegger to announce an effort to expedite hiring about 1,150 workers for the Employment Development Department to aid unemployed Californians.[17] California's unemployment rate grew from 10.6 percent in February and is nearly 5 points higher than in March 2008, the Employment Development Department reported.[22] According to the latest employment statistics provided by the Orange County Division of California'''s Employment Development Department opnbrktE.D.D.clsbrkt, the county'''s unemployment rate jumped to 8.5 percent in March, up from 8 percent in February. (California'''s March unemployment rate was 11.9 percent, with a nationwide figure of 9 percent.)[23] California's unemployment rate hit a record 11.2 percent in March, according to figures released by the Employment Development Department.[24] Employment Development Department spokeswoman Patti Roberts said the March figure surpasses the 11 percent rate that occurred during the 1980s recession and brings California close to the jobless level of January 1941, when unemployment stood at about 11.7 percent.[25]

PORTLAND Oregon has recorded the steepest year-over-year rise in unemployment rates among the states and now its jobless rate ranks second among them. This week, the state Employment Department said the Oregon unemployment rate jumped to 12.1 percent in March, matching the highest rate of the recession of the early 1980s.[26] California and North Carolina in March posted their highest jobless rates in at least three decades, as unemployment increased in all but a handful of states during the month, the Labor Department said Friday. California's unemployment rate jumped to 11.2% in March, while North Carolina rose to 10.8%, the highest for both since the U.S. government began a comprehensive tally of state joblessness in 1976.[27] WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) - While Michigan yet again posted the highest unemployment rate of all states in the United States in March, many of its western neighbors were not far behind, the Labor Department said on Friday, showing no state is immune to the country's employment problems.[3]

"During the first quarter, all 50 states reported decreases in employment." He added that "the outlook for most states is grim." Mr. Vitner noted that the four states with unemployment rates below 5 percent - North and South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska - were all sparsely populated and experienced no growth in their cumulative labor force during the past year.[28] Adibi predicted the jobless rate will continue to grow, although at a slower pace, until it peaks at between 12 percent and 12.5 percent during the first half of next year. Steven Levy, director of the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto, said the growth in the unemployment rate may slow this summer, as the Obama administration's stimulus efforts begin to kick in. '''We are seeing some positive economic news mixed in with the disappointing employment numbers, and we should see more good news in the coming months,''' he said.[13]

The federal unemployment rate jumped to 8.5 percent in March. The report states recession is in its 15th month of contraction, compared to the recessions in 1991 and 2001, which both lasted eight months. Several industries hit hardest by the slumping economy -- manufacturing, construction, professional and business services -- continued to experience cuts to their work forces.[7] Manufacturing and construction lost 2,900 and 1,600 jobs, respectively, figures the commission said in a news release were "a vivid reminder that the recession is not over." Ben Davis, area director of the commission's Spartanburg Workforce Center, said job loss in the state's manufacturing sector has been a major contributor to its elevated unemployment rate. "Several of the states with the highest unemployment rates have one thing in common and that is a historic dependence on manufacturing as being a key part of what drives the economy," he said.[29]

Statewide, unemployment hit 11.2 percent in March, the highest rate in modern records, as the construction, manufacturing and banking industries continued to shed jobs.[22] Every job sector outside of government posted job losses during March, including 10,100 in professional and business services, 9,200 in manufacturing, 8,500 in construction, and 5,800 in leisure and hospitality services. Anna White, a regional vice president for Adecco Group North America, an employment-services company, said she expects unemployment numbers to "creep up" in coming months rather than in sharp upticks. White said she is encouraged by an increase in temporary job placements in financial services, particularly companies trying to meet demand for refinancing mortgages, and manufacturing. "Employers remain very cautious about full-time hiring and are weighing the cost of expanding," she said. Larry Parker, a spokesman for the commission, said that 62 percent of the initial unemployment claims in March were for people still attached to their employer. "A lot of these are from the manufacturing sector," he said.[4] Transportation equipment manufacturing went from 16,600 jobs in March 2008 to 11,200 jobs last month a drop of nearly one-third. "That's a huge hit," Cooke said. "Those are two key industries that have really been severely affected by this economic recession." Other industries have seen job losses in excess of 10 percent over the past year, including construction (down 19 percent). As a consequence, more jobless people than ever before are seeking to further their education and obtain new job training, said Kristina Payne, work force investment manager with the Lane Workforce Partnership in Eugene. In the past, perhaps one-third of unemployed people sought job training, she said. Today, it's closer to one-half, and in the case of laid-off Hynix employees, as high as three-quarters, she said. "The silver lining is, as we come out of this economic crisis, we are going to have a higher educated work force available," she said. "That's going to benefit everyone involved."[30]

Oregon's economic ties to California also figure into the job losses. California's jobless rate last month was 11.2 percent, its highest since 1976, after shedding 62,100 jobs, the biggest job loss in the country.[30]

California's unemployment rate of 11.5% is up a half-point from February, an increase fueled by continuing job losses in construction, manufacturing and banking.[15] A number of factors contribute to Oregon's high unemployment, said David Cooke, an economist with the state Employment Department. Oregon has a high concentration of manufacturing employment, compared to the U.S. average, he said. Two manufacturing industries wood products and transportation equipment, which includes recreational vehicles have suffered big job losses over the past year, he said.[30] "If the stability in consumer spending continues over the next few months, as I expect, the job market will stabilize," Thornberg said. Even if the national and state economies start to bottom out later this year, that would only slow the rate of job losses, said Jerry Nickelsburg, an economist with the UCLA Anderson Forecast. "Unemployment will likely creep up through the end of the year because employers will want to see that the increase in demand is strong before they hire," he said.[25]

Dr. Don Schunk, research economist at Coastal Carolina University, released a report Friday about the new unemployment numbers. His opinion was similar to that of Jordan's about the job losses beginning to slow. "While the economy remains in a deep recession and continues to generate substantial uncertainty and anxiety, there have been scattered signs that the pace of decline for the national economy may be slowing," he said in the report. "This is not to say that the recession itself is ending, but that the sharpest declines may be behind us."[31] The dearth of jobs in all sectors of the economy, from Gerwer's high-tech consulting to Vasquez's low-tech drywall hanging is more severe in California than in most of the country because of the state's "greater exposure to the housing downturn and related job losses in construction and finance," said Stephen Levy, chief economist at the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto. California's population continues to grow, and that often worsens the job picture, he said. Many of these new Californians arrive in search of jobs and become "instantly unemployed" when they can't find work because employers are shedding jobs, not creating them, Levy said. Writer Lawrence Kootinkoff, of West Los Angeles, who has been without a job since 2005, said he still looks for work nearly every day, when he's not caring for two young children.[32]

"We produce a substantial amount of wood products used for residential construction, so many of our lumber and wood products are shipped to California for the housing market," said David Cooke, economist for the Oregon Employment Department. "California's economy is so large - it's 10 times the size of Oregon - so anything that's happening in California has a direct impact on our state." Other states with double-digit unemployment include North Carolina (10.8%), Rhode Island (10.5%), Nevada (10.4%) and Indiana (10%).[33] In February, North Carolina had the fourth highest unemployment rate of any state in the union, behind Michigan (12), South Carolina (11), and Oregon (10.8), the ESC reported. "The ESC will continue to help those who are hurting during this difficult global and national economic crisis," said ESC Chairman Moses Carey Jr. "For those not receiving benefits, we encourage them to visit our offices or use our online services to help with job-search opportunities."[18] The unemployment rate in North Carolina was 5.4 percent in March 2008. "The ESC will continue to help those who are hurting during this difficult global and national economic crisis," says ESC Chairman Moses Carey Jr. "We continue to help those filing for benefits and looking for work. Those currently receiving benefits have begun receiving an additional $25 in their payments each week. For those not receiving benefits, we encourage them to visit our offices or use our online services to help with job-search opportunities."[34]

