flyupsidedown
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WOW, more bad newsUnemployment hits 10.2%
The unemployment rate spiked to its highest level since 1983, much worse than expected as employers continue to trim jobs despite other signs of growth.
By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: November 6, 2009: 9:09 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The nation's unemployment rate rose above 10% for the first time since 1983 in October, a much worse jump than expected as employers continued to trim jobs from payrolls.
The reading, reported by the government Friday, is a sign of the continued weakness in the labor market even though the economy grew in the third quarter following the longest and deepest downturn since the Great Depression.
The government reported Friday that unemployment rate spiked to 10.2%, up from 9.8% in September. It is the highest that this rate has been since April 1983. Economists had forecast an increase to 9.9%.
There was also a net loss of 190,000 jobs in October, according to the Labor Department, an improvement from a revised estimate of 219,000 job losses in September. However, economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a loss of only 175,000 jobs in October. This was the 22nd straight month of job losses.
Government efforts to end job losses have had limited effects, although the Obama administration estimated last month that 640,000 jobs were created or saved by the federal stimulus package passed earlier this year. But that's modest compared to the 7.3 million jobs that have been lost by the economy since the start of 2008.
Friday's report comes one day after Congress voted overwhelmingly to extend unemployment benefits by up to 20 weeks. There are now a record 5.6 million people who have been unemployed for six months or longer, as the average time an unemployed person has been out of a job hit 26.9 weeks.
Prior to this report, most economists had believed that the unemployment rate would keep rising and that job losses would continue into next year. But the jump in unemployment in October took it to levels worse than what many previously had expected to be the peak.
According to a survey of top forecasters by the National Association of Business Economics last month, the consensus estimate among economists was that unemployment would hit a high of 10% in the final three months of this year and the first quarter of 2010.
The five economists with the most bearish forecasts had expected unemployment to rise to 10.2% in the fourth quarter of this year before hitting 10.5% in the first half of next year.
Congress approves extended jobless benefits
Look who's hiring now
Jobs will return - in 2012
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coastie
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It was a couple of months ago some on this board were crowing over the fact that unemployment had "dropped" to 9.4 percent.
We/re going to be going through a very tough stretch here.
The proposed democratic healthcare reform measures and cap and trade will cost many more thousands of jobs.
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flyupsidedown
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Not to mention they say it will last into 2010, an election year thank God. Hope it will put the fear of God, and the voters, into some of these legislators. At some point you would think they will have to listen but they seem to have succumb to the Obama cult of 'Yes We Can' in the face of overwhelming evidence against their agenda.
Michelle Bachmann seems to have rallied thousands at the Capitol yesterday in less than a week. The force is still with us and if it continues through the elections we will see many changes that will either get their attention or have them removed. Personally, I like the removal option. Moderate republicans as well need to take a good hard look at where the country is heading politically if they want to be relevant.
The movement is not dem or rep, it is conservative and for smaller less expensive gov't.
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