Category Archives: NC

NC unemployment rate drops while labor force plummets, Participation rate drops 4 % since Obama took office, 1.7 % since McCrory took office, NC losing jobs and workers

Posted on March 29, 2014 | 131 comments

NC unemployment rate drops while labor force plummets, Participation rate drops 4 % since Obama took office, 1.7 % since McCrory took office, NC losing jobs and workers

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Nearly half of U.S. companies are reluctant to hire full-time employees because of the ACA. One in five firms indicates they are likely to hire fewer employees, and another one in 10 may lay off current employees in response to the law.

Other firms will shift toward part-time workers. More than 40 percent of CFOs say their companies will consider switching some jobs to less than 30 hours per week or targeting part-time workers for future employment.”…Duke University Fuqua School of Business December 11, 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

 

We have the Obama administration touting job creation.

Governor Pat McCrory of NC is pleased with the improvement in the jobs situation.

The truth has stayed mostly hidden or under reported.

To fix a problem it is important to:
A) Acknowledgement the problem.
B) Understand the problem.

It appears that neither A or B is the case.

The Labor Force Participation Rate in NC has dropped 4 percent since Obama took office in January 2009 and 1.7 percent since Pat McCrory took office in January 2013.

The real unemployent rate in the US and NC?

Well over 10 percent.

The following article at least attempts to present the truth.

From WRAL March 28, 2014.

“NC employers shed thousands of jobs in February; unemployment rate dips”
“North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell again in February, but employers in the state continued to shed jobs, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Commerce.

A survey calculating nonfarm payrolls recorded 11,300 fewer jobs in the month after a decline of more than 7,000 jobs in January.

Despite the drop in jobs, the state’s unemployment rate dipped to 6.4 percent, marking the eighth straight month of steady decline. North Carolina’s unemployment rate is down 2.2 percentage points from February 2013 and is now better than the national unemployment rate, which was 6.7 percent last month.

The state’s labor force in February was 4,659,236, down 7,349 since January. The labor force is down more than 60,000 since February 2013, evidence of many people, some of them the long-term unemployed, are dropping out of the job market and are no longer counted in the unemployment rate calculation.

“If North Carolina is going to see a healthy long-term recovery in employment growth, we need to see all jobless workers moving into jobs, rather than out of the labor force. And we’re not seeing that because job creation remains anemic,” said Allan Freyer, an analyst with the NC Justice Center.

The number of people unemployed – those who are looking for jobs – fell sharply, from 310,974 in January to 296,226 in February.

Employers continue to shed jobs

Employers in North Carolina shed more than 11,000 jobs in February, and only three nonfarm sectors saw growth during the month.
NC Department of Commerce.”

“Gov. Pat McCrory said Friday that he’s pleased to see more people getting back to work.”

Read more:

http://www.wral.com/nc-employers-shed-thousands-of-jobs-in-february-unemployment-rate-dips/13520294/

By the way, the labor force in NC was 4,728,203  when McCrory took office. It was 4,659,236 in February 2014.

http://esesc23.esc.state.nc.us/d4/LausSelection.aspx

131 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Economy, Employment, Jobs, NC, North Carolina, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, The Case Against Barack Obama, Unemployment, US economy

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US & NC jobs data reality, Labor force plummets, Part time jobs created, WSJ The Hidden Rot in the Jobs Numbers, CitizenWells reveals unreported data, Media continues to protect Obama

Posted on March 17, 2014 | 79 comments

US & NC jobs data reality, Labor force plummets, Part time jobs created, WSJ The Hidden Rot in the Jobs Numbers, CitizenWells reveals unreported data, Media continues to protect Obama

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Nearly half of U.S. companies are reluctant to hire full-time employees because of the ACA. One in five firms indicates they are likely to hire fewer employees, and another one in 10 may lay off current employees in response to the law.

Other firms will shift toward part-time workers. More than 40 percent of CFOs say their companies will consider switching some jobs to less than 30 hours per week or targeting part-time workers for future employment.”…Duke University Fuqua School of Business December 11, 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

 

2014 is an election year and the media continues to protect Obama.

Everyone could be unemployed and the mainstream media would portray the jobs situation as rosy.

The following article from the Wall Street Journal is a notable exception.

From the WSJ March 16, 2014.