Allendale County continued to have South Carolina's highest unemployment rate in March at 22.3 percent, but that was down one percentage point from March.[10] South Carolina's unemployment rate hit 11.4 percent in March, tying the highest rate ever in the state.[35]

With a 12.6 percent unemployment rate, Michigan continues to maintain the nation's highest jobless rate, followed by Oregon (12.1 percent) and South Carolina (11.4 percent).[28] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said only three states ' Michigan, Oregon and South Carolina ' had higher unemployment rates in March.[22]

Although South Carolina's jobless rate tied a 26-year record last month, analysts found a few bright spots in the monthly report released Friday. The state recorded its first increase in total jobs since August and most counties reported declines in unemployment.[36] The state Employment Security Commission also reported Friday that 29 of South Carolina's 46 counties almost all rural reported slight drops in unemployment. Those numbers, though, were not adjusted on a seasonal basis. Another plus in the report: for the first time since August, the number of jobs was up as nearly 7,000 jobs were counted in March.[37] The South Carolina unemployment rate has risen once again, according to a new report by the S.C. Employment Security Commission.[31]

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission reports the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 5.9% in March. That's a 0.4% increase over February and represents more than 7,000 people who become unemployed in the last month.[38]

The statewide unemployment rate rose to 11.2 percent in March, up from a revised 10.6 percent, the Employment Development Department said. That was the highest since January 1941, when it reached 11.7 percent.[16] The latest unemployment figures were released Friday by the California Employment Development Department showing a 17.7 percent unemployment rate for Tulare County.[22] Figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department also show California's unemployment rate climbed to 11.5%, the highest since comparable records were first collected in 1976.[15]

March unemployment rates, state-by-state. The chief economist for California's finance department, Howard Roth, said the state's unemployment rate hasn't been this high since reaching 11.7% in January 1941. The highest level on record in California is 14.7% in October 1940, he said.[27]

The state unemployment rate soared to 11.2 percent in March, the highest since before World War II, leaving a record 2.1 million Californians out of work, according to a report issued Friday.[25] California's unemployment rate hit a record 11.2 percent in March, state officials said.[39] California's unemployment rate hit a staggering 11.2 percent in March 2009. That is the highest rate ever in California since modern records started being kept by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.[40] LOS ANGELES, April 17 (Xinhua) -- California's unemployment rate increased to 11.2 percent last month, the highest level since the government began keeping systematic records in 1976, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday.[41]

The latest unemployment rate was well above the national unemployment rate of 8.5 percent in March, up from 8.1 percent in February and 5.1 percent in March 2008, according to the Department of Labor.[41] The area's unemployment rate jumped to 16.4 percent in March, from a revised 15.7 percent in February, and significantly higher than the 10.2 percent jobless rate of March 2008, state officials reported.[17] The state's unemployment rate currently stands at 11.2 percent -- 0.2 percentage points higher than the previous peaks reported in November and December of 1982 and February of 1983. It's the third-highest rate for March in the country.[42] California's unemployment rate increased to 11.2 percent in March, up 0.6 percent from February, according to state statistics released Friday.[43]

Among the ten California areas with more than 250,000 nonfarm jobs, March unemployment rates varied from a low of 8.5 percent in the Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine and San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City areas to a high of 17.0 percent in the Fresno area.[43] California had a record-breaking month for jobs, but not in a good way, according to a report issued Friday by Beacon Economics. In March, California's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hit its highest level since the current method of calculation was put into place in 1974, the San Rafael-based research firm said.[44] LOS ANGELES - CALIFORNIA'S unemployment rate soared to its highest level in more than 30 years in March, climbing to 11.2 per cent as 62,100 jobs vanished, official figures showed on Friday.[45]

Sacramento, California (AHN) - Despite some upticks in the economic forecast, unemployment in California soared to its highest level in more than 30 years in March, climbing to 11.2 percent as some 62,100 jobs vanished in the state.[14]

The California unemployment rate is 11.2 percent for March, while the national unemployment is 8.5 percent.[21] California's unemployment rate was 2.7 percent higher than the nation's as a whole, which was 8.5 percent in March, up 0.4 percent from February.[43]

The national unemployment rate increased.4 percentage points in March to 8.5 percent.[18] Allendale County continued to have the highest unemployment rate at 22.3 percent, but that was down one percentage point from March.[35] Spartanburg County's unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a point to 11.6 percent, compared to February's 11.4 percent rate. It was more than double the county's 5.2 percent unemployment figure recorded in March 2008.[29] The state's unemployment rate grew from 10.6 percent in February, and is nearly 5 points higher than in March 2008.[24]

SACRAMENTO -- The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County rose to 17.5 percent in March 2009, up from a revised 16.8 percent in February 2009, state officials announced this morning.[24] Colusa County had the highest rate in the state for March, with unemployment there reaching 25.6 percent.[20] The rate reported for Marion County, however, which has the state's second highest unemployment at 22.1 percent, was slightly down,.7 percent, from February's rate of 22.8 percent.[9]

All three counties still have jobless rates higher than the state average of 11.4 percent - the highest since 1983 - with Chester's unemployment rate still at more than 20 percent.[46] South Carolina's jobless rate soared to 11.4 percent last month, equaling the state's highest ever recorded rate, in January 1983, the S.C. Employment Security Commission said.[29] North Carolina's jobless rate increased slightly in March to 10.8 percent, which is only 0.1 percentage point higher than February, according to statistics released Friday by the N.C. Employment Security Commission.[18]

The California employment numbers contrasted with a national jobless rate of 8.5 percent in March, setting the highest jobless mark since records first began being released in 1976.[14]

Nickelsburg predicts that the state jobless rate will hit 12 percent before it starts to decline in 2010. Record numbers of Californians struggle to find work in the toughest job market of their lives. "This is the first time I've been out of work for seven months," said Phillip House, a 46-year-old San Francisco native who can't find openings or land interviews in his chosen field of accounting. "I'm at the point where I'll do any job that's legal, moral and ethical," he said.[25] Washington state's March jobless rate was 9.2 percent the 16th highest in the nation. That was up 4.4 percentage points from March 2008, the ninth biggest gain among the states.[26] The Pacific states Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska and Hawaii had the highest combined jobless rate of any region at 10.8 percent.[30] U.S. Department of Labor figures showed the number of unemployed increased sharply from 10.6 per cent in February, giving California the highest jobless rate in the nation behind Michigan, Oregon and South Carolina.[45] North Carolina's jobless rate is also among the country's most severe, with only Michigan, the leader at 12.6 percent, Oregon, South Carolina, and California suffering more.[6]

"The rate changed very little simply because it changed so much in the four previous months. It had to slow down," Appalachian State University banking professor Harry Davis. The chief economist for the North Carolina Bankers Association, Davis said he expects the jobless rate to rise to 12 percent by summer and for layoffs to continue until this time next year.[6] Don Schunk, research economist at Coastal Carolina University, said the short-term future of the state's economy is influenced by consumer spending and tourism, exports and industrial production, and housing and commercial development. "Right now, I don't see enough strength on the horizon in any of those areas to avoid further deterioration for the state's labor markets," said Schunk, predicting the jobless rate could reach 14 or 15 percent by the end of 2009.[37]

