General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis was actually the best August jobs report in six years...
I'm not saying the numbers weren't disappointing, but check the facts: the 96K jobs added were the highest for any August since 2006. In the last two years of the Bush administration, the economy lost jobs in August -- in 2008, it lost more than 100K jobs...and remember, that was before the Great Recession began.
For some reason, August just seems to be a bad month for hiring. Not that we shouldn't be disappointed with these numbers, but a little perspective is called for at times.
WI_DEM
(33,497 posts)JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)you have a lot of seasonal workers in vacation destinations who get hired on in May or June and let go in August; that's probably responsible for a lot of the weakness of employment numbers in August (along with seasonal agricultural workers being paid off and so on).
barbtries
(28,788 posts)even places that may need to hire will wait until they're back from vacation
Sanity Claws
(21,847 posts)Decisions have to be made so the company has to wait until all involved in the decision are back to work. That means after Labor Day.
I personally interviewed for at least 2 positions in July and August and was told the decision would be made in September.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,000 posts)Blue Idaho
(5,049 posts)Another dotted line beginning at April 2011 and running forward labeled "republican congressional obstructionism."
Tom Rinaldo
(22,912 posts)Most people will never get the chance to see this report that way because the media is too lazy to report news in context.
But usually they could be counted on to say: "Unemployment down two tenths of a points" since most economic reporting and media commentary has always focused on the unemployment rate, not the number of jobs created in any month.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)my business i was in falls in june and is slow for next two months.
these things matter.
thanks for info.
it is a duh, but, i had not thought of the reasons why
Sanity Claws
(21,847 posts)The job market is definitely picking up.
The unemployment rate decreased by .2%
My personal experience is that there are more jobs advertised in the last month than I've seen in the past year. I know because I've been scouring the job listings for years and I applied to more jobs in the past month than I have in a long, long time.
If the jobs are being advertised now, the hiring will be done shortly.
glowing
(12,233 posts)spectrum, parents are strapped buying back to school items: now including more than the back pack, clothes, pencils and book bag... now, we are providing hand sanitizer, toilet paper, glue, scissors, crayons, paper towels, photo copy paper... the list is almost endless. AND for those who can afford to help a little bit more, we buy extras for those children who's families cannot provide another dime out the door. Plus the college kids are going out too.
August and September are numbing. October thru the end of the year picks up when companies enter their 4th quarter and they have to get things done to end the business year... (I'm in FL).. so, we also start getting the snow birds back in. Honestly, for us, the RNC provided a cash infusion for housing security details. And they were on the job most of the time or sleeping, so they were easy going guests... Very easy money!!!
So, when you know that its spotty with money coming in, you basically hire only where you need it. A company will assign more OT, than have their balance sheets become skimpy.
ALSO, let's be real. The big businesses are sitting on huge surpluses, barely pay taxes, some get subsidies, and the top %r's are bank rolling the GOP and most of the Govt to buy their voice over the people's voice.. So, we aren't going to see lots of cooperation.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)Labor Day weekend, back to school, and the Jewish high holidays. Plus this year it was ghastly hot for the end of July and the entire month of August - scary, unremitting heat, even at night, for 6 weeks. It killed business.
Blue Idaho
(5,049 posts)No way, the media is busily trying to paint any employment news as bad news. It's damn the facts and full speed ahead...
eqfan592
(5,963 posts)Lets hope September shows at least a similar uptick in jobs and decrease in unemployment. Getting the unemployment rate back under 8% would be awesome.
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)All the hiring people are on vacation.
RedSpartan
(1,693 posts)From this, we lost 29,000 jobs in Sept 2010 and gained 103,000 in Sept 2011:
http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/07/news/economy/jobs_report_unemployment/index.htm
BumRushDaShow
(128,897 posts)and they showed a chart of previous Augusts. He also mentioned some other positive indicators that the M$M is missing....
landolfi
(234 posts)From Gawker:
http://gawker.com/5936058/paul-ryan-supported-the-stimulus-when-george-w-bush-proposed-it
Ryan also noted, "In recessions unemployment lags on well after a recovery has taken place," which slightly undercuts his accusation that current unemployment numbers show Obama's inability to deal with the recession.
IrishEyes
(3,275 posts)It is always slower in the summer for work. It usually picks up in September. I'm looking forward to finding a full-time job.
Barry2012
(51 posts)If it wasn't for the DO NOTHING CONGRESS that president Obama is had to deal with for the last 2 years we would be in much better shape.I think he's done a pretty good job actually,when you think of all the opposition he's had to all of his job proposals.