“The Hidden Rot in the Jobs Numbers”

“Most commentators viewed the February jobs report released on March 7 as good news, indicating that the labor market is on a favorable growth path. A more careful reading shows that employment actually fell—as it has in four out of the past six months and in more than one-third of the months during the past two years.

Although it is often overlooked, a key statistic for understanding the labor market is the length of the average workweek. Small changes in the average workweek imply large changes in total hours worked. The average workweek in the U.S. has fallen to 34.2 hours in February from 34.5 hours in September 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That decline, coupled with mediocre job creation, implies that the total hours of employment have decreased over the period.

Job creation rose from an initial 113,000 in January (later revised to 129,000) to 175,000 in February. The January number frightened many, while the February number was cheered—even though it was below the prior 12-month average of 189,000.

The labor market’s strength and economic activity are better measured by the number of total hours worked than by the number of people employed. An employer who replaces 100 40-hour-per-week workers with 120 20-hour-per-week workers is contracting, not expanding operations. The same is true at the national level.

The total hours worked per week is obtained by multiplying the reported average workweek hours by the number of workers employed. The decline in the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls by 3/10ths of an hour—offset partially by the increase in the number of people working—means that real labor usage on net, taking into account hours worked, fell by the equivalent of 100,000 jobs since September.

Here’s a fuller explanation. The job-equivalence number is computed simply by taking the total decline in hours and dividing by the average workweek. For example, if the average worker was employed for 34.4 hours and total hours worked declined by 344 hours, the 344 hours would be the equivalent of losing 10 workers’ worth of labor. Thus, although the U.S. economy added about 900,000 jobs since September, the shortened workweek is equivalent to losing about one million jobs during this same period. The difference between the loss of the equivalent of one million jobs and the gain of 900,000 new jobs yields a net effect of the equivalent of 100,000 lost jobs.”

“Another possibility for the declining average workweek is the Affordable Care Act. That law induces businesses with fewer than 50 full-time employees—full-time defined as 30 hours per week—to keep the number of hours low to avoid having to provide health insurance. The jury is still out on this explanation, but research by Luis Garicano, Claire LeLarge and John Van Reenen (National Bureau of Economic Research, February 2013) has shown that laws that can be evaded by keeping firms small or hours low can have significant effects on employment.”

Read more:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304250204579433442474053878

I would like to add the following bit of data from the BLS.

The number of people who could only find part time work rose 121,000 from January to February 2014.

Did you see or hear that reported anywhere?

And now for NC.

From the Raleigh News Observer March 17, 2014.

“North Carolina’s unemployment rate continued improving in January to near the national average, falling to 6.7 percent, the state Commerce Department reported Monday.”

“”We’ve been in this kind of transitional period for years now. There are times when I say I wish I could have some news that was all good or all bad. If it was all good or all bad, it would be easy to interpret,” said Andrew Brod, a senior researcher at the business school at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “You take the numbers as a whole. They’re not all good or all bad.””

“About 60,000 dropped out of the pool of people either holding jobs or looking for work in the year ending in January, while nearly 106,000 left the unemployed list, the state report said. That indicated around 60 percent of the decline in the unemployment rate was due to people ending their job searches, for whatever reason, rather than landing jobs, Brod said.

“In terms of the flight from the labor force, it’s looking as though last year wasn’t as bad as we previously thought,” Brod said.”

Read more:
Here are a few interesting numbers from the NC state website.

Labor force participation rate

Jan 2009  64.9%

Jan 2013  62.6%

Jan 2014  61.1%

As you can see, the labor force participation rate plummeted 3.8% since Obama took office in January 2009 and 1.5% in the last year alone.

The number of people employed in NC in January 2013 was 4,310,807.

The number of people employed in NC in January 2014 was 4,356,090.

That is a one year increase of 45, 283 people employed.

Does that match up with the drop in unemployment rate and gain in jobs that you have read about?

No!

Check for yourself.

http://esesc23.esc.state.nc.us/d4/LausSelection.aspx

Thanks to commenter and patriot Zach.

 

79 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Economy, Employment, Jobs, media, NC, North Carolina, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, The Case Against Barack Obama, Unemployment

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Greensboro News Record protects Obama punishes Governor Pat McCrory, Glaring example of media bias, Obama SOTUS unemployment, NC unemployment, Baby boomers blamed again, Sloppy reporting or lies?