Larry Parker, spokesman for the ESC headquarters in Raleigh, said not to read too much into one month's data because the numbers from April and May could provide a better picture of the recession. He said even as the economy recovers, more job seekers could enter the labor force and keep the unemployment rate high. He said, there is no measurement tool to forecast when the unemployment rate will drop to the pre-recession levels. "It's nothing that can happen overnight," he said. "It's very hard to determine that."[7] The state's labor force decreased by nearly 31,000 people in March, a decline Walden partially attributes to frustrated job hunters losing hope. Their exit from the labor force reduced the number of people counted as jobless, keeping the March figure deceptively low, he said. Another telling sign: 134,964 people filed initial claims for unemployment insurance with the state, the fourth consecutive month that the state's jobless logged more than 100,000 claims in one month.[46] The unemployment rate increased in 46 states in March and eight states are now suffering from double-digit joblessness, the Labor Department reported Friday.[28] The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said today that put the state second to Michigan, whose unemployment rate is 12.6 percent.[26] Only Michigan, home to the staggering auto industry, has a higher unemployment rate at 12.6 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said.[30]

Only Michigan, with an unemployment rate of 12.6 percent, outpaced Oregon in the number of able-bodied people currently out of work, the report says.[47] NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The government on Friday released another sobering report on the jobs crisis, with the unemployment rate rising in 46 states and pushing past 12% in Michigan and Oregon.[33] The state probably won't see another month like January where the unemployment rate increased by 1.5%. Unemployment is up to 10.8% as more than 41,000 workers lost their jobs last month.[8]

The nationwide unemployment rate in March was 8.5%, an increase from 8.1% the prior month. President Obama has made job creation a central theme in his administration. With his $787 billion stimulus package, Obama intends to save or create at least 3.5 million jobs through 2010. This includes $26.6 billion worth of investment in the nation's infrastructure, with jobs created and layoffs avoided, albeit temporarily, through construction contracts on highways and bridges.[33] Levy expects at least six more months of '''really disappointing''' jobs figures and does not believe hiring will pick up until the end of the year. Even after hiring picks up, he said, the unemployment rate will continue to rise because hiring will not match the rate of population growth. He does not expect the jobless rate to decline until the first half of next year at the earliest.[13] After several months of watching jobs hemorrhage at a dizzying rate, North Carolina's unemployment figure for March looks deceptively comforting.[46] Last month's unemployment rate ranks North Carolina fifth-highest in the nation for joblessness, and well above the national average of 8.5 percent.[46] "The lesson is keep your eye on the number employed, not the unemployment rate," Walden said. It was the first time since October that the increase in the state's unemployment rate was lower than that of the national rate, which jumped to 8.5 percent from 8.1 percent in February.[4] As the national unemployment rate, which reached 8.5 percent last month, continues to rise, more and more states will be joining the double-digit club, analysts said.[28]

Nine states, including the big states of Florida (9.7 percent), Illinois (9.1 percent) and Ohio (9.7 percent), already have unemployment rates between 9 percent and 10 percent. "The national unemployment rate for April will rise to 8.8 or 8.9 percent," said Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wachovia Corp. in Charlotte, N.C. "It's pretty much baked in the cake."[28] The state's unemployment rate now stands at 11.2 percent -- 0.2 percent higher than the previous peaks reported in November and December of 1982 and February of 1983.[44] Oregon trails Michigan, which reported a 12.6 percent unemployment rate in March.[12] The national unemployment rate also rose in March to 8.5 percent compared to February's 8.1 percent, the report said.[9] Statewide, the unemployment rate for March was 11.2 percent, up from 10.6 percent the month before.[20] California's unemployment rate surged to 11.2 percent last month, the highest rate since the Great Depression, driven by layoffs in factories, retail stores, construction firms and banks.[13] California's unemployment rate is the nation's fourth highest at 11.2 percent.[47]

The unemployment rate was the highest in California since the 11.7 percent recorded in January 1941, although the numbers were calculated differently back then.[48]

In South Carolina, the unemployment rate increased to 11.4 percent - the highest since 1983 - up from 10.9 percent in February.[46] South Carolina's unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in February 2008 when the 13 months of increases began.[10]

With South Carolina's unemployment rate hitting a record-tying high in March, the science behind the numbers comes into question once again.[31] The current unemployment rate is equal to the highest rate ever recorded in South Carolina, which was in January 1983.[31]

According to the report, only three states have higher rates of unemployment: Michigan, Oregon and South Carolina.[40] At 11.2 percent, California unemployment is the fourth highest in the nation, trailing Michigan (12.6 percent), Oregon (12.1) and South Carolina (11.4).[48]

It's the 14th straight month that unemployment has risen in South Carolina, and it ties the record 11.4 percent rate of January 1983.[35]

The unemployment rate topped California's previous post-Depression record of 11 percent, set in 1982 and 1983 during a recession caused by rising oil prices and the Federal Reserve's efforts to clamp down on inflation.[13] The unemployment rate in metropolitan San Jose was 11 percent, as Santa Clara County and San Benito County suffered accelerating losses.[25] Merced's unemployment rate rose to a whopping 20.4 percent, while San Joaquin County came in at 16.4 percent.[24]

Once again, Lexington County has the lowest unemployment rate at 7.9 percent, a gain of one tenth of a percentage point from February.[11] The federal agency says that Oregon's unemployment rate has risen 6.6 percentage points since March of last year, the largest increase in the nation.[26]

The state-by-state employment figures showed only a few states avoiding the deterioration seen nationwide. Unemployment rose in 46 states during the month, and 12 states plus the District of Columbia posted unemployment rates in March that were significantly higher than the 8.5% nationwide figure the government released earlier this month.[27] The new figure is the highest employment rate Shasta County has seen since January 1985 when unemployment hit 17.2 percent.[20] The county with the highest unemployment rate, Allendale County, has a 22.3 percent unemployment rate, down from February's 23.3 percent.[9] In Richland County, the unemployment rate increased to 8.8 percent from 8.5 percent in the previous month.[11] Lancaster County had an unemployment rate of 18 percent last month, down from 18.3 percent in February.[19]

Oregon's unemployment rate of 12.1 percent is the second-highest in the nation, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report issued Friday.[47] PORTLAND Oregon has recorded the steepest year-over-year rise in unemployment rates among the states and now its jobless rate.[26] In the meantime, state unemployment officials believe we'll probably see the jobless rate top out in the 3rd quarter. They're basing that on a combination of current economic conditions and analysis of historical data from past recessions.[49]

Despite the upward march of the state's jobless rate, the com-mission found some good news. It reported nearly 7,000 non-farm jobs were gained in March, the first time there's been an increase since August.[50] The state still lost 41,300 jobs, the NCESC reported. Donny Hicks, executive director of the Gaston County Economic Development Commission, said the state's jobless numbers are positive compared to recent months, but he expects a larger increase for Gaston County in March.[18] The state, which accounts for the largest share in the U.S. economy, lost more than 62,100 jobs in March, the 12th consecutive month of increases in the jobless number.[41]

The numbers showed the recession deepening, as 62,100 payroll jobs disappeared across the state during March. That was only about half as bad as the record job loss from February, and state officials took some heart in that. "This was a glimmer of hope here," said chief economist Howard Roth at the state Department of Finance. "This is hopefully starting a downward trend in the number of jobs lost."[16] California nonfarm payrolls lost 62,100 jobs in March, following a loss of 114,000 jobs in February, according the state Employment Development Department.[43] The state lost 62,100 payroll jobs during the month, according to data released yesterday by the state Employment Development Department.[13]

Although the rate of job losses slowed last month, the total number of unemployed workers, 492,512, remained at an all-time high, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission. [34] Over the past 12 months, another 913,000 have joined the ranks of the unemployed. That includes workers who were laid off, young people looking for their first jobs, and older adults who rejoined the labor force, perhaps because a family member got laid off. "These are stark numbers and this is certainly not an easy time, but on the other hand things are not really as bad as you might think," said Chris Thornberg with Beacon Economics, a firm that forecasts California conditions. Thornberg said these job losses reflect the slump in consumer spending that occurred at the end of 2008 and in the beginning of 2009. He said spending is starting to stabilize rather than fall.[25] Davis said even though the job count was higher in March compared to previous years, the number of people looking for jobs is still very high. He said the small labor force declines were most likely because of worker discouragement from not being able to find a job. "Other economic factors beyond our borders cause people to go back into the labor market even though they don't plan to," Davis said.[29]

