Unemployment compensation tax skyrocketing

Unemployment compensation tax has not been a widely discussed issued among the rising unemployment rate. States in the US are having difficulties paying unemployment claims due to the significant rise in unemployment. States have to resort to bumping up compensation tax such as an example with Florida, which has to increase unemployment tax by 12x from $8.40 for every employee to $100.30.

There are 33 states which will increase their compensation taxes next year. This will make small businesses which continue to be cautious with regards to credit, and expansion will now find hiring or retaining employees more expensive. Although contract and temporary workers may see a slight uptick, these positions will likely be mute to the unemployment rate, and claims will continue to be at elevated levels. Without sustained job creation and longer work hours for current employees, these temporary positions will likely see very minimal increases. Hence, why I've been very cautious with regards to investing in these employment services stocks.

Initial Claims Ending Week Oct 3 2009 US

Current the official unemployment rate in the US is 9.8%. Economist feel that it will take till 2013 to have our unemployment hit 5%.

""Never before has business shed so many workers so fast, so many people failed to find work who are looking for work, and so many dropped out of the labor force as in the current circumstance," said Allen Sinai at Decision Economics."

The Labor Department reported that initial claims fell 33,000 to 521,000 in the week ended Oct. 3.

However, the decrease in continuing claims likely reflects people exhausting their unemployment benefits after several months of looking for work. This does not reflect that jobs are abundant, nor does it mean that economic conditions have improved dramatically.

More Americans Than Anticipated File Jobless Claims

"Sept. 3 -- More Americans than anticipated filed jobless-benefit claims last week, indicating companies remain focused on cutting expenses as the economy emerges from its worst recession since the 1930s.  

Applications fell by 4,000 to 570,000 in the week ended Aug. 29, exceeding the 564,000 median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, figures from the Labor Department showed today in Washington. The total number of people collecting unemployment insurance climbed. 

“We’re not making much progress in terms of the layoff picture,” said Jonathan Basile, an economist at Credit Suisse Holdings USA Inc., which correctly forecast the first-time filings figure. “These levels of initial claims are still consistent with declines in payrolls.” 

Manufacturers are still cutting staff. Whirlpool Corp., the world’s largest appliance maker, will close its Evansville, Indiana, manufacturing plant, resulting in the elimination of 1,100 jobs as the housing slowdown hurts demand."  

Source: Bloomberg

Meltdown 101: State unemployment by the numbers

STATES OF PAIN
15 percent: Michigan's unemployment rate, the nation's highest
12.7 percent: Rhode Island's unemployment rate, the second highest
12.5 percent: Nevada's rate
11.9 percent: California's rate
11.9 percent: Oregon's rate
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STATES OF CONTENTMENT
4.2 percent: North Dakota's unemployment rate, the nation's lowest
4.9 percent: Nebraska's rate, the second lowest
4.9 percent: South Dakota's rate
6 percent: Utah's rate
6.5 percent: Wyoming's rate
6.5 percent: Oklahoma's rate
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JOB GAINERS
62,100: Jobs added in New York in July
38,100: Jobs added in Michigan
37,900: Jobs added in Texas
15,600: Jobs added in Tennessee
13,200: Jobs added in District of Columbia
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JOB LOSERS
35,800: Jobs lost in California
26,400: Jobs lost in North Carolina
25,200: Jobs lost in Florida
13,000: Jobs lost in Illinois
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WESTERN WOES
10.5 percent: Unemployment in the Western region
10.2 percent: Unemployment in the Midwest
9.3 percent: Unemployment in the South
8.7 percent: Unemployment in the Northeast

Source: CNBC

Jobless Claims Rise to 558,000 in the United States

"Better-than-anticipated reports on manufacturing, housing and employment indicate the deepest job cuts may have passed. At the same time, while analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News say the government’s stimulus spending will spur economic growth as of this quarter, they predict it won’t stop the jobless rate from reaching 10 percent and restraining consumer spending.

“The job market is no longer skidding out of control,” Carl Riccadonna, a senior economist at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. in New York, said before the report. Nonetheless, he said, “while the stimulus is helping the economy gain traction, we’re not going to see a massive ramp-up in hiring because of it.”"

Source: Bloomberg

Although, we are seeing an improvement in the global economy because of stabilization. We are not seeing massive ramp up in growth as the market dictates. For employment to continue to improve manufacturing and consumer spending in the United States has to improve. Consumer spending still remain in depressed levels as there continues to be weak demand in high end products. I would continue to be cautious till more evidence from the government stimulus creates "real" jobs that provide evidence for the economy.