Posted on January 29, 2014 | 27 comments

Greensboro News Record protects Obama punishes Governor Pat McCrory, Glaring example of media bias, Obama SOTUS unemployment, NC unemployment, Baby boomers blamed again, Sloppy reporting or lies?

 
“Greensboro News Record editorial states ‘An occasional look at political claims that take shortcuts with the facts or don’t tell the full story.’  The News Record should practice what they preach.”…Citizen Wells

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

I suspected that the recent Greensboro News Record reporting on the NC unemployment rate and reasons was an attempt to discredit NC Governor Pat McCrory and his plans to create jobs.

I was ok with the News Record reporting the truth about the drop in the unemployment rate in NC. It was the truth. Mostly due to working age folks dropping out of the labor force.

Too bad the News Record does not apply the same standard to Obama. Instead, they use regurgitated AP lies that attempt to portray the drop in the labor force as mainly due to baby boomers retiring. That lie has been revealed here and at other sites such as Zero Hedge.

From the Greensboro News Record editorial January 28, 2014.

“Fact check on the State of the Union Address”

“An occasional look at political claims that take shortcuts with the facts or don’t tell the full story.”

“REP. CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS of Washington, in her prepared Republican response: “Last month, more Americans stopped looking for a job than found one. Too many people are falling further and further behind because, right now, the president’s policies are making people’s lives harder.”

THE FACTS: She leaves out a significant factor in the high number of people who aren’t looking for jobs: Baby boomers are retiring.
It’s true that a large part of the still-high unemployment rate is due to jobless workers who have given up looking for a job. There are roughly three people seeking every job opening, a circumstance that can discourage others from trying.
But one big reason people aren’t seeking employment is that there are so many boomers — the generation born in the immediate aftermath of World War II — and therefore more than the usual number of retirements.
As of December, the economy had gained 3,246,000 jobs since Obama took office in January 2009. When he was inaugurated, the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent and on the rise.
It peaked at 10 percent in October 2009 and has been inching down ever since, to 6.7 percent this past December.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_e422165e-888f-11e3-829d-001a4bcf6878.html

From the Greensboro News Record January 28, 2014.

“Report: NC jobless rate falls to 6.9 percent”
“North Carolina’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.9 percent in December, its lowest level in more than five years, but Tuesday’s news came with signals that the rapid fall was related to thousands of discouraged people giving up on finding work.”

“Gov. Pat McCrory and state House Speaker Thom Tills, a fellow Republican from Mecklenburg County, on Tuesday credited tax cuts and fewer business regulations that GOP lawmakers approved this year for sparking an economic comeback.”

“But economists warn the fast fall in the unemployment rate has a lot to do with thousands of jobless workers no longer counted because they have become discouraged about the prospects of finding work and have given up.

Since December 2012, 13,414 more people are on payrolls and more than 124,000 fewer people were listed as unemployed, the report shows. That suggests that just 11 percent of the drop in unemployed workers resulted from the jobless finding work, said Allan Freyer, an analyst with the Budget & Tax Center, a part of the liberal-leaning NC Justice Center.

The state’s population of working-age adults who are looking for jobs also shrank by nearly 111,000 over the year. That means North Carolinians in the working-age population who are either employed or actively looking for jobs is the lowest since before the national recession started in December 2007.
As more people give up on finding work, that makes the unemployment rate look better because they’re no longer being counted, said Patrick Conway, an economics professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/news/north_carolina_ap/article_97849be3-1c83-55f3-98a5-fce1d20f1cf5.html

From Zero Hedge January 8, 2014.

“This Chart Is A True Representation Of The Employment Crisis In This Country”

“The civilian labor force in the US has been causing bouts of hand-wringing and head-scratching. It represents the official number of people working or looking for work. It’s what the officialunemployment rate (U-3) is based on. If labor force participation drops – if for whatever reason, millions of people are no longer counted as part of the labor force, as is the case in the US – it’s a troublesome indicator for the economy and the real employment picture.

It also makes the unemployment rate, now 7.3%, look a lot less awful: if you’re not counted in the labor force, and you don’t have a job, you’re not counted as unemployed. There are millions of people in that category. And their numbers are growing, not diminishing.

“The irony of the U-3 unemployment statistic is the fact that while unemployment has gone down 30% since its 2009 peak, we have the lowest labor force participation rate in over 3 decades,” observed Ralph Dillon, Vice President at Global Financial Data, in an email. “The markets and politicians celebrate the official unemployment rate, but you have to be concerned with the trend that is most indicative of the health of the employment situation in this country: the downward trend of those who want to work and can’t.””