North Carolina's unemployed ranks have increased by more than 248,000 people in the past year. More than 41,000 workers lost their jobs in March.[6] North Carolina lost 41,300 jobs in March, the second-highest single month loss since the recession began. Half those losses came in construction, manufacturing and professional and business services.[46] North Carolina's manufacturing and construction industries continued to be severely hurt by the recession, each shedding at least 8,500 jobs in the month as consumers slashed spending.[6]

Since the beginning of the national recession in December 2007, North Carolina has lost roughly 14 percent in manufacturing employment.[7]

Apr. 17--Unemployment in South Carolina climbed to 11.4 percent in March, tying the highest mark since January 1983, the state Employment Security Commission announced this morning.[50] March's jobless rate in South Carolina was up a half-a-percentage point from February's revised rate of 10.9 per-cent, the commission said.[50] Jobless rates in York, Chester and Lancaster counties in South Carolina all declined - albeit slightly - in March, according to data released Friday.[46]

The jobless rate in North Carolina inched upward to 10.8 percent in March from 10.7 percent in February.[34] North Carolina's jobless rate soared from 7 percent in October to 10.7 percent in February.[6]

After months of rising unemployment, North Carolina's jobless rate may be plateauing.[7]

In California, where the jobless rate is 11.2 percent, more than 2 million would-be workers were unemployed in March. [28] Michigan had a jobless rate of 12.6 percent last month, Oregon recorded 12.1 percent and California reached a record 11.2 percent.[3]

Business: Home: Story Oregon now holds the dubious distinction of recording the second highest jobless rate in the nation in March, at 12.1 percent, according to a federal report released Friday.[30] Michigan still had the nation's worst jobless rate, which hit 12.6 percent in March, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.[50] The U.S. jobless rate was 8.5 percent in March 2009, up from 8.1 percent in February and 5.1 percent in March 2008.[30]

The rate was up from 10.8 percent in February, and 6.2 percent in March 2008, when California began losing jobs as the economic recession took hold.[41] For the month, the overall job count was 94,000 below the number reported in March 2008. In the Midlands, the jobless rate for both Lexington and Richland counties edged upward.[50] Metro areas like Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville-Spartanburg reported upticks in the jobless rate, largely because of cutbacks in construction and manufacturing. One reason jobless rates declined in the rural counties, Schunk said, might be that they experience much larger seasonal swings in employment in February and March, with gains in tourism, agriculture, and construction. "So, a rural county that relies on these seasonal industries should expect a small improvement in March."[37]

The increase -- reported yesterday by the N.C. Employment Security Commission -- continued the streak of setting a new monthly high for the unemployment rate.[4] "Typically the unemployment rate can be a lagging indicator," said David Cooke, an economist for the Oregon Employment Department.[47] A number of factors contribute to Oregon's high unemployment, said David Cooke, an economist with the state Employment Department.[30]

More than 2.1 million Californians are now out of work -- about 950,000 more than were jobless one year ago, according to preliminary state figures. It's straining the state fund that pays jobless benefits. In January, California began borrowing from the federal government to keep its unemployment insurance fund solvent. The employment department projected the state will need to borrow $2.4 billion through year's end and $4.9 billion in 2010 if the state doesn't adjust its benefits or taxes on employers. The Associated Press contributed to this report.[15] "More employers are filing claims on behalf of the individual which tells us that the employer believes the employee will return to work," said David Clegg, the chief operating officer of the State Employment Security Commission. Although officials say unemployment in this state is slowing, there are still thousands who are hurting in this economy. That's why Richland Creek Community Church in Wake Forest created free pizza Fridays.[49]

While the downtrend may ease, the economic forecaster sees no quick comeback. He expects unemployment to remain in double digits - perhaps around 16 to 17 percent - before the job picture brightens toward the end of the year. "When we get there, we're going to be down probably 7 percent (in total employment) from where we were when this whole disaster started to unfold," Michael said.[17] Statewide unemployment jumped six-tenths of a point in March, to 11.2 percent, the Employment Development Department said Friday.[48]

While the recession may not be bottoming out yet, job losses in Tulare County slowed during the month of March, with less than a percentage point uptick in unemployment claims compared to February.[22] Over the past year, the largest job losses were seen in construction, where 1,700 fewer jobs were counted, and retail trade, which lost 1,000 workers since March 2008.[17] The 1990s job losses came after the closure of local defense factories after the end of the Cold War. Gin said he was most surprised by the job loss in manufacturing, which has lost 6,600 workers in the past year. '''Over the past year, we've gotten used to job losses in construction and real estate, but manufacturing has shocked me,''' he said.[13]

The job losses were offset by hiring of 1,100 new restaurant workers ''' after several months of layoffs ''' and 1,100 state, county and private educators.[13]

California, the nation's most-populous state, has been hit particularly hard by the housing-market crash. That led to major job losses in the construction and financial industries.[27]

Most economists expect job losses across all U.S. nonfarm employers to continue in April at or near the rapid pace seen in March, when 663,000 jobs disappeared.[27]

Fresno County's biggest job gains came in federal government jobs, said Steven Gutierrez, a state labor market analyst. "We believe that's still lingering hiring by the Internal Revenue Service for the tax season, which is kind of a normal thing for this time of year," Gutierrez said. "It could also be because of hiring for the U.S. Census." Another gainer was the leisure and hospitality field, in which an additional 200 jobs were reported in March. Nearly all of those, Gutierrez said, were in "limited-service" restaurants such as fast-food eateries.[15] An average of 211,000 Californians have been unemployed for more than 47 weeks over the last year, the state reported. These people now account for about 14% of California's approximately 1.5 million jobless. The plight of the long-term unemployed such as Vasquez is characteristic of the deepening recession that has gripped the global economy and the Golden State since at least December 2007. "This recession has features of a depression," said Nelson Lichtenstein, a labor historian at UC Santa Barbara. "We get these very long-time people being out of work. They sort of disappear to a never-never land."[32] Over the past year and a half or so, more than 300,000 people have entered the state's work force "and became instantly unemployed," said Levy, director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.[48]

The outlook for the rest of 2009 isn't good, said Schunk, who expects the jobless rate to peak at 14 percent to 15 percent by the end of the year. Even if the economy is improving by then, he doesn't expect the rate to fall as fast as it climbed. "Businesses will be very cautious about hiring back large numbers of workers - they are going to wait and see if the recovery is real," Schunk said. [10] Hesperia has the greatest number of unemployed people in the High Desert, with 4,800 people unemployed and a jobless rate of 16.1 percent.[21] Nearly 14,000 people were unemployed in the Victor Valley and 111,200 people were unemployed countywide, EDD data shows. In every local city and at the county level, the jobless rate reached its highest peak since the EDD started recording the data in 1990, said Joe Briceno, EDD labor market consultant.[21] In the Victor Valley, Adelanto has the highest jobless rate, at 18.5 percent, with about 1,300 unemployed.[21]

The last time the state's jobless rate reached 11.4 percent was January 1983, the commission said.[37] The national jobless rate in March was 8.5 percent, up from 8.1 percent in February.[29] Nationally, unemployment in March rose to 8.5 percent, up from February's rate of 8.1 percent.[50] The county's unemployment figure was more than double the 7 percent rate recorded last March.[29] Around the north state, unemployment for March in Tehama County was at 14.8 percent, up from 13.8 percent in February.[20]

