Unemployment Aid Declines but Fails to Prove Economy is Growing

COMMENTARY | The Associated Press reports that on Feb. 9, the Labor Department released unemployment data for the week of Jan. 30, and it shows that aid has fallen to a four-year low. Unemployment aid fell to 358,000, which suggests that the economy is improving, but is this really the case? Here is why I feel these numbers fail to prove the economy is growing.

The unemployment numbers might have fallen, but the numbers do not take into account how many people have just picked up seasonal jobs for the winter. During the winter there are a lot of seasonal jobs, including snow removal services, which can make these unemployment aid numbers slightly off. If someone was getting unemployment aid, but then found a seasonal job shoveling snow, it will make it seem like the economy is improving. If you look at places such as Colorado, where there has been a lot of snow, it is only safe to assume a lot of workers were hired to clean up the mess left behind. I do not think these are the true figures to gauge unemployment because I personally know many people working winter jobs, just because they do not want to be sitting on small checks from the government.

There is also the fact that these figures do not represent the number of people who have just given up looking for work, which I know has to be a very high amount. In my own personal life, I know of at least 10 people that have given up looking for a job, because there is just nothing available. Instead of signaling that the economy is getting better, the decrease can be seen as the economy getting worse, since the people that have already received unemployment for 99 weeks are kicked out, and since some have just given up completely. 358,000 is still a huge number of people receiving unemployment, and it does not seem like we are making progress in the right direction. More people have just given up hope of finding a job, especially in rural areas where jobs are scarce, and there is more competition among the community.

The numbers do show a significant improvement in the economy, even with manufacturing jobs increasing. The unemployment aid figures also do not include the number of people that are underemployed, and have just taken a job because it is a job. More people have become a realist and have just taken whatever jobs they are offered, since jobs are harder to come by in this economy. I feel that some people out there might just be taking whatever job comes their way, just so that they are not collecting money from the government, especially people that believe in self-reliance. The number of people receiving unemployment might have gone down, but it does not signal that more jobs are available to the millions out of work, and it does not signal a true sign of economic recovery within reach.

Myself, Personal Opinion

Christopher S.. Rugaber, “Unemployment aid applications near a 4-year low”, Associated Press


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