“The chart (Global Financial Data) juxtaposes the unemployment rate and the labor force participation rate since 1980. After the financial crisis, suddenly, for the first time in history, they both started moving in lockstep. Downward.

““This chart is a true representation of the crisis of employment in this country,” Dillon wrote. The diminishing labor force participation rate – the officially available labor pool, however unrealistic it might be – has been driving down the unemployment rate for the first time in history.”

People 55 to 64 years old, the first forget-about-retirement generation, are staying in the labor force to an ever greater degree. In 1992, only 56.2% were still in the labor force, in 2012, 64.5% were. Similar for older folks. The participation rate for people 65 to 74 years old jumped from 16.3% to 26.8%. Reality is this: fewer people can afford to retire.

But who is not making it into the labor force? Young folks. The participation rate for those 16 to 19 has plunged from 51.3% in 1992 to 34.3% in 2012. OK, the BLS explains that by an increase in school attendance, and that would be a good thing. But the 25 to 54 year olds? Even among them, participation rates dropped from 83.3% in 2002 to 81.4% a decade later.

Among the 18 to 34 year old “Millennials,” those lucky ones who’re official counted in the labor force, unemployment has been a nightmare, with double digit unemployment rates, still, nearly 6 years after the financial crisis, reported the youth advocacy group Young Invincibles. It’s even worse for the 16 to 24 year olds, whose official unemployment rate is still 15%!”

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2014-01-08/%E2%80%9C-chart-true-representation-employment-crisis-country%E2%80%9D

Some common sense from Citizen Wells.

Ignoring facts from the US Government about the trend of retirement aged people working longer, there are more younger people entering the work force age group than would leave if all people turning 65 retired at once.

There are only 85% of those turning 65 still alive.

More people were born in the early nineties than in 1949.

Still not clear?

Read more:

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/labor-force-participation-collapse-from-younger-dropouts-not-retirees-zero-hedge-nails-it-more-younger-people-born-to-replace-older-labor-force-should-be-increasing-not-decreasing/

For their Orwellian misrepresentation of the US unemployment which protects Obama, the Greensboro News Record is awarded 4 Orwells.

Orwells4

27 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Employment, Jobs, Lies, media, NC, News, North Carolina, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Orwell, Orwellian, The Case Against Barack Obama, Unemployment, US economy

NC employment unemployment truth January 2014, Labor force droputs, Participation rate plummets, Employment spin, Greensboro News Record awarded 2 Murrows

Posted on January 10, 2014 | 62 comments

NC employment unemployment truth January 2014, Labor force droputs, Participation rate plummets, Employment spin, Greensboro News Record awarded 2 Murrows

“You can’t fix a problem unless you acknowledge and understand it.”…Citizen Wells

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“The function of the press is very high. It is almost Holy.
It ought to serve as a forum for the people, through which
the people may know freely what is going on. To misstate or
suppress the news is a breach of trust.”…. Louis D. Brandeis

 

 

It is fitting and proper that I award 2 Murrows to the Greensboro News Record. Edward R. Murrow was born just outside of Greensboro.

I will award more Murrows to the News Record when they report in the same manner on the US unemployment situation and Obama Administration.

From the Greensboro News Record January 7, 2014.

(print edition sub heading)

 

“People dropping out of the labor force might be skewing the decline.”

“The unemployment rate in the Greensboro/High Point metro area is the lowest since late 2008, when the economy began shedding jobs at an alarming rate.

The rate dropped to a seasonally adjusted 7.8 percent in November, the N.C. Department of Commerce reported Tuesday.

That’s a drop of 2.1 percentage points compared with November 2012.

It’s also the lowest rate in five years, when it was 7.9 percent.

But a closer look suggests the Greensboro/High Point metro’s job market may not be as healthy as it seems.

Despite the drop in the unemployment rate, the state’s survey of households suggests the region is adding few jobs.

The number of employed people is virtually unchanged since the end of 2012.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/business/article_2fe50f6a-77ba-11e3-b6a7-0019bb30f31a.html

From the Greensboro News Record editorial January 9, 2014.

“Employment spin”

“After North Carolina cut unemployment benefits last summer, people went out and got jobs.