Nationally, unemployment rates increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia from March 2008 to March 2009.[30] California's unemployment rate remains stubbornly above the nationwide rate of 8.5% for March.[32] About 859,000 Californians are currently receiving unemployment benefits, a number that is expected to grow significantly. According to most economic forecasts, notably one conducted by UCLA, the unemployment rate is expected to rise this year and into 2010, with the national rate to increase to about 10%, and the California rate to hit 12% at least.[40] Wachovia expects the national unemployment rate to peak at 10.5 percent in the middle of next year, Mr. Vitner said.[28] Barstow's unemployment rate stands at 15.5 percent, with an estimated 1,700 looking for work.[21] In some regions, the jump has been even more dramatic: Unemployment has risen 8.6 points in Colusa County to a worst-in-the-state 25.6 percent. It's up 6.8 points in the Yuba City area, to 19.5 percent. It's up 6 points in Fresno County, to 17 percent. Experts say the rates don't tell the whole story because they don't account for discouraged residents who have stopped looking for work.[48] Fresno County's unemployment rate soared to 17% last month -- its highest level in a decade -- even as the work force expanded.[15] California has set a new record: Its highest unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) since current tabulation was started in 1974.[42] Levy said California's unemployment rate is being pushed up in part by a surge of new people entering the workforce.[16]

State unemployment rate keeps climbing - KSWO, Lawton, OK- Wichita Falls, TX: News, Weather, Sports.[38] Economists expect unemployment rates to continue rising at least through the summer even if the state and national economies begin to turn around as a result of President Obama's stimulus program.[32] Eight states have already seen double-digit unemployment rates, which are calculated on a different survey than payroll numbers.[27]

During that recession, the unemployment rate stayed over 10 percent for 15 straight months.[10] The Riverside and San Bernardino metropolitan statistical area posted the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation (12.2 percent), among MSAs with populations of 1 million or more.[44]

The area's dismal unemployment rate last month was dwarfed by unemployment rates for March in years past.[22] The commission said that unemployment rates before 1976 were not seasonally adjusted, so it is not comparable to data published in the past 33 years.[4]

The unemployment rate will continue to rise. Unlike the previous deep recessions of 1973-75 and 1981-82, manufacturing, which now comprises a much smaller share of the U.S. economy, can "no longer supply the kick to jump-start our economy," he explained.[28] "Even if the economy would turn around rapidly in the next couple of months, the unemployment rate is likely to continue to rise."[47]

In case you missed it earlier today, the state and local unemployment rates came out. They were (brace yourself) pretty bad.[51] Oregon now has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation, behind Michigan, according to federal data released Friday.[12] The question on everyone's mind is why Oregon's unemployment rate has risen so high, Cooke said. "We don't have definitive answers," he said.[47]

"Our unemployment rate is really one of the worst in the nation," said economist James Kleckley.[8] I am sure that Jasminerose is doing her best to present herself but with a 16% unemployment rate in this county, it means that employers can pick and chose and that most employers will pick those who they can pay to least to.[20] '''The unemployment rate is not creeping up. It's jumping up. These numbers are getting to be Depression-like.'''[13] The ESC report shows the rate is stabilizing following a five-month stretch when unemployment ballooned and claims for unemployment insurance skyrocketed. Despite these signs, the employed population continued to shrink while the number of unemployed workers grew.[7] "The number of workers who were unemployed, but actively seeking work, remained at an all-time high," according to the report. "Since this time last year, unemployment has increased by 248,456 people.[7]

An estimated 50,800 county residents tried and failed to find work last month, roughly one of every six workers and a stunning 70 percent more than the 29,800 unemployed estimated one year earlier.[17]

In Siskiyou County, the rate was at 18.7 percent, up from 18.1 percent the month before, and in Trinity County the March rate was at 21.9 percent, up from 20.9 percent at the beginning of the year.[20] York County's rate dropped 1.5 percentage points in March to land at 12.7 percent.[46] For the state, the March figure was.5 percent of a point higher than the revised February rate of 10.9 percent.[9] The figure for March was five-tenths of a point higher than February's 10.9 percent rate and the second highest in the country behind Michigan, which had a 12.6 percent rate last month.[29]

The highest reliable figure in state archives is the 14.7 percent rate in October 1940.[25]

The figure was higher than the revised February rate of 10.9 percent, according to the S.C. Employment Security Commission.[19]

Private sector employment in California, which excludes government, decreased by 60,200 jobs over the month, and over the last year by 628,100 jobs, or 5 percent.[43] • California's payroll employment dropped by 62,100 over the month of March. That represents an overall job decrease of 637,400 for the year.[44]

That means 492,000 people are now out of work in North Carolina. The pace at which this state is shedding jobs is slowing down. That's not the only hopeful sign officials are seeing with regard to employment here. They say the types of claims being filed are changing.[49] Thirteen states lost jobs at a faster pace than California, including neighboring Arizona, Nevada and Oregon, as well as five Southern states: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and North and South Carolina.[13] California lost 62,100 jobs in March, with Florida next at 51,900 jobs lost, Texas at 47,100 and North Carolina at 41,300, according to the federal figures.[27] North Carolina has lost 210,000 jobs since last March or 216,000 jobs since the recession started in December 2007, according to the ESC. In its 15th month, this recession has lasted almost twice as long as two previous recessions in 1990-1991 and 2001, which were both eight months.[18]

During February and March, however, 38 states and the District of Columbia lost government jobs, Mr. McMillion's research shows. Mr. Vitner of Wachovia expects the economy to hit its "absolute bottom" late this year.[28] "Over the past year, virtually every state lost jobs in construction, manufacturing, retail/wholesale, utilities, information services, finance, professional services, leisure/hospitality and other services," said Charles McMillion, president and chief economist of MBG Information Services. "The costly and deeply dysfunctional private health and education bureaucracies continue to be the only major sectors adding jobs in most states," he noted.[28] The state lost 4,500 jobs in construction and manufacturing, McClary added. "That just tells you we're not out of the recession yet."[37] Manufacturing and construction lost 2,900 and 1,600 jobs, respectively; a reminder that the recession is not over, the report said.[9]

Construction continues to be among the hardest hit sectors in the state in the wake of the collapsed housing, finance and credit markets, losing more than 152,000 jobs since March 2008, an 18.4 percent decline. [2] From a broader, year-to-year perspective, 71,900 jobs in Orange County were lost between March 2008 and last March. The construction sector recorded the largest month-to-month increase, with a gain of 900 jobs. (This increase is due in part to the seasonal effect on many job sectors; construction jobs typically decline in the winter: hence the reported February-to-March increase.)[23] From March 2008 to March 2009, the county lost 46,600 payroll jobs. That is greater than the entire job loss in the early 1990s, which was spread out over three years, Gin noted.[13] By the end of the year, an estimated 394,000 would be eligible for the extra help. Even with benefits, months and months of fruitlessly searching for a job takes its toll on a worker's sense of self worth and productivity, said Alex Gerwer, 53, of San Diego. The former strategic business planner said he had a worldwide network of contacts to tap in searching for a position like the one he lost in March 2008. "My clinical and technical background should be very important, but it's almost like I can't give it away," he said. "That has been very frustrating." Gerwer said he had "sent out well over 1,000 copies of my resume in a targeted and personalized fashion."[32]

LifeMasters Supported SelfCare Inc., a home-health management company, laid off 110 workers in Rancho Cordova last month. "It's a tighter economy," said Joanne Spetz, a health care economist at the University of California, San Francisco. "When people are losing their jobs, they're losing their health insurance."[48] Health Net Inc. and Sutter Medical Center have announced layoffs, among others. "When people are losing their jobs, they're losing their health insurance," said Joanne Spetz, a health care economist at the University of California, San Francisco.[16]

California's unemployment is being pushed up in part by a surge of people who are looking for jobs.[48] Unemployment is over 18% in Marlboro County and our leaders don't seem to "get it." They just go around like ostriches seeming to pretend that everything is wonderful and saying "It's good to be home in Marlboro County." Well, home is a good thing, but not when people can't pay their bills because they don't have a job! We have absolutely no place to shop for clothing and many other things; yet, we are constantly being "admonished.yes admonished" to buy locally!! Many jobs which could be held by local people are given to North Carolinians or people from other counties - especially in the school system.[31] Unemployment grew despite the new jobs because Fresno County's labor force also grew.[15]

