January Unemployment By the Numbers
This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the monthly labor report for January 2011. The BLS report reiterates a sad fact that Americans already know: Democrats’ runaway spending and record deficits have failed. For the 21st consecutive month, unemployment has been at 9 percent or higher, the longest such streak since the Great Depression. While the unemployment rate dropped from 9.4 percent to 9 percent in January, total employment only increased by 36,000—the smallest gain in four months. Conversely, the American workforce shrunk by 504,000, another sign that Democrat’s economic policies have failed.
9%: The unemployment rate for the month of January.
21: The number of consecutive months that unemployment has been at or above 9 percent, the longest such streak since the Great Depression.
18.9%: The rate of underemployment in January according to Gallup’s monthly employment survey. This accounts for the unemployed, those unable to find full-time work and those discouraged from looking for work.
13,863,000: The number of unemployed Americans looking for work in the month of January.
43,595,794: The number of Americans receiving food stamps, the highest number of participants in history.
36.9: The average number of weeks that job seekers have been unemployed, the highest average in history.
8,407,000: The number of Americans who are working only part-time because they cannot find full time employment.
6,210,000: The number of Americans unemployed and searching for work for more than 27 weeks.
2,800,000: The number of unemployed Americans who want work, but who have stopped looking because of the state of the economy.
504,000: The number of Americans who left the labor force in January, the highest since June 2010.
1,351,000: The number of job seekers that are new entrants to the workforce and have yet to find a job.
25.7%: The unemployment rate among job seekers between the ages of 16 and 19.
15.8%: The unemployment rate among African Americans.
11.9%: The unemployment rate among Hispanics and Latinos.
14.2%: The unemployment rate among Americans without high school diplomas.
6.9%: The level at which the Obama administration claimed unemployment would be today if the “stimulus” was signed into law.
2,572,000: The number of net jobs the economy has shed since the Democrats’ “stimulus” was signed into law.
$1,161,000,000,000: The total cost of the Democrats’ “stimulus.” CBO estimates the cost of the bill will reach $814 billion and interest on the debt for the bill will be at least $347 billion.
For additional information, contact:
The House Republican Conference Policy Office