That’s the compelling story line Republicans are spreading to explain one reason for the state’s rapidly falling unemployment rate. It was 8.9 percent in July, when extended benefits ended and weekly payments decreased, and it declined steadily to 7.4 percent in November.

“Give people incentives to stay home, many will stay home. Give them incentives to work, and many more will work,” Jim Tynan wrote last week for the conservative journal Civitas Review Online.

Is it that simple? Can North Carolina, and the entire country, turn the economy around by cutting off unemployment benefits?”

“It’s not that simple. While more people are working, a much greater number have left the workforce. UNCG economist Andrew Brod noted recently that if the state’s labor force had been as large in November as it was in January, the most recent unemployment rate would have been 9.5 percent instead of 7.4 percent. Harvard economist Lawrence Katz last week said North Carolina’s shrinking labor force accounts for 95 percent of the falling unemployment rate. Job growth accounts for just 5 percent.”

“The bottom line for North Carolina’s economy is jobs. The number is slowly increasing, but the percentage of the state’s population that is employed hasn’t improved. If the problem were as easy to solve as some suggest — cutting off unemployment benefits — North Carolina would be in the fast lane to prosperity.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/opinion/n_and_r_editorials/article_b3407324-78ad-11e3-912e-0019bb30f31a.html

The Greensboro News Record is awarded 2 Murrows.

Murrows2

 

62 Comments

Posted in Economy, Employment, Jobs, NC, North Carolina, Unemployment

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MarketWatch.com and NC Governor Pat McCrory fail to present true employment in North Carolina, January unemployment rate 9.5 percent, Fewer employed in November, Labor force participation rate plummeted

Posted on January 9, 2014 | 47 comments

MarketWatch.com and NC Governor Pat McCrory fail to present true employment in North Carolina, January unemployment rate 9.5 percent, Fewer employed in November, Labor force participation rate plummeted

“You can’t fix a problem unless you acknowledge and understand it.”…Citizen Wells

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

 

The unemployment rate in North Carolina in January was 9.5 percent.

There were more people employed in NC in January than November.

From MarketWatch.com January 8, 2014.

“What happens when jobless benefits are cut? North Carolina may offer clues”
“Last summer, North Carolina slashed the amount of cash it gave to people after they lost their jobs and the state also reduced the number of weeks they could receive benefits. Within several months, the unemployment rate fell a few ticks and by November it fell to a five-year low.”

“As a result, some 70,000 North Carolinians lost out on extra federal benefits at the end of last June.

So what happened? North Carolina’s jobless rate rose a notch to 8.9% in July and then began a steady descent: 8.7% in August, 8.3% in September, 8.0% in October and a preliminary 7.4% in November, according to U.S. Labor Department figures.

That’s the lowest rate since late 2008, though monthly numbers are prone to sharp revisions.

Government data also shows that more than 22,000 North Carolinians found work since the cutoff and the number of unemployed sank by nearly 73,000 to 344,000.

What the data doesn’t tell us, however, is what happened to all the people no longer classified as unemployed. While some found a job, others may have retired, ended up on welfare, moved in with family members, sought disability payments or fled to a nearby state with better benefits. We just don’t know.”

Read more:

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/capitolreport/2014/01/08/what-happens-when-jobless-benefits-are-cut-north-carolina-may-offer-clues/

From the Greensboro News Record January 7, 2014.

““We had the highest tax rates in the Southeast,” McCrory said. “… We think this tax reform, which lowered your corporate tax rates and lowered your income tax rate, will help existing businesses grow and help in the recruitment of new businesses and we’re already seeing a very positive impact.””
“McCrory cited the 2 percentage point drop in the state’s unemployment rate since he took office last January as evidence of the success of his administration’s agenda.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/news/north_carolina_ap/article_fe4eeb5a-9ccf-57d7-b50b-6265f99285cc.html

From Citizen Wells December 22, 2013.

“I expect orwellian employment reporting from the Obama controlled US Government. I am less inclined to expect the same from the state of NC.

The unemployment rate fell from 9.5 percent in January to 7.4 percent in November. Yet there were fewer people employed in November than January.”

Why is the following not being reported?

In January of 2013 there were 4,322,922 people employed.

In November of 2013 there were 4,314,502 people employed.