The only two to make gains -- Mississippi and North Dakota -- had job increases of less than 0.1 percent, according to the Labor Department.[3]

Government reported the greatest job growth since February by adding 1,300 jobs in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in March. More than 90 percent, or 1,200, of those jobs came from local government.[21] Lumber and wood products jobs declined from 27,400 in March 2008 to 22,200 in March 2009, a decline of 19 percent.[30] The county also lost 1,000 trade, transportation and industry jobs. Those figures dropped from 12,800 in March 2008 to 11,800 last month.[20] Over the past 12 months, Shasta County has shed 1,100 construction industry jobs, dropping from 3,700 in March 2008 to 2,600 last month.[20]

Elsewhere, the county shed 600 professional and business services jobs, dropping from 6,400 in March 2008 to 5,800 last month.[20]

According to the recent figures, in the 12 months since March 2008, California has shed a total of 637,400 jobs, well above the national average.[14]

The California figures contrasted with a national jobless rate of 8.5 per cent in March.[45] The March rate for California is the worst since 1940, at 11.2 percent, although going that far back in time is a little dicey because the methods for calculating the rate were much different then. If you go back as far as 1976, when modern record keeping began, this is the worst ever.[51] The comparable, not seasonally adjusted California rate was 11.5 percent in March.[43]

Reporting from Los Angeles and Sacramento -- Unemployment in California shot to 11.2% in March, the highest level since the state began keeping records.[32] Unemployment broke the 11 percent mark in California last month, rising to a level not seen since the tail end of the Great Depression, state officials said today.[16] Unemployment punched through 11 percent in California and Sacramento last month, reaching historic levels as the recession produced fresh layoffs in retailing, construction and other industries.[48]

Oregon reported the largest month-to-month gain in unemployment in March (1.4 percent).[12] Unemployment in the three-county metropolitan zone made up of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties rose to 8.5 percent in March.[25] Nationally, unemployment in March rose to 8.5 percent, up from February's 8.1 percent.[37]

The March rate was up from a revised 10.9 percent in February and well above the national rate of 8.5 percent.[10] Counties with rates below 9.0 percent in March include Mono, Orange, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.[43] In the Oakland metropolitan area, composed of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, the March rate was 10.2 percent.[25]

The state's rate has increased 4.8 percentage points since March 2008, the worst one-year leap in modern history.[48] Lancaster County's rate declined by.3 percentage points and now stands at 18 percent.[46] The increase matched a previous level set in January 1983 and rose half a percentage point over February's rate of 10.9 percent.[11]

Cherokee County's rate improved five-tenths of a point to 16.4 percent, compared to February's 16.9 percent rate.[29] York County had a 12.7 percent jobless rate, down from 14.2 percent in February.[19] South Carolina also was replaced as the state with the nation's second-highest jobless rate.[36] South Carolina now has the third-worst jobless rate in the nation, down from second.[50]

The reason for Oregons lousey economy is centered on Extreame Environmentalism, a widely accepted "CULTURE OF FAILURE" and long. We know that Michigans jobless rate is high because its ties with the auto industry and manufacturing. [26] Jobless rate increased only one tenth of a percentage point. Local church tries to help those left hurting by current economy.[49]

"California's higher rate of job loss is primarily the result of greater exposure to the housing downturn," said Stephen Levy, with the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto.[25] The disappearance of 62,100 jobs was the smallest monthly job loss since October, and only half as bad as February's. That provided some encouragement for beleaguered state officials. "This was a glimmer of hope here," said Howard Roth, chief economist at the state Department of Finance, echoing the phrase used by President Barack Obama recently in describing the national economy.[48] As the economy deteriorates, and job hunters face difficulty finding new work, economists expect joblessness to top 10% nationwide by late 2009 or early 2010.[27]

The state lost 62,100 jobs, the fifth straight month at 60,000 or more. It's only half as bad as February, which the state's chief economist Howard Roth took as a glimmer of good news.[51] In terms of actual job loss, the state is doing only slightly worse than the U.S. average, said Stephen Levy, an economist in Palo Alto.[48]

Despite the continued rise in unemployment, the number of non-farm jobs in the state rose for the first time since August 2008.[9] There was some good news in Friday's report: The number of jobs in hospitality and leisure as well as health and education increased in March. That was offset by continuing declines in construction and agricultural jobs, the commission said.[10] The Sacramento region lost 1,700 construction jobs in March, a month when the industry usually adds an average of 1,100 jobs, said EDD labor market consultant Diane Patterson.[16] In Sacramento, the industry lost 1,700 jobs in March, a month when contractors usually start hiring. "It's hard to say when the construction industry will come back," said Diane Patterson, EDD labor market consultant. Other sectors are under stress.[48]

Although the state's labor force decreased from 2,189,300 in February to 2,185,500 in March, the number of jobless claims rose to 248,600, an increase of 10,200 compared to the 238,400 claims made during the previous month. [29] The number of unemployed workers in the state has more than doubled to around 248,600 in March, an increase of about 10,000 workers from the month before, according to the commission.[10] The commission says the number of unemployed people in the state rose by about 10,000 workers to about 248,600.[35]

The number of unemployed South Carolina workers was up 10,221 in March, reaching a record 248,578.[50] The number of people working or looking for a job in South Carolina dropped by about 4,000 people to 2,185,500.[10]

When it comes to determining the rate, the commission primarily counts people who are without a job and actively looking for work.[4] Jordan said the phone calls coming in to the office about reduced hours and layoffs are coming less frequently. "I think some people are finding jobs and I think there are some who have dropped out of the job market," she said. Jordan said finding a job in this economy is not as easy as it was in recent years. "They need to make finding a job, their job," she said. "They need to diligently look every day for work."[31]

Nancy Berkey, student employment specialist at Shasta College, said the job market in the north state has "obviously" gotten worse in the last year. Students and others seeking jobs now are "facing a much more competitive market," she said. "They may need to consider relocating," she said, if they want to find a job in a field they've studied.[20] Manufacturing dropped to the lowest employment level in the state since 1990 and trade, transportation and utilities cut 1,800 jobs last month 'when a gain of 1,800 would have been the normal seasonal movement,' the department said.[3] Layoffs continued to sweep through the state's manufacturing and construction industries while 10,000 jobs were cut in professional and businesses services.[8]

Workers in the professional and business services sector continue to be in demand, with job recruiters hunting for engineers and real estate property managers, said Patsy Wiggins, president of The HR Group Inc., a regional human resource management and consulting firm based in Greensboro. "I think what people are looking for are very highly skilled positions," she said. Wiggins said she was heartened by Gov. Beverly Perdue's announcement Thursday that the state will use federal stimulus funds to bolster community college training in a dozen high-demand fields that require no more than six months of training.[6]

Local rates continued to rise even in the San Francisco metropolitan area, which has been among the state's most resilient job markets.[25] '''We've been losing manufacturing jobs over the past decade, but usually at a rate of only 1,000 or 2,000 a year. This is the biggest drop we've seen during that period.'''[13] The region's greatest job losses hit two industries: manufacturing, and trade, transportation and utilities. Those two fields each lost 1,000 jobs.[21] Job cuts at Washington's Boeing ( BA - news - people ) Corp, Microsoft ( MSFT - news - people ), Starbucks ( SBUX - news - people ) and Freightliner added to the job losses in the region and Boeing's planned job cuts in 2009 are likely to add to the gloom.[3] Since employment hit an all-time peak in July 2007, there have been 727,000 payroll job losses.[13]

