Employment, Wages and Temporary Unemployment Assistance
Americans are facing tough economic times. On the heels of the slowest recovery since World War II, the economy shed about 2 million jobs in 2008 and unemployment rose to levels not seen since the early 1990s. We continue to export jobs at an ever-accelerating rate, making good jobs harder to find. Outside the farm sector, real wages are falling after accounting for inflation. While corporations may be earning more, working Americans are earning less, and the gap between the richest Americans and those at the lower end of the earnings ladder persists. It is time to put America on a new course, undoing a legacy of eight years of failed economic policies that led the country into a recession.
Congress must work to increase employment so that all Americans can meet their full economic potential. Historically, and in the future, American creativity and innovation helps us to grow our markets and create more jobs. We must invest in green jobs -- jobs in industries that will not only put money into hardworking Americans’ pockets, but better America too.
Documents/Reports
01/07/09 - November 2008 NY State Employment Report
12/05/08 - October 2008 NY State Employment Report
Links
To hear about Democrats’ efforts to extend and bolster unemployment benefits or to share a story about how unemployment impacts you, your family, or your community, visit the Ways and Means Democrats eCall to extend Unemployment Insurance page.
To find out about unemployment insurance in New York visit http://www.labor.ny.gov/unemploymentassistance.shtm.
Joint Economic Committee Democrats