The labor force participation rate plummeted from 63.4 percent to 61.3 percent in the same period.

http://esesc23.esc.state.nc.us/d4/LausSelection.aspx

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/nc-employment-november-2013-fact-vs-fiction-unemployment-rate-drops-from-9-5-to-7-4-percent-jan-to-nov-2013-fewer-working-in-nov-than-jan-labor-force-participation-rate-plummets/

 

47 Comments

Posted in Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Employment, Jobs, NC, North Carolina, Unemployment

Tagged , , ,

NC Governor McCrory unemployment rate drop taken from Obama playbook, Labor force participation rate plummets in North Carolina, Economy created by Obama and Democrat governments not corrected in one year

Posted on January 7, 2014 | 23 comments

NC Governor McCrory unemployment rate drop taken from Obama playbook, Labor force participation rate plummets in North Carolina, Economy created by Obama and  Democrat governments not corrected in one year

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Over the last six months, of the net job creation, 97 percent of that is part-time work,”…Keith Hall, former BLS chief

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

 

Republican Governor Pat McCrory probably has taken measures to improve the economy and jobs situation in NC.

He inherited a mess from the former convicted Mike Easley administration and pro Obama Perdue government.

However, using Obama tactics to misrepresent the unemployment rate in NC will not help his cause.

From the Greensboro News Record January 7, 2014.

“McCrory: ‘Carolina Comeback’ economic recovery”

“Gov. Pat McCrory touted what he termed as the “Great Carolina Comeback” on Monday as evidence the state’s Republican-authored economic and tax reforms are working.
McCrory was the keynote speaker at the Annual Economic Forecast Forum hosted by the North Carolina Bankers Association and North Carolina Chamber. The crowd of about 1,000 people at the luncheon were friendly to McCrory’s pro-business message, giving the governor a standing ovation as he took the stage.

“We had the highest tax rates in the Southeast,” McCrory said. “… We think this tax reform, which lowered your corporate tax rates and lowered your income tax rate, will help existing businesses grow and help in the recruitment of new businesses and we’re already seeing a very positive impact.””
“McCrory cited the 2 percentage point drop in the state’s unemployment rate since he took office last January as evidence of the success of his administration’s agenda.

That state’s 7.4 percent unemployment rate is still higher than the national average, which has also declined in the past year. The size of the state’s total labor force has also declined as economists have said many unemployed people gave up looking for jobs, while the number of people actually employed has grown very modestly by about 6,100 workers.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/news/north_carolina_ap/article_fe4eeb5a-9ccf-57d7-b50b-6265f99285cc.html

From Citizen Wells December 22, 2013.

“I expect orwellian employment reporting from the Obama controlled US Government. I am less inclined to expect the same from the state of NC.

The unemployment rate fell from 9.5 percent in January to 7.4 percent in November. Yet there were fewer people employed in November than January.”

Why is the following not being reported?

In January of 2013 there were 4,322,922 people employed.

In November of 2013 there were 4,314,502 people employed.

The labor force participation rate plummeted from 63.4 percent to 61.3 percent in the same period.

http://esesc23.esc.state.nc.us/d4/LausSelection.aspx

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/nc-employment-november-2013-fact-vs-fiction-unemployment-rate-drops-from-9-5-to-7-4-percent-jan-to-nov-2013-fewer-working-in-nov-than-jan-labor-force-participation-rate-plummets/

23 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Economy, Employment, Jobs, NC, North Carolina, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records

NC employment November 2013, Fact vs fiction, Unemployment rate drops from 9.5 to 7.4 percent, Jan to Nov 2013, Fewer working in Nov than Jan, Labor force participation rate plummets

Posted on December 22, 2013 | 38 comments

NC employment November 2013, Fact vs fiction, Unemployment rate drops from 9.5 to 7.4 percent, Jan to Nov 2013, Fewer working in Nov than Jan, Labor force participation rate plummets

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Over the last six months, of the net job creation, 97 percent of that is part-time work,”…Keith Hall, former BLS chief

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

I expect orwellian employment reporting from the Obama controlled US Government. I am less inclined to expect the same from the state of NC.

The unemployment rate fell from 9.5 percent in January to 7.4 percent in November. Yet there were fewer people employed in November than January.

More on this below.

Once again the Greensboro News record has done a fair job of pointing out that much of the decline in the unemployment rate was due to people dropping out of the Labor Force.

From the News Record December 21, 2013.

“North Carolina’s unemployment rate declined sharply in November to its lowest level in more than five years, the state Commerce Department said Friday, but seemingly inconsistent data raise questions about how many new jobs are actually being created.