March losses were about half the 114,000 jobs shed in February, a sign that the pace of decline in California's job market may be slowing.[27]

The Bay Area job market remained slightly better than the state average in March.[25]

The March figure is North Carolina's highest on record since states started the current measuring method in 1976.[6] Among states, North Carolina experienced the largest month-over-month percentage drop in payroll employment, about 1%. It was followed closely by Idaho, Minnesota and Washington state, each losing about 0.9%.[27]

To see detailed data on the state's unemployment, read the report from the Employment Development Department by clicking here opnbrktPDFclsbrkt.[43] "The story is the same everywhere. Our economy is just not rebounding from this downturn," said Liz Baker, a labor market analyst with the state Employment Development Department.[17] People calling the state's Employment Development Department won't have to wait as long on hold after the new staff are hired.[52] Oregon, home to a wide spectrum of employers from wood mills to athletic apparel maker Nike ( NKE - news - people ), was hit in almost every industry in March, according to the Oregon employment department.[3]

Government employment rose by 700 jobs, going from 13,000 in March 2008 to 13,700 last month.[20] The pace at which this state is shedding jobs is slowing down. That's not the only hopeful sign officials are seeing with regard to employment here.[49] While up, the number of leisure and hospitality jobs fell below previous marks, said Sam McClary, an employment commission analyst.[37] The number of non-farm jobs in the state rose for the first time since August, with a gain of nearly 7,000 jobs, according to the commission.[29]

The Smart Business Resource Center's Spring Hiring Fair on March 10 attracted 1,069 job seekers - a record number.[20] The March economic forecast expected that Oregon would be down to 1.64 million nonfarm payroll jobs by the end of September.[47] The range of job cuts in the past month alone spans North Carolina's economic sector: technology, pharmaceutical, bedding, electronics, textiles, packaging, housing and furniture. Among the biggest casualties: La-Z-Boy laid off 200 in Wilkes County, IBM cut 334 at its Research Triangle Park facility, and Corning Cable Systems shut down a facility in Catawba County, terminating 208 jobs.[46] With the county's spike in unemployment, attendance at job fairs has gone up dramatically as well.[20] In San Diego County, unemployment surged above the 9 percent mark ''' more than twice as high as it was two years ago.[13] The University of the Pacific's business forecaster has said unemployment will exceed 12 percent in Sacramento next year.[48]

Unemployment has now crossed the 11 percent threshold in California and the Sacramento region.[51] Sacramento unemployment increased a half-point to 11.3 percent, also a record.[48] State economists think things will continue to get worse, meaning Oregon is set to break records for unemployment as 2009 grinds forward.[47] The true picture of unemployment may have been masked by what N.C. State University economist Michael Walden calls "discouraged workers" who quit looking for work and as a result aren't counted among the ranks of unemployed.[46]

"One of the things we've learned over the last 12 months, unfortunately, is the more pessimistic you've been, the more accurate you've been," Coastal Carolina University economist Don Schunk said. The only other time unemployment was this high in South Carolina was January 1983.[10]

South Carolina is now third nationally behind Michigan at 12.6 percent and Oregon at 12.1 percent.[11] South Carolina fell from second to third in the nation, now trailing Michigan at 12.6 percent and Oregon at 12.1 percent.[10]

Unemployment rises in 46 states and D.C.; Michigan leads nation at 12.6%, while Oregon shoots to second worst at 12.1%. [33]

Only North Dakota and the District of Columbia saw unemployment rates decline for the month.[27] The unemployment rate could easily go down if we saw improvement in the credit and stock markets." "We feel pretty confident that's what it was because we didn't really have any major events," she said. "It's encouraging.[29] Like Levy, Gin expects that the growth of the unemployment rate will ease with the help of the federal stimulus programs. '''The stimulus might not reverse things, but at a minimum it will slow the rate of deterioration,''' he said.[13]

Even though a stagnant job picture is rarely viewed in a positive light, the last few months have seen 2-5percentage point increases in unemployment. [22] "At the end of last year, we saw unemployment go up without significant job loss, but now that is on a little bit of a steeper decline."[29] Jobseeker Renee Harney, 33, said the Columbia unemployment office she frequents is as full as she has ever seen it, with cars spilling out of the parking lot daily. She said she's been out of work since she was let go in September from a job teaching coping skills to recovering drug addicts and has stopped being picky about where she applies.[10]

One of the biggest job losers in California last month was the sector known as professional and business services, which takes in a wide range of occupations from law to bookkeeping to office temp work.[48] One area, the educational and health services sector, added nearly 38,000 jobs, a 2.2 percent yearly increase, EDD said.[2] An increase of 600 jobs in the administrative and support services sectors ''' which includes temp agencies ''' was offset by scattered losses in several other related sectors.[23] After totaling job gains and losses in all industries, there was a net loss of 300 payroll workers.[13] "Most of the categories did not move at all month-to-month," said Adam Peck, the executive director of the Workforce Investment Board, the county agency that helps to find jobs for displaced workers.[22]

s report also shows an increase in the total number of jobs ''' 1,600 ''' in the county over the same February-to-March time frame.[23] The economy is still sending a grim message that legions of frustrated job seekers will understand as code red. "There's not anything in these numbers that suggest that things are getting better," said Wachovia economist Mark Vitner. "They're just getting worse at a less frantic pace. What glimmers of hope there are, it's that things are not deteriorating as badly as they were."[46] The Valley's turbulent economy and increased competition for work are forcing some to turn to jobs on society's fringes to make ends meet.[15] In all, 637,400 jobs have disappeared in the last year and a total of 727,700 since the economy peaked in July 2007.[32]

The Big Three carmakers have shed tens of thousands of jobs because of giant corporate losses and waning demand for vehicles. Liz Ski, an auto industry job recruiter at Hire Expectations in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, said she's getting less than half the business compared to a year ago. "Usually, this is the time of year we start picking up, but lately it's been real slow," Ski said.[33] Information sector employment gained the most, up 7,700 jobs, while trade, transportation and utilities lost 15,200 jobs, the most among major industry sectors.[43] The health care industry might not be immune to the recession after all. It lost 100 jobs in Sacramento last month - not a lot, but worrisome when you consider what an engine of growth it's been.[51]

California lost the most jobs, 62,1000, followed by Florida, which shed 51,900 positions.[3] Kaiser Permanente said it is cutting 700 data-center jobs in California, including a small number in Sacramento.[48]

Brad Kemp, director of regional research for Beacon Economics says the jobless rate may continue to worsen until sometime next year. He also says there are some things to see as positive for the future. (Mr. Kemp talks about the latest numbers in a CVBT Audio Interview. [42] The metro counties reported increases in jobless rates, while the numbers were down slightly for rural areas.[37]

Michigan led the list with a jobless rate of 12.6 in March, up from 12% the prior month.[33] Richland's jobless rate ranked 42nd, while Lexington has the lowest rate among the state's 46 counties.[50]

The state estimates that 75,800 people were jobless in the county in March, about 3,200 more than February.[15] The state has had a near doubling of people considered as unemployed in the past year to 492,512 -- just a 2,417 increase in March.[4]

Economists said that, by the end of the year, things probably will get worse than the 11.4 percent reading in March, a half-percentage point rise over February.[36] Economists say the recession is nearing rock bottom with the rate up just a tenth of a percent.[8]

In the modern era of record-keeping, which began in 1976, the new rate was the highest ever, topping the 11 percent mark recorded three times in the early 1980s.[48] Union County's rate hit 20 percent last month, compared to February's revised rate of 19.5 percent.[29] The last time the rate reached 17% was in March 1999, and the county's all-time record is 19.1% in February 1993.[15] February and March are the months unemployment generally peaks in Tulare County.[22] Even Orange County, which historically has low unemployment, reached 8.5% in March.[32]

Statewide unemployment increased from February to March by 2,417 workers to 492,512.[18]

