Detroit's jobless rate hits 26-year high at 22.2%

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090320/BUSINESS06/903200365/Detroit+s+jobless+rate+hits+26-year+high+at+22.2+

Detroit's jobless rate hits 26-year high at 22.2%
It tops mark for metro area, Michigan
BY JOHN GALLAGHER • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • March 20, 2009


The unemployment rate in Detroit hit 22.2% during January, the highest rate in 26 years.

January's rate marked a sharp jump from the city's December rate of 18.6%. As reported earlier, Michigan's unemployment rate for January was 11.6%.

For many years, unemployment in the city has run higher than the state or suburban areas.

The rate for the entire Detroit area in January was 13%, up from 10.6% in December and up several percentage points from the 8.2% rate recorded in January 2008.

Even at more than 20%, Detroit's rate may not capture the depth of economic pain in the city because people who have stopped looking for work or who can find only part-time jobs are not counted in the rate.

There was a lot of pain to go around. Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates rose sharply during the month in all of Michigan's 17 major labor-market areas, according to the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth.

[WI_DEM]

1. It's so sad, Detroit is a dying large American city and something needs to be done to

turn it around.

[navarth]

3. We're trying....

It will help if the wealthy people at the top of the autos make some good decisions. I'm back to work now (freelance) but a lot of it is for foreign car companies.

[angstlessk]

2. I moved to Detroit from VA..I have met those ..they are 40 year olds

and 50 year olds..who KNOW..jobs are not available to them...so they beg...

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. sad.

[Deja Q]

5. Let them beg.

I mean, begging is all anyone can do anymore.