The jobless rate of 7.4 percent compares to 8 percent in October and 8.9 percent back in July. The state rate is also inching closer to the national rate, which was 7 percent in November.

The department’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division said the number of people employed in North Carolina grew in the past month by just over 20,000 to more than 4.3 million.

But the labor force itself declined by 8,100, attributed in part to the long-term unemployed giving up on looking for work, said Andrew Brod, a senior researcher within the business school at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Over the past 12 months, the labor force has declined by 95,000, while the number of employed has grown by just 6,100, according to division data.

With more detailed industry survey data released showing total nonfarm employment falling by 6,500 positions, Brod said it’s uncertain how much of the drop in the jobless rate is actually due to more hiring.

The unemployment number “looks great, but it’s a continuation of a six-month trend at least in which drops in the unemployment rate are happening mostly because of people leaving the labor force,” Brod said in an interview. “This number looks good, but I take it with a grain of salt.””

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/news/north_carolina_ap/article_690e003d-6c30-5704-b651-33e0326c7e63.html

Why is the following not being reported?

In January of 2013 there were 4,322,922 people employed.

In November of 2013 there were 4,314,502 people employed.

The labor force participation rate plummeted from 63.4 percent to 61.3 percent in the same period.

http://esesc23.esc.state.nc.us/d4/LausSelection.aspx

This is good news???

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Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Employment, Government, Jobs, Labor Department, NC, North Carolina, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Orwellian, The Case Against Barack Obama

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US and NC employment status, December 7, 2013, Pearl Harbor like surprise for investors, Obama economy forces labor dropouts part time and discouraged workers, Greensboro News Record factual report

Posted on December 7, 2013 | 59 comments

US and NC employment status, December 7, 2013, Pearl Harbor like surprise for investors, Obama economy forces labor dropouts part time and discouraged workers, Greensboro News Record factual report

“You get a declining unemployment rate. But it appears to be an artifact of people leaving the labor force, not of more people having jobs,”… UNCG Economist Andrew Brod, December 5, 2013

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 
Today, December 7, 2013, is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

America was caught sleeping then.

Many investors and policy makers are sleeping now.

The real employment picture in the US and NC is much scarier than most people realize. Partly due to the biased or sloppy reporting of the mainstream media.

I was pleased to read the recent report from the Greensboro News Record about the employment situation in NC.

It attempts to accurately portray employment in the region and NC.

From the News Record December 5, 2013.

“Area jobless rate at 5-year low, but it’s a complicated number”

“The unemployment rate in the Greensboro-High Point metro area is the lowest it has been since the beginning of the jobs crisis at the end of 2008.

The October unemployment rate was 8.3 percent, compared with 9.9 percent in October 2012. The figures were released Thursday by the N.C. Department of Commerce and are adjusted for seasonal-hiring variations.

It’s the lowest unemployment rate for the region since November 2008, when unemployment was 7.9 percent.

Triadwide, job growth for hotels and restaurants is soaring, but jobs in the region’s bedrock industry — manufacturing — are still declining.

The unemployment rate shows that fewer people in the overall labor force in the region are unemployed. But a disturbing trend has emerged that may cast a shadow over that bright statistic.

The metro region’s total labor force is smaller than it was a year ago.

In October 2012, 375,137 people said they were working in the Greensboro-High Point metro area. The most recent figures show that figure has dropped by 6,650 to 368,487.

Economist Andrew Brod said that suggests the employment picture is deteriorating here because unemployed people have simply stopped looking for jobs and are no longer counted as part of the labor force.

“You get a declining unemployment rate. But it appears to be an artifact of people leaving the labor force, not of more people having jobs,” said Brod, a senior research fellow at UNCG’s Bryan school of business.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/business/article_1f3828e2-5dbf-11e3-9223-001a4bcf6878.html

The labor force participation rate in NC has plummeted 2 percent since January of 2013.

And speaking of labor force participation rate.

It rose slightly in November in the US. Probably an adjustment for the .3 percent drop in the prior month.

The reported US unemployment rate is 7 percent.

Sounds great.

However.

Here are a few reality check numbers.

Since Obama took office in January 2009.

Labor force participation rate.

Jan 2009  65.7 %

Nov 2013 63.0 %

Unemployment rate Blacks.

Jan 2009 12.7 %

Nov 2013 12.5 %

Could only find part time work.