"Unemployment is historically the lagging indicator in any recession. It's the last thing you see recover," said the Employment security commission's David Clegg.[49] Economists like Kleckley also point out statewide unemployment claims have plateaud. The number of those seeking benefits has stabilized. This month thanks to the Federal Additional Compensation Program those who receive unemployment benefits can now expect an additional $25 per week added to their regular benefit payment.[8] Economists point out, there's no doubt our state is still feeling the domino affect of the recession.[8]

There were also 800 fewer jobs in restaurants and bars, a loss of 500 jobs in financial services, and the trimming of another 500 in state and local government posts. [17] The ESC says nearly 7,000 jobs were gained in March with seasonal gains recorded in Leisure and Hospitality (+5,600), Retail Trade (+3,300), and Business and Professional Services (+1,500).[11] March was also notable because the sector with the greatest decline was professional and business services, where companies cut 10,100 white-collar jobs. Davis said he believes that was the result of the contraction in banking and finance firms, especially in Charlotte's banking center, and related services like law firms and computer services companies.[6]

In March, many sectors, including finance, real estate and construction, didn't add ' or lose ' any jobs last month.[22]

In terms of actual job loss, the state is doing only slightly worse than the U.S. average, said Stephen Levy, an economic consultant in Palo Alto.[16] The economic picture is far from rosy. Attendance at a job fair earlier this week brought a new crop of highly experienced, educated job seekers.[22] The Smart center is now offering internships to Shasta County adults who have been laid off. The center places them in a business where they can gain new job skills or improve the ones they have, said Anna Bengtsson, executive director.[20] Right now, EDD is "in the process of hiring" 850 people, and it plans to hire 300 more "in the next two weeks," according to the governor's office. Hiring for these EDD jobs is being done now in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire, San Jose and Sacramento.[52] While U.S. stock markets rallied for the sixth straight week Friday, San Joaquin County's jobs picture grew even grimmer.[17]

"I wanted a job in news, but everyone I talked to was either laying people off or not hiring," said the 47-year-old former foreign correspondent. [32] Officials aren't sure whether that was from normal population increases, or the resumption of job searches by people who had given up.[15]

The difference between the decrease in the employed and the increase in the unemployed is reflected in a 30,883 drop in the overall labor force. That's the number of people that - for a variety of reasons - stopped looking for work.[18] The state's labor force dropped slightly to 2,185,451 while the number of unemployed jumped 10,221 to reach a record high of 248,578.[9]

California's governor used state emergency powers on Friday to speed up the hiring of 1,150 people at call centers to help the unemployed.[52] Over the past year and a half or so, more than 300,000 people have entered the state's workforce "and became instantly unemployed," said Levy.[16]

More than 2 million Californians are now out of work, 913,000 more than were jobless one year ago, according to the state figures.[2] The new jobless figures are the highest since records first began to be released in 1976.[45]

Michigan, battered by turmoil in the auto industry, reported the highest unemployment at 12.6%.[27] Only the area that includes the city of Detroit reported a higher rate (13.6 percent).[44] Educational and health services was the only category with a year-over-year gain, -- 2.2 percent -- with a 0.2 percent gain in March.[43] In March, San Diego construction firms shed 800 workers; factories lost 600; retail, 200; transportation and warehousing, 200; and credit services, 100.[13] Educational and health services numbers held steady from March 2008 to last month at 10,300.[20] California reached additional unprecedented territory in March with the number of unemployed breaking the 2 million barrier and hitting 2,079,932, Mr. Kemp says.[42]

Beacon Economics' monthly employment report processes data generated and released by the California Employment Development Department.[44] In a recent report on economic trends, Yandle, a professor emeritus, said the state faces a "difficult challenge" because it is producing "wealth at a much lower pace than the nation, at least as measured by employment.[37]

In Oregon, employment is heavily reliant on the lumber industry, which has suffered from the decline in homebuilding in the neighboring state of California and elsewhere.[33]

"The new economic forecast due in May is likely to be more dismal than the last forecast," Cooke said. "In terms of payroll employment, as of March we're already down to their forecast for the third quarter of 2009."[47]

The 4.2 percent contraction since February 2008 is the largest year-over decline by any state during the same period, says Beacon Economics.[42] Like accounting firms, information technology consulting and systems design firms have had double-digit sales growth. Doing well in this economy are chiropractors, physical therapists, and other health practitioners, who have enjoyed 25 percent profit growth in the past year, Sageworks said.[6] Fresno County already has more people out of work than ever before -- a number that will only grow until the economy turns around and hiring picks up again.[15] The state's economy has been particularly hard on construction workers like Vasquez.[32] Employment in the county grew by only 600, to 330,200. That doesn't include the self-employed or unpaid family workers.[15] Overall, the employment picture in the two counties was better compared to the rest of South Carolina.[37] Overall, South Carolina's employment prospects are not rosy, according to Bruce Yandle, of Clemson University.[37] Overall, the employment picture was better in the two counties, compared to the rest of South Carolina.[50]

North Carolina's incremental increase may be the long-awaited signal that the recession is petering out. [46] The manufacturing sector has shed 76,000 jobs statewide since the recession started.[18] The commission reported seasonal gains of 5,600 jobs in leisure and hospitality, 3,300 jobs in retail trade, 1,500 jobs business and professional services, and 1,400 jobs in education and health care.[50] "I'm seeing a lot of professional women who were doing other work -- teachers, nurses, real estate agents, all walks of life -- turning to dancing now," Ellis said. "If it's not her who's lost her job, then it's her significant other who's lost his job."[15]

In the Midlands, Lexington County's jobless count was up to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent, while Richland climbed to 8.8 percent from 8.5. [37] Signs of a turnaround have yet to materialize, and the jobless rate is expected to worsen before it improves.[46]

Gov., Arnold Schwarzenegger's office said the move would mean faster services for people seeking unemployment benefits. [52] Unemployment jumped by.7 to.9 percentage points from the previous month in High Desert cities.[21] Lexington, was up one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent, while Richland climbed three-tenths of a percentage point, 8.8 from 8.5 percent.[50]

The federal report showed 48 states and the District of Columbia posted payroll declines in March. [27] EDD can also borrow people and office space from other state departments as needed.[52]

"We have some ideas as what is the likely cause." California, which has suffered a strong economic hit with the bursting of the housing bubble, is likely dragging down Oregon's economy, he said. [47]

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5. heraldsun.com: State jobless rate rises by 0.1%
6. The Associated Press: NC's unemployment a record 10.8 percent in March
7. North Carolina unemployment rate beginning to stabilize - News | Reflector.com
8. NC Unemployment Rate Tips 10.8% | WNCT
9. Marion sees miniscule decline in unemployment | SCNow
10. South Carolina unemployment ties record: 11.4 pct - Forbes.com
11. Still rising: state unemployment rate hits 11.4 percent - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |
12. Oregon climbs to No. 2 in unemployment - Portland Business Journal:
13. Jobless rate hits 11.2% in California
14. California Jobless Rate Highest In 30 Years, Tops The National Average | AHN | April 19, 2009
15. Jobless rate shoots to 17% - Local - fresnobee.com
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23. EMPLOYMENT
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35. SC unemployment reaches record-tying 11.4 percent - Forbes.com
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42. Central Valley Business Times
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45. California jobless at 33-yr high
46. Jobless rate creeps up in N.C., just barely | CharlotteObserver.com
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48. California jobless rate hit 11.2% in March - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee
49. N.C. Job Losses Slowing Despite 10.8 Percent Unemployment Rate - Durham County - MyNC.com
50. S.C. Jobess Rate Reaches 11.4 Percent, Matches Record High
51. Home Front: Unemployment: 11% and worse
52. California governor speeds up hiring for jobless benefit call centers - Sacramento Business Journal:

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