Friday, March 25, 2011

State data show uneven job growth

Updated 1h 18m ago |

WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies have added jobs for 12 straight months, but the gains across the country have been uneven and a little surprising.

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California and Michigan, which each suffered some of the worst job losses during the recession, are adding jobs again. California last month had its single best month for job creation in more than two decades. Still, six states lost jobs from February 2010 through last month, including Kansas and New Jersey, states that weren’t considered troubled spots.

Overall, 44 states added jobs in that stretch, one of the best year-over-year showings since the recession ended. And the unemployment rate has fallen in 41 states, the Labor Department said Friday. Last month the unemployment rate dropped in 27 states, compared to the previous month. It rose in seven states and stayed the same in 16. That’s the most states to report a drop since last June, when many states were still benefiting from census hiring.

Nationwide, employers have added 1.3 million jobs from February 2010 through last month.

State unemployment

Unemployment rates, seasonally adjusted
	Feb. 2010	Jan. 2011	Feb. 2011

Alabama	10.2%	9.3%	9.3%

Alaska	8.2%	7.8%	7.6%

Arizona	10.2%	9.6%	9.6%

Arkansas	8.0%	7.8%	7.8%

California	12.4%	12.4%	12.2%

Colorado	9.0%	9.1%	9.3%

Connecticut	9.2%	9.0%	9.0%

Delaware	8.7%	8.5%	8.5%

DC	10.3%	9.6%	9.5%

Florida	11.3%	11.9%	11.5%

Georgia	10.3%	10.3%	10.2%

Hawaii	6.8%	6.3%	6.3%

Idaho	9.0%	9.7%	9.7%

Illinois	11.1%	9.0%	8.9%

Indiana	10.7%	9.1%	8.8%

Iowa	6.1%	6.1%	6.1%

Kansas	7.2%	6.8%	6.8%

Kentucky	10.9%	10.4%	10.4%

Louisiana	7.1%	7.8%	7.9%

Maine	8.4%	7.5%	7.5%

Maryland	7.6%	7.2%	7.1%

Massachusetts	8.8%	8.3%	8.2%

Michigan	13.5%	10.7%	10.4%

Minnesota	7.7%	6.7%	6.7%

Mississippi	11.0%	10.1%	10.2%

Missouri	9.6%	9.5%	9.4%

Montana	7.1%	7.5%	7.4%

Nebraska	4.9%	4.3%	4.3%

Nevada	14.7%	14.2%	13.6%

New Hampshire	6.6%	5.6%	5.4%

New Jersey	9.7%	9.1%	9.2%

New Mexico	8.2%	8.7%	8.7%

New York	8.8%	8.2%	8.2%

North Carolina	11.4%	9.8%	9.7%

North Dakota	4.1%	3.8%	3.7%

Ohio	10.6%	9.3%	9.2%

Oklahoma	7.3%	6.6%	6.5%

Oregon	11.1%	10.4%	10.2%

Pennsylvania	8.8%	8.3%	8.0%

Rhode Island	11.8%	11.3%	11.2%

South Carolina	11.6%	10.5%	10.2%

South Dakota	5.2%	4.7%	4.8%

Tennessee	10.3%	9.4%	9.6%

Texas	8.2%	8.3%	8.2%

Utah	8.0%	7.6%	7.7%

Vermont	6.7%	5.7%	5.6%

Virginia	7.2%	6.5%	6.4%

Washington	10.0%	9.2%	9.1%

West Virginia	8.8%	9.6%	9.4%

Wisconsin	9.1%	7.4%	7.4%

Wyoming	7.5%	6.3%	6.2%

California, which was still losing jobs as recently as September, has added nearly 200,000 jobs in that time. That’s second only to Texas, which added 254,200 net jobs.

Nearly half of that increase in California occurred in February, when the state gained 96,500 jobs. That’s the most on records dating back to 1990.

“California … has been lagging the United States a bit, but it seems to be catching up this year,” said Jerry Nickelsburg, senior economist with the University of California, Los Angeles’ quarterly Anderson Forecast.

The state has seen big gains in shipping, software development, technology and food processing jobs, Nickelsburg said. The boost in hiring occurred even as government at all levels cut more than 60,000 jobs.

Michigan, meanwhile, added 71,000 jobs last year. That’s the first sustained job gain the state has seen in the past decade, said Sophia Koropeckyj, a managing director at Moody’s Analytics.

Michigan’s unemployment rate has plummeted from 13.5 percent to 10.4 percent, the biggest drop in the nation. Half of the decline reflects a large drop in the state’s work force. Once unemployed workers give up looking for jobs, they are no longer counted as unemployed.

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Posted 2h 20m ago | Updated 1h 18m ago

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9 comments

Sort:

Score: 5

CSinGA

12:41 PM on March 25, 2011

There is no job growth in Georgia!

2 replies

Score: 2

Tipisa

1:03 PM on March 25, 2011

If California experienced such a significant increase in employment, why did the unemployment rate in CA only go down by 2/10 of 1 percent in the past year?

1 reply

Score: 1

Jerry999

1:42 PM on March 25, 2011

wow...this is unbelievable...you mean growth in Alaska is different than Florida? man that is soooo shocking...I thought every state would be EXACTLY the same

Score: 0

mahunt

2:08 PM on March 25, 2011

Half of the decline reflects a large drop in the state’s work force. Once unemployed workers give up looking for jobs, they are no longer counted as unemployed.....

And that's how the Government beats the recession.

Enjoy your new non-existant livelihood!

Score: 1

Dar

2:35 PM on March 25, 2011

As Washington prints more money that fountain bounces and splashes across the nation higher where there are better Washington connections. That gives some people a temporary better deal, but overall the rising level of dollar bills will drown us all.

Score: 0

Pennywigeon

2:46 PM on March 25, 2011

Overall, 44 states added jobs in that stretch, one of the best year-over-year showings since the recession ended.

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The recession ended? Odd, but it doesn't appear as if it "ended". Maybe more along the lines some limited signs of a small recovery.

With high gas prices, food costs skyrocketing, the largest amount of people ever recorded now on welfare, unemployment still way too high, and now being in 3 wars, I think the recession is still here and quite apparent.

Score: 0

kevin in tenn

3:14 PM on March 25, 2011

--------------------

What a joke (if it were funny). This would be like a teacher agreeing to count as correct any question on a test a student didn't even try to answer. Think how many straight A students we could have.

BUT....

Here's the way out of the bad numbers. Get all the unemployed to stop looking for work. Then, we'll have 0% unemployment and happy days are here again!