UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

Sept 18, Bloomberg News: "The U.S. economy has lost 6.9 million jobs since the recession started in December 2007, the most of any downturn since the Great Depression."

California’s unemployment rate reached 12.2 percent and Nevada’s climbed to 13.2 percent. Unemployment in the District of Columbia also exceeded 10 percent, for a fourth consecutive month, rising to 11.1 percent from 10.6 percent.

Michigan, the heart of the U.S. auto industry, continued to surpass all states, with an unemployment rate of 15.2 percent in August, up from 15 percent.

WXII2 - North Carolina's unemployment rate was 10.8 percent, down from 10.9 percent.

Sept 18 - NPR: Forty-two states lost jobs last month, up from 29 in July, with the biggest payroll cuts coming in Texas, Michigan, Georgia and Ohio.

Unemployment continued in Rhode Island at 12.8 percent and Oregon at 12.2 percent tied with California.

The jobless rates in California, Nevada and Rhode Island were the highest on records dating to 1976.

Nationwide, the unemployment rate rose to 9.7 percent in August from 9.4 percent in July.
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These are private sector jobs, people with families, workers who contribute taxes. There has been no widespread layoff of government workers.