by Shasta Webb
Editor-in-Chief 

    The national unemployment level, as released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is currently 8.1 percent. In the last four months, over 2.4 million citizens have lost their jobs, and the rates of unemployment are only increasing. However, the unemployment is distributed quite unequally across the country; some states are breaking records with numbers of jobs lost, while others seem to be maintaining a comfortably low rate of joblessness. The most severely hit areas include the West Coast and the Southeast, as well as Michigan and areas dependent on major automobile manufacturing.
 
    California: Currently California has the fourth highest unemployment rate; approximately 10.1 percent of Californians are without jobs, and the statistics has been growing at a frightening rate. The first sector to feel the effects of the economic downturn was residential construction, but soon jobs in finance and wholesale and retail trade began to dwindle as well. Economists reporting for the LA Times ecently stated that the jobs cut have extended to healthcare positions, teaching, and other government posts. California is becoming increasingly dependent on stimulus package money since job loss statistics do not show signs of lessening in the future.
 
    South Carolina: With a shocking 10.4 percent unemployment rate, South Carolina is second only to Michigan in job loss numbers. Some of the reasons for the spike in unemployment include South Carolina’s declining textile industry and growing pool of eligible workers. Governor Mark Sanford explained that many South Carolinians commute to Charlotte and work in the banking industry. Since that has recently plummeted, the job losses have sky-rocketed. Additionally, while other states offer thousands of “high tech” jobs, South Carolina either cannot create these positions as fast, or does not have qualified workers to fill them. 

    Michigan: Due primarily to the downfall of the automobile industry, Michigan now leads the country in highest unemployment rates at a startling 11.4 percent. Most of the jobs lost were auto manufacturing jobs as the big three auto companies, GM, Ford, and Chrysler, began to fail. Like most other states, Michigan also experienced a decline in residential construction jobs. Flint, Michigan, currently has the highest unemployment rate as the local economy there is almost fully dependent on car manufacturing, stated one article from Associated Content. Though education and healthcare positions have seen meager improvement, most Michiganders are concerned that the small improvement will not turn the employment problem around. 

    Wyoming: Historically Wyoming has had low unemployment rates, and currently has the lowest in all 50 states. Only 3.7 percent of Wyomingites do not have jobs, according to legal definition of unemployment. This Western state has been fortunate in the work department mainly due to the nature of jobs in the area, according to The Daily Paul. With a surplus of oil and coal, resources which are in constant demand, finding jobs in Wyoming is not difficult. Additionally, with President Obama’s push for clean-coal technology, employment rates are expected to rise. 

    Montana: Though it is higher than Wyoming’s, Montana’s unemployment rate still remains approximately three percent lower than the national statistic. This state’s current unemployment rate is almost exactly what it was in 1999, though it has fluctuated in the last decade. Like Wyoming, much of Montana’s workforce does not center around manufacturing, but rather around natural resources in healthcare, again, two sectors which expand and constantly need employees. As explained by the Western Montana In-Business Monthly, economists in Montana predict that the recession will certainly affect the state, but the downturn will not feel as sharp due to the stable nature of jobs in the area.

(Sources: The Daily Paul, LA Times, Associated Content, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Western Montana In-Business Monthly)