Jan 2009 1,676,000

Nov 2013 2,486,000

Do not be swayed by the mavens of misinformation.

The drop in the labor force participation rate was not caused by baby boomers retiring.

59 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Employment, Government, Jobs, NC, News, North Carolina, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, The Case Against Barack Obama

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NC Blue Cross Blue Shield rates skyrocket for reinstated Obamacare cancelled health care plans, North Carolina Department of Insurance approved rate increase, Double price inflation of year ago

Posted on November 27, 2013 | 69 comments

NC Blue Cross Blue Shield rates skyrocket for reinstated Obamacare cancelled health care plans, North Carolina Department of Insurance approved rate increase, Double  price inflation of year ago

“If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan.”…Barack Obama

“millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years.”…NBC News October 29, 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

 

From the Raleigh News Observer November 26, 2013.

“Blue Cross rates for reinstated health plans in NC approved”

 

“The state Department of Insurance has approved the rate hikes proposed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for 2013 individual health insurance plans that are being extended next year.

The health plans had been slated for elimination under the Affordable Care Act, the nation’s health care law, but Blue Cross officials said earlier this month the company would offer the plans next year. President Barack Obama urged insurers to extend the individual plans for one year amid a public outcry over forced cancellations and steep price increases for replacement plans.

After an expedited review, the N.C. Department of Insurance approved an average increase for Blue Advantage plans of 16.4 percent; for Blue Value, 22 percent; and for Blue Options HSA, 23.6 percent.

The increase is double the price inflation for the same health plans just a year ago. But many Blue Cross customers have welcomed the return of the plans.

The extension applies only to Blue Cross customers on individual plans who were enrolled on or before Oct. 1. Those who signed up after will lose their plans at the end of this year. Legislation before Congress would allow all Americans to buy the 2013 plans, not just those who enrolled by the Oct. 1 deadline.

Blue Cross had mailed out more than 151,000 plan cancellations, affecting more than 230,000 customers on those individual policies. The letters listed 2014 premiums under new individual plans that comply with the Affordable Care Act. Some customers saw rate decreases, but many were shaken by increases that doubled and tripled their costs.”

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/11/26/3409552/blue-cross-rates-for-reinstated.html

 

 

69 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, NC, News, North Carolina, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, ObamaCare, The Case Against Barack Obama

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NC unemployment rate drops due to labor force exodus, Greensboro News Record accurate report, November 22, 2013, 8 percent unemployment rate, Labor force participation rate plummets 2 percent this year

Posted on November 23, 2013 | 9 comments

NC unemployment rate drops due to labor force exodus, Greensboro News Record accurate report, November 22, 2013, 8 percent unemployment rate, Labor force participation rate plummets 2 percent this year

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“In the Triad, a number of studies have ranked the area among the nation’s worst in terms of poverty and food hardship.”

““You have the people that were barely making it with 40 hours. Now, they’re below 30 hours and have the same household bills,” Sturdivant said. “And at the end of the day, if they go out and get another part-time job, they still won’t have insurance.””...Greensboro News Record September 2, 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

I heard a radio report yesterday misportray the drop in the NC unemployment rate to 8 percent as good news.

I was pleased to read that the Greensboro News Record provided an accurate report of the dismal jobs situation in NC.

From the News Record November 22, 2013.

“Unemployment rate drops, but fewer N.C. residents are working than a year ago”

“North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell to an even 8 percent in October, which makes for a positive headline.

But there’s a gloomier underside.
Total employment, according to “smoothed seasonally adjusted” numbers, was down from a year earlier, when the unemployment rate was 9.4 percent.

How could that be? Our labor force keeps shrinking. It’s smaller by 77,429, the N.C. Department of Commerce reports.”

“Addendum: “The state’s labor force participation rate — a key measure of labor utilization — fell steadily over that time to the lowest monthly figure recorded at any point since 1976,” John Quinterno says.”

Read more:

http://www.news-record.com/blogs/clark_off_the_record/article_4ba8cf74-539e-11e3-aeb0-001a4bcf6878.html

The labor force participation rate has fallen 2 percent this year!

The unemployment rate has dropped 1.5 percent.

You do the math.

http://esesc23.esc.state.nc.us/d4/LausSelection.aspx

9 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Economy, Employment, Jobs, NC, News, North Carolina, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, The Case Against Barack Obama, Unemployment

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