|
||||
Long Beach Unemployment Back Up To 14.5% by Ryan ZumMallen | Archive | 03.10.10 |
+ 4:45pm | After showing signs of slow improvement in recent months, statistics released from the Employment Development Department this morning show that unemployment in Long Beach has grown to 14.5% as of January. The data has not been seasonally adjusted. href="http://malicjewels.com/show-information/25-the-shows/112-long-beach-ca-march-12-14-2010.html">In December 2009, unemployment seemed to be improving in Long Beach. After several months of ranking at 13.9%, December saw unemployment improve to 13.4%. Statistics released today, however, show that things have taken a turn for the worse. Long Beach's 14.5% unemployment rate easily surpasses the Los Angeles County rate of 13.4%. Approximately 34,000 out of a labor force of 235,000 in Long Beach are out of work.  Update 5:45pm | Here is a really fun page I stumbled upon that shows how the state of California borrows from the Federal Government to pay unemployment because the state's own unemployment fund has been "unsustainable" since July 2008. As of January 2010, California had borrowed more than $7.5 billion to fund unemployment.Update 6:15pm | While the spike in local unemployment likely had to do with post-Holiday seasonal layoffs, Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network (PGWIN) executive director Bryan Rogers told the LBPOST.com this afternoon that new challenges are arising in the workforce that are keeping those numbers high. "We're seeing certainly a lot more challenges in sectors that we hadn't in the past," Rogers said. "It's a tough go across the board. You've definitely got more job-seekers than there are jobs. But there are jobs." Rogers pointed to increased efforts that the PGWIN has made to assist unemployed workers, particularly in the healthcare and manufacturing sectors. More than 9,000 local unemployed residents receive assistance at local PGWIN assistance centers. Visit Workforce Development opportunities by clicking here. More to come... Disclosure: LBPOST.com publisher Shaun Lumachi is Chair of the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network board of directors.
Comments
Click Here to Join the Discussion on this Story
20 Comments so far.
Shea Shizzle yep... sucks. I guess I am one of the 34,000 as well. UI benefits run out next month too, im sure im not the only one! Belmont resident With this unemployment rate, it is disgraceful that the Port of Long Beach wants to spend $1.3 million, out of state, on a document management project when a superior system is available, in this city for $800,000. If kept in the city, the money would circulate within the city and might make a dent in the unemployment rate. Let's hope that the port staff joins the ranks of the 14.5% real soon. meh maybe unpaid internships should be outlawed. Julie J And just wait until the LBUSD finishes handing out their pink slips! G I am wondering if the fact that we pay some of the highest taxes in the country, our extremly bloated state government and our complete fiscal irresponsibility have anything to do with this and the coming worst unemployment. WAKE UP citizens, we have gone over the cliff fiscally! Or we could tax the rich people who supply all the jobs until they leave the state and country. Bad idea but that's the way the politicans will play this!! G Julie j I would like to also point out that yes teachers are going to lose their jobs. One of the saddest facts about this is that the state unions have sold out jobs and the infastruture of our great state for bloated unsustainable pensions. It is simply a mathmatical fact, and we have reached a point where we can not tax the wealthy to prosperity. The only way out of this is to shrink governments size period. Laurie Boeing is about to lay off 5,000 workers and another 10,000 over the next 2 years which should pump that number up much further. But then since so many peoples benefits are about to be terminated, the numbers will probably look the same. We will just have thousands of people out of work with no benefits. Really sux! Born in Long Beach Will only get worse in Long Beach...Boeing C17 program could shut down in 2012 with layoffs going now due to slow down in production. Long Beach Unified to layoff hundreds later this year. Plan to bring jobs to the OLD NAVAL Shipyard being held up by other plans for the harbor space. Potential layoffs in Fire, Police and City Service can not be far behind. This cause more housing prices to crash more business to fail and more to lose their jobs. The 2nd Great Depression is not far off in the Long Beach Area. No one thinks so but its not far off soon. Look at Detroit and the same fate for Long Beach could be in the future. Detroit considering bulldozing vacant housing and business to turn them back to farms and open space. Reeverse Bleak :-/ Oh great City economic leaders, where are you? Rickatsea What am I hearing? All these people (tax payers) out of work and there are police who want extra pay to shine their shoes? There are teachers who really think that a parcel tax will save them even as it raises the rents of the poor tax payers...who are out of work? And the benifits keep rolling on and on if you work for the state, county and /or city. How are you going to vote next time? skn California has become business hostile. Unpredictable, liberal legislature, strong special interest groups, powerful public unions, and high taxes all contribute. Got to change Sacramento substantially or nothing will ever change. There is only so much a city can do. If we don't do something soon we will become the Michigan of the West Coast.......high taxes, low employment but of course, with better weather! Dave in Alamitos Beach Does anyone know how this unemployment statistic really works? My guess is it's the best case scenario. I would imagine there are a lot of people in the underground economy who are out of work, as well as longtime unemployed people. I wonder what the really number is. Might be kinda shocking. JimF So,how is that "Hope and Change" working for you? stop the madness Encourage those to not have kids if they can't afford them. This is what we should have been doing for the past 10 years. less people = more jobs There has been too many taking from the system and not enough feeding into the system for too long, that is why this is all happening. In response to "G"'s comment, how is it fair to further tax rich people? Think about how many millions of dollars they have fed into the system and have taken NOTHING (no public use of parks, the police, fire, etc. on average) in comparison to those who use these social structures all the time, but don't contribute anything. We should all be paying the same percentage for taxes...it's only fair. I am just a teacher but have realized there are too many irresponsible people who are breeding more irresponsible people. It's only going to get worse... Help the rich! The rich create jobs! the rich give to charity! we need rich people! It's all bogus. Middle class people create jobs. America is strong due to a strong middle class, a working class. That's who's struggling, that's what makes this a crisis. Also if you look at the press telegram you notice that affluent areas are the least affected- Palos Verdes Estates is at 3%. Meanwhile compton,paramount, lynwood and LB are way above 12% avg. By the way, economists say a good unemployment rate is 5-7% keeping the market for employment steady, so let's fire some people PV Estates and hire some Lynwoodians! @Help the rich! What are the education levels of those that live in PV, Bixby Knolls, Seal Beach, Coastal and East LB? Now what are those rates for Lynwood, Compton, North LB? I'm willing to bet their are much more college graduates in the affluent neighborhoods. Of course a high level of education is not a guarantee to employment, but does make it much more likely. So learn as much as you can, when ever you can. If you have the money, use it to further your education or start a business. If you don't have the money, borrow it, to further your education or start a business. If no one will give it to you, go to the library, to further your education or read about small business government grants to start a business. The Great Depression was much worse than this economy, but they got through it and so will we. Curious Does any data exists that shows unemployment by Long Beach neighborhood? I'm guessing residences that live between 7th and Anaheim have a much higher rate then those between ocean and 4th. That would be interesting to see. Eagle Eye I'm sure this is nothing that a gay parade couldn't fix. Isn't that the answer to everything? Medpot Advocate Long Beach is about to lose more jobs when they shut down all of the medical marijuana collectives. But, the people who will die from wasting syndrome, AIDS, etc will probably equalize the percentage. TooPollutedWithGerms Reconfiguring the breakwater will bring some much needed blue collar jobs to remove the necessary sections. That along with upgrading storm drains and capturing more of the pollution from the LA River will provide clean water with surfable waves. The resulting increase in tourism will add more jobs and boost the city's tax base. Everybody write to your city council member and the Army Corps' to convince them to move forward with this. http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_14658849?IADID=Search-www.presstelegram.com-www.presstelegram.com
Archive
LBPOST.com Managing Editor Ryan ZumMallen keeps up on all the current and breaking Long Beach news.
Ryan ZumMallen has served as the managing editor of the LBPOST.com since 2007. He graduated from CSULB with a degree in Print Journalism in 2008 and is a member of the 2009 class of Leadership Long Beach. You can find him on various basketball courts around the city.
Ryan's Community
 
Ryan's Archives
Show All Archives |
||||
| About Us | Contact Us | Policies